Playing for Team Human today are Frances Moore Lappé and Adam Eichen from the Small Planet Institute. Lappé and Eichen are out on the road with a mission to reinvigorate “civic courage” and inclusive participation in democracy. Their latest book Daring Democracy Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want offers a diagnosis of what has come to ail our democracy and recommends the necessary cures, offering concrete examples of ballot initiatives, reforms, and collective organizing happening across the country. Counter to a despairing narrative on the current state of democracy in the U.S., Lappé and Eichen argue that people are indeed rising to take the reigns. Inspired by examples of deep organizing and the convergence of movements in places such as Democracy Spring, Democracy Awakening, and Occupy Wall Street, Lappé and Eichen see power shifting back into the people’s hands. Their analysis of how we got to where we are, coupled with their passion and optimism for change, is both contagious and empowering. In this Team Human conversation, Lappé and Eichen join Douglas to make a case for hope, courage, and optimism in this moment of turmoil and division.

Rushkoff begins today’s show with a monologue on the theme of democracy inspired by this conversation. Though it may have been easy to have lost faith in democracy after the 2016 election, perhaps election day is the wrong place to look if we really see democracy in action. It’s a monologue that asks: where does democracy begin for team human?… and lucky for us, today’s guests Frances Moore Lappé and Adam Eichen are ready with the answer.

This episode was made possible thanks to listener support. If you enjoy this show, consider subscribing via Patreon. There you’ll find subscriber rewards and the opportunity to connect with other listeners through the Team Human Slack Channel.

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Democracy Spring Photo By Michele Egan (alsacienne from Washington, USA) (Democracy Spring “Elders” edition) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

The post Team Human: Frances Moore Lappé and Adam Eichen “The Thrill of Democracy” appeared first on P2P Foundation.

If you’re like most people, you’ve had a mix of emotions since Election Day. Some combination of “Nooooo,” “Aaaaaaaaugh,” and “Ok, let’s get to work” seems to sum up a lot of what I’ve been hearing.

It may seem like we face problems of unfathomable dimensions in a sharply divided political climate, but here’s an important reminder: Most solutions are local in dimension and practical in nature. Across the political spectrum, communities want to look around and see thriving local farms, vibrant small businesses, good workplaces, and stable housing. It hardly feels political, because it’s just practical!

The election results prompted a good deal of reflection at Sustainable Economies Law Center, and now we are more driven than ever to make our vision of more just and resilient local economies a reality across the country. If we search for the root of extremism, racism, and other -isms exaggerated in our recent election, I believe we would find feelings of powerlessness and fear. The Law Center’s work gets to that root by building power at the community level and creating stable local economies that provide for people in the long-term. We are:

1. Localizing livelihoods: We work to give everyone control over their own livelihoods. In 2017, our Law Center will work to legalize homemade meal businesses and small compost enterprises. We are also helping protect small businesses across the U.S. by supporting their conversion to worker cooperatives as aging owners retire.

2. Creating permanent housing, farmland, and energy: In our quest for stable futures, many people are drawn to the concept of “permanence.” While nothing is truly permanent, the Law Center is using innovative legal structures to protect important community assets – housing, farmland, and renewable energy – to ensure that everyone has access in the long-term.

3. Bringing our money home: The Law Center is helping channel that money out of extractive Wall Street investments and into local enterprises, farms, and housing. We are advocating for policies and supporting new community-based financial organizations to make this possible.

4. Building power for everyone: We want every person to have power to shape their own workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities. The Law Center is spreading models and resources for workplace democracy and we are training everyday people to shape public policy. True democracy means that everyone is a policymaker!

This is a pivotal moment in history. When things seem to fall apart, people are also motivated to come together. You have supported our vision in the past. Will you help us deepen our work across the country by making another contribution today? Our work is only possible with your support!

We need to raise $20,000 this December to close a budget shortfall and continue our work in 2017. If every one of our supporters gave $3.60 right now, we’d reach our goal!

Photo by chrisyakimov

The post When things fall apart, we come together. Help us create #PeoplePoweredEconomies now! appeared first on P2P Foundation.