A movement is emerging in many places, under many guises:New Economy (or Economies), Regenerative Economy, Solidarity Economy, Next Economy, Caring Economy, Sharing Economy, Thriving Resilience, Community Resilience, Community Economics, Oppositional Economy, High Road Economy, and other names. It’s a movement to replace the default economy of excess, control, and exploitation with a new economy based on respecting biophysical constraints, preferring decentralization, and supporting mutuality. This movement is a sign of the growing recognition that what often are seen as separate movements—environment, social justice, labor, democracy, indigenous rights—are all deeply interconnected, particularly in the way that the current economic system is a root cause of much that they seek to change.

Post Carbon Institute is an active participant in several networks that support these emerging concepts:

Over time, we’ve recognized many overlaps and similarities between these networks, as well as other efforts with similar intents that could be ripe for engagement with some parts of the emerging movement. With support from the Threshold Foundation and encouragement and collaboration from the Thriving Resilient Communities Collaboratory and the New Economy Coalition, PCI launched a project to learn more about the visions and intentions of network leaders, and through dialogue and engagement help “weave the movement” more closely together by identifying synergies and making connections.

Throughout the course of this effort, we interviewed eighteen leaders and held group conversations with dozens more leaders by phone and via an in-person workshop at the New Economy Coalition’s CommonBound conference in June 2014. Our interviews gave participants the opportunity to step back and reflect on what is and has been “most alive” in their work, to dream about what “wild success” might look like five years from now, and to imagine the next steps we might collectively take to achieve that success.

What emerged was a portrait of a rich and vibrant movement, full of promise and hope for a better future—and still very much in formation—with many opportunities for creative engagement, collaborative movement-building, visioning, and developing strategy.

Politicians, pundits, and just about everyone else tells us that global capitalism’s rampant growth, over-consumption, gross inequality, and deep depersonalization are here to stay. There is no alternative, they say.

We say—we know—there are many alternatives. They’re being thoughtfully constructed in communities across the U.S. and around the world. We’ve seen them, we’ve heard stories from them, and we invite you to share in what we’ve learned.

6 Comments on "Voices and Reflections of the Community Resilience and New Economy Movement"

Northwest Resident on Tue, 9th Sep 2014 2:04 pm 



My definition of “wild success” five years from now might be:

* I and my close family/friends (and dog and chickens) are still alive and healthy

* The nightmare of global economic collapse and the period of survivors emerging from the dust has already passed

* My crops are growing very well

* The climate hasn’t gone to hell

* No radiation from Fukushima or elsewhere is in my general geographic area

* New friends and acquaintances in my local area have banded together to form our own local thriving economy

* Government by command and control is keeping crime and riot and mayhem to a minimum and the lights on at least part of the time and the water/sewage flowing (in the right directions)

Worse case nightmare in 5 years from now:

* BAU is still limping along

* The oil companies have resorted to using nukes to dig holes deep enough to get at whatever scarce remains of oil planet earth still holds

* The masses are chewing on leather, eating grass and rampaging in their quest for food as the top 1% still dine on caviar and drink fine champagne

* Forbes and Bloomberg are still pumping out the “everything is just fine” articles

etc…

Makati1 on Tue, 9th Sep 2014 8:23 pm 



NWR, I suspect it will fall somewhere between… We shall see.

Transition communities are mostly made up of middle class folks who are playing at the idea. Reality will be a shock to all of them. Even if the communities add up to 3 or 4 million people, that is 1% of the total US population. The other 99% will prevail.

Nony on Wed, 10th Sep 2014 12:44 am 



NWR: You’ll be typing the “just around the corner” posts, 5 years from now.

Makati1 on Wed, 10th Sep 2014 1:26 am 



Nony, do you want to bet your life and that of your family on that statement?

Nony on Wed, 10th Sep 2014 4:08 am 



I’ll bet some money.

Davy on Wed, 10th Sep 2014 7:28 am 



Noo, and the mafia of cornie and parasites of Wall street will still be talking heads claiming the promise land is just down the road. SHTF has not happened bad yet but we are still in a shit hole economy that was supposed to be over by now per you cornies. It works both ways Pal.