Is Earth’s climate about to pass the tipping point?
There are many examples of Tipping points (TP). Although tipping points and points of no return are the buzzwords of our times, we should probably be using them more than we are.
building resilient communities
Op-ed: Flood survivors find common ground in a divided nation
Today, Americans have sorted ourselves into communities defined by geography, demography, ideology— and opportunities to communicate across those divides are exceedingly rare. But the shared trauma of flooding offers an opening.
In Which There Is Work
I have strong opinions on the concept of work. Put simply, I do not agree with much of what passes for economic activity in the modern world, beginning with the definition of the word.
Ralph Borsodi and Transition Towns
Borsodi envisioned his School as a local, self-governing organization to provide the basic knowledge and skills for a livable world and the good life.
How to create a little free community pantry or fridge
As communities become more complex and the number of challenges they face increases, it is important to create a foundation of support that residents can lean on at any time: Enter little free fridge or pantrys.
Cities beyond bureaucracy: Exploring commons-based strategies
I think these are the two conflicting urban visions today: the one is about a top-down enforced homogenization and zoning of the city, and then there is the possibility for the citizens themselves to engage autonomously in morphing their urban environment.
Low traffic neighbourhoods: Making fairer, safer, cities
Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) involve using planters, camera gates, bollards or other measures to restrict motor vehicle use in residential streets.
Grace Olmsteads Uprooted Idaho, and my own
Grace Olmstead’s book may not be the final masterpiece of all possible localist argument, but it is a set of very smart reflections on localism and rural life…
Green space in cities can bring considerable health benefits for communities, but access is unequal
Compared to affluent white communities, lower-income communities and communities of color are missing out on the advantages urban greenery provides. What does it take to level the playing field?
Katherine Gibson and the Community Economies Research Network
A primary goal of the Community Economies literature is to “decenter” capitalism as the reference point for thinking about alternative economic projects. Why must everything be seen through the normative lens of capitalism?
‘Salmon Nation’ Is Linking Builders of a Healthy Economy
Salmon Nation offers a radically old idea (living locally), but dresses it in new clothes on a fancy digital platform launched last year during the pandemic.
Building Community Resilience One Window at a Time
In 2019 the Vermont Charlotte Energy Committee and Transition Town Charlotte (population 4,500) participated in an exciting initiative to make and install inexpensive energy-saving window inserts in ten Charlotte homes and one community building.