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This week we’re talking about movements for public-owned utilities, global uprisings against neoliberalism, and a just transition in Appalachia!
Stories From the Field
Let’s Own Our Energy Utilities: As PG&E continues to shut down power in Northern California due to widespread wildfires, an increasing number of people — including CA Rep. Ro Khanna — are calling for public ownership of energy utilities. NEC member organizations are at the forefront of many of these movements; from our Rural Electric Cooperative Working Group, featured in the Hightower Lowdown, to Co-op Power’s Sunset Park Community Solar Project, featured in this Teen Vogue piece about the #LetsOwnPGE campaign.
Ownership of Land & Time in Baltimore: Baltimore city residents are fighting a history of exploitation and showing that another world is possible through collective ownership of food, labor, and land. Jaisal Noor, a fellow in our New Economies Reporting Project, reported on the co-ops and land trusts we toured during the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy earlier this month. Watch how Baltimore Residents are Taking Ownership of Land and Time.
Affordable Housing in the Bay Area: Activists, like Janelle Orsi of NEC member organization The Sustainable Economies Law Center, want to redefine the meaning of land ownership away from profits and toward long-term stewardship. They hope to lock in affordability by crafting “justice easements” that designate housing as the only appropriate land use in an area. Read more about their efforts to thwart cutthroat real estate capitalism.
Solidarity Economies Abroad
Global Uprisings Continue: Massive protests against austerity and neoliberal capitalism continue across the world — from Chile to Lebanon, Iraq, Haiti, Spain, Hong Kong, and Ecuador. Jack Shenker writes that the protests have been led by “children of the 2008 financial crisis,” who have come of age “after the collapse of a broken economic and political orthodoxy, and before its replacement has emerged." Read more about the protesters demanding bold alternatives to capitalism.
Our Joint Future – Lessons from Africa: Members of the Club of Rome will convene in Cape Town on November 5 & 6 to discuss climate solutions and the reframing and reclaiming of economics in Africa. Speakers include David Korten, founder of NEC member organization Living Economies Forum. Learn more about the summit.
New Economics Zine in the UK: The New Economics Foundation has just released “Let’s Change the Rules” — the first issue of their New Economics Zine. Covering topics from decolonizing economics to coastal climate resilience, the zine offers practical solutions and frameworks on how to build an economy that works for everyone. Read the full zine here.
Appalachia Just Transition Report
A coalition of groups in Central Appalachia, including NEC Member Organization Appalachian Voices, issued its second report today identifying innovative projects that would clean up abandoned coal mine lands in four states and give them new life as sustainable agriculture businesses, renewable energy sites or other economic ventures. The report, A New Horizon: Innovative Reclamation for a Just Transition, profiles 19 projects, which can be adapted and replicated across the region.
Movement News
- Cities are Looking at ADUs to Ease Housing Crunch & Build Diversity
- Community Land Trust Movement Imagines Its Future
- House Dems Unveil Bill To Protect Climate Refugees
- How a Public Bank Could Free S.F.'s Money From Wall Street
- Joint Environmental Proposal Could see Creation of Commercial Kitchen, Food Cart Storage in Little Village
- Organizing For Economic Justice In Buffalo
- Pulling the Plug on PG&E
- Q&A with Rodney Foxworth: Redistributing wealth, democratizing power and shifting economic control for our Common Future
- Special Report: Making Buffalo Our City
- This Board Game About Labor Revolts Is Protesting Kickstarter on Kickstarter
- This Fisherman Wants Us To Use The Oceans To Fight Climate Change
- The Key to Saving Family Farms Is in the Soil
- To Make the Economy More Fair, we Need to Make it More Democratic
Sounds of the New Economy
After a year-long hiatus, the podcast from NEC Member Organization Upstream is back! This week, Della Duncan & Robert Raymond talk with Helena Norberg-Hodge — Founder and Director of NEC Member Organization Local Futures, producer and co-director of the documentary films The Economics of Happiness and Ancient Futures: Lessons from Ladakh and Right Livelihood Award Laureate. They explore the question, “is localization a solution to the crisis of capitalism?”
NEC on The Gram
Follow NEC on Instagram – @NewEconomyCoalition – Where we're lifting up resources from members of our #SolidarityEconomyFam about how cooperative work and deep democracy are integral to a regenerative economy. The image above is the just transition framework from Movement Generation.
