Sustainable Economies Law Center
Founded in 2009 in Oakland, California, the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) cultivates a new legal landscape that supports community resilience and grassroots economic empowerment. We provide essential legal tools—research, education, legal services, policy advocacy, and coalition building—so communities everywhere can create and control their own sustainable sources of food, water, housing, energy, jobs, and other vital aspects of a thriving community. In particular, our work supports the growth and interconnection of small-scale, democratic, and community-driven projects rooted in principles of justice and sustainability, including worker cooperatives, urban farms, community-owned renewable energy, community-owned businesses, time banks, housing cooperatives, land trusts, and other commons-based projects.