I am often asked what the commons has to contribute to solving our climate change problems. Since most commons are rather small scale and local, there is a presumption that such commons cannot possibly deal with a problem as massive and literally global as climate change. I think this view is mistaken. The nation-state as… Continue reading
The Electronic Frontier Foundation recently filed a lawsuit challenging Section 1201 of the Digital Millennial Copyright Act (DMCA) on constitutonal grounds. According to the suit, that section — which criminalizes not only the circumvention of Digital Rights Management (DRM), but criminalizes the sharing of information about how to do it — is a violation of… Continue reading
People constantly ask me for a definition of the commons as if a short sentence or two could begin to encapsulate the vastness and variety represented by the term “commons.” So as a quick introduction to the many dimensions of the commons — the inner and outer worlds to which “the commons” merely points to… Continue reading
When you read about Fab Labs or Maker spaces, what picture comes to mind? 3D printers? Aquaponics? Robotics? Hackathons? How about art? Third-party corporate platforms for artists are ubiquitous – from Soundcloud to Deviant Art to Create Space. Artist cooperatives have been in existence for over a century. Combining the two into an open source… Continue reading
The global economy is arguably amidst a transitionary process. The ever increasing importance of information is widely acknowledged, a fact which is showcased with the term ‘information’ gradually preceding one by one every discipline of human activity and intellect: from ‘information technology’ to ‘information society’, ‘information economy’, all the way to the ‘information age’. In… Continue reading
“Well, something piratical is happening. It is time to rescue the stories, re-hydrate the language, scatter dialectical inflection amongst the blunt lines of anthropological scribbles, muck up the typewriter with the indigo surge of whale ink.” -Martin Shaw What is a NeoTribe? The sociological concept of neo-tribalism suggests that human beings have evolved to live… Continue reading
Cross-posted from Shareable and written by Maira Sutton, Cat Johnson and Neal Gorenflo: The sharing economy held great promise when it first emerged. It was seen as a way to help people build community, reduce unnecessary consumption, and generate extra income. It was based on the brilliantly simple notion that when we share, everybody has… Continue reading
Watch this brilliant intervention by Brian Eno: Photo credit, lead image: Dominic Alves
How Much is the Commons Worth? In the US alone, almost as much as all private wealth. Natural Assets In 2002, economists Robert Costanza and Paul Sutton estimated the contribution from natural ecosystems to the U.S. economy at $2 trillion. Their calculation of “ecosystem services” represents the benefits humans derive from natural ecosystems, including food… Continue reading
1st European Summit – Mutual Aid Network by: Time Bank Hull and East Riding Click here for event registration and more information COME HELP BUILD A NEIGHBOURLY NEW GLOBAL ECONOMY! We have what we need, let’s connect, collaborate and make it happen! We can do it! Communities around the world are piloting MANs designed to… Continue reading
This post originally published on 3cr.org.au Rising concerns about the inequity between those who design web platforms such as google, FB and Uber and their users has seen a growing movement questioning the trend. The alternative is Platform Cooperatives. Lets discuss with Janelle Orsi (SELC), Prof Anthony Schneider (internetofownership.net/), Godrey Moase (NUW), Melina Morrison (BCCM)… Continue reading
Today September 2, sees the start of the very important of the P2P Value conference in Amsterdam, which will examine the findings of a 3-year research project sponsored by EU research grants, and the results of a cooperative consortium of 8 partners, one of which is the P2P Foundation. The following text is not the… Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve probably received more mail about Mutiny of the Soul than any other essay I’ve written. The idea of the article has been hugely validating for many readers: that depression, ADHD, anxiety, etc. aren’t chemical malfunctions of the brain, nor spiritual malfunctions of the mind; rather, they are forms of legitimate rebellion… Continue reading
Peer Value: Advancing the Commons Collaborative Economy Amsterdam. September 2-3, 2016 Peer Value: Advancing the Commons Collaborative Economy is a conference integrating conversations and plans of action for shaping and connecting the Commons on a global level. Our final program is listed below, please join us in Amsterdam! The conference is organized along three tracks:… Continue reading
In this article, we reproduce co-founder Rory Ridley-Duff’s article published in Issue 7 of STIR Magazine in 2014. It discusses the differences between ‘old co-operativism’ and ‘new co-operativism’ and the position of the FairShares Model as part of the latter. The provisions for solidarity between multiple stakeholders make the FairShares Model one of very few… Continue reading
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT, SEE THE ORIGINAL POST ON dezwijger.nl This event takes place today, September 1, at 8PM in Amsterdam. The event is free-of-charge. New Democracy 10: David Bollier and the City as a Commons An evening on the rich history and promising future of the commons. How can we govern… Continue reading