Job Board
Communications and Podcast Production Intern, Community Networks – Minneapolis, MN – Deadline Nov 6
Democratic Entrepreneurship Director, Center for Community Wealth Building – Denver, CO – Deadline Nov 8
Fundraising & Operations Associate, United for a Fair Economy – Boston, MA
Network Organizer, Power Shift Network – Remote – Deadline Nov 3
President, New Media Ventures – Oakland, CA
Various Positions, Action Center on Race and the Economy – Location is flexible
Various Positions, Color of Change – New York, Washington D.C., Oakland, Los Angeles
Various Positions, Democracy Collaborative – Washington, DC
Various Positions, Demos – New York, NY
Various Positions, Groundswell
Various Positions, Groundwork Collaborative
Various Positions, Institute for Policy Studies
Various Positions, Opportunity Finance Network
Various Positions, Project Equity – Multiple Locations
Various Positions, Race Forward
Various Positions, Sunrise Movement – Multiple Locations
Various Positions, The Laura Flanders Show – New York, NY
Upcoming Events
2019 PACA Co-op Summit & Annual Meeting
PACA annually convenes its co-op membership, cooperators, and the general public together for a look at our region's co-op economy and to envision how to make it stronger. In 2019, we'll continue this tradition and welcome you to join us! (Nov 1 – Philadelphia, PA)
Food Solutions Forum
In collaboration with NEC Member organizations, The Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, The National Family Farm Coalition, The American Sustainable Business Council and ally The Climate Justice Alliance – the Food Solutions Forum will connect farmers, fishermen, food workers, small business owners and the public with presidential candidates as we discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our local food producers. (Nov 5 – Durham, NH)
How Racism Shaped the Housing Crisis & What We Can Do About It
A special event hosted by Shareable and SPUR exploring how racism shaped the housing crisis, why this history is relevant today, and solutions that take this history into account. (Nov 6 – San Francisco, CA)
Who Owns the World? The State of Platform Cooperativism
Fire the Bosses, Democratize the Internet, and Own the Future. Who Owns the World? convenes 150 speakers from over 30 countries to meet each other, co-design, and learn about topics such as worker power in the platform economy, antitrust, misogyny and racism in co-ops, ecological sustainability, and more. (Nov 7-9, New York, NY)
Youth Lead: Energy Democracy
Join Climate Justice Alliance and Kheprw Institute for a youth-led discussion based on the 4 steps to Energy Democracy: Distribute Power, Decentralization, Community Ownership, Disruptive Technology. (Nov 10 – Indianapolis, IN)
Transforming Community Development through Arts and Culture
Come explore an evolving era in community development that infuses art and cultural practice to help residents reclaim community identity, strengthen cultural resilience, and build power to shape neighborhood planning and creative placemaking—all key components of achieving equitable community development outcomes. (Nov 13 – San Francisco, CA)
Artists Working in Community Training
This training is designed for artists of all disciplines working at the intersection of art, culture, and community development to learn how to drive community change through creative placemaking and asset-based community organizing – while maintaining your artistic integrity and practice. (Nov 13-15 – Lincoln, NE)
Rootskills Workshop
The Grassroots Fund's RootSkills workshops are day-long gatherings where grassroots organizers, colleagues and supporters convene to network, share stories and dig into both issue- and process-based skill-building sessions. (Nov 15 – Providence, RI)
Liberating Our Futures Together: Building the Cooperative Ecosystem – 4th Union Co-op Symposium
A two day conference that brings together over 250 practitioners, social entrepreneurs, labor organizers, co-op workers, community development practitioners, and people interested in practical tools on how to start and run union worker cooperatives. (Nov 15-16 – Cincinnati, OH)
Southern Movement Assembly (SMA8)
We come together to build connections, break isolation, analyze the situations we are facing, and create visions and strategies for liberation. We are excited to be anchored in Mississippi by Alternate ROOTS, Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative, Sipp Culture Center, and partners across the Deep South. (Nov 15-17 – Hazelhurst, MI)
3rd Annual Anti-Displacement Summit
There will be intersectional workshops throughout the day on various parts of our nine point plan, including: Education and Transportation; Frontline Arts and Climate Justice; Immigration, Policing, and Housing; Indigenous Sovereignty and Black Power. (Nov 16 – Buffalo, NY)
View all NEC member events on our website »
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