Info, news & debate
Recent Posts
The role of the Credit Commons in the commons economy: Tom Woodroof of Mutual Credit Services
Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org and Stroud Commons talks with Tom Woodroof of Local Loop Merseyside and Mutual Credit Services about the Credit Commons – a way to federate different groups all over the world that are building the commons economy (because you can’t get everything you need from just your community) – but it does it without centralised control.
Solving the housing crisis via the commons, Part 2: the Housing Commons
This is Part 2 of a two-parter, about how the housing crisis causes debt-bondage and wage-slavery, and how the housing Commons can release people from debt and give them freedom to do what they know needs to be done.
Festival of Commoning, Sep 2024: tickets now on sale
Tickets for the Festival of Commoning are now on sale. Stroud, Sep 13 & 14, 2024.
Solving the housing crisis via the commons, Part 1: the housing crisis
This is Part 1 of a two-parter, about how the housing crisis causes debt-bondage and wage-slavery, and how the housing Commons can release people from debt and give them freedom to do what they know needs to be done.
Corvées: commons practices in ancient and modern France
Will Ruddick of Grassroots Economics talks about the French mutual aid tradition of Corvées.
Predicting financial collapse (and what to do about it)
How likely is financial collapse? Matthew Slater, blogger and co-author of the Credit Commons white paper, looks into it:
Rebuilding the flax / textile industry as a commons: Fantasy Fibre Mill
Dave Darby of Stroud Commons and Lowimpact.org talks with Rosie Bristow and Nick Evans of Fantasy Fibre Mill, working to resurrect the flax / linen industry in the UK, as a commons.
Fungi and forest gardens: 2 book reviews by Tomas Remiarz
Permaculture teacher and forest gardener Tomas Remiarz reviews two of the best books that he’s read recently: Entangled Life and the Medicinal Forest Garden Handbook
Busted flush: why the big water corporations have to go
The catastrophic problems of privatised English water companies are well known. Sewerage function and drinking water supply are now more deficient than even before privatisation. Terminal failure was in-built from the start, within the cultural, operational, & regulatory processes applied. Correcting these foundational criteria can help inform the quickest resolution.
Stroud Housing Commons: latest developments
We’re building a housing commons in Stroud, and recording everything so that it’s replicable in any town. We’re finalising our partnership agreement, after which we’ll put the first house in the commons.
How we go about not wasting our waste – Compost Toilets and Watson Wicks
Hear about the building of, and ongoing use of, a compost toilet in Brazil.
How a new land commons movement can support agroecology
There’s huge overlap between the principles of agroecology and of commoning, and growth in the commons movement could mean a shift towards agroecology and away from damaging industrial agriculture.
Local, community-based measures to prevent drought in arid regions
El Habib Ben Amara, an architect and urban designer from a tribal ksar (fortified oasis) in Algeria, who’s been working with a partner of ours. He’s an activist against desertification and one of the foremost authorities on sustainable water management in the Sahara.
What makes the commons movement different? (A: it’s much more difficult to co-opt.)
The commons is a movement to create a different world, not just the same system with a few tweaks to make it more bearable. If successful, obviously there will be entities out there that will try to undermine it, buy it and ultimately, to crush it. But there are aspects to the commons model that will, I think, make it more resistant to this than existing models.
How to create white willow
Creating white willow involves a number of processes and a large amount of specialist knowledge and skill. A mixture of patience and haste is also required. Some stages take a great deal of time while for others speed is of the essence.
A ‘Transcender Manifesto’ for a world beyond capitalism. A seed.
Dil Green is a founder member of Mutual Credit Services, who are working with Stroud Commons to design models for the commons economy for various sectors of the economy. This article first appeared on his blog 5 years ago, but it’s so relevant to the current commons movement, that we’re re-posting it here.
What’s happening to hedgerows in 2024?
Once famed as a green and pleasant land for its verdant and varied habitat, the UK now ranks as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. This comes as no surprise to those with an interest in the countryside who have witnessed what has happened to it. Compounding the corruptions of big business …
Easy ways that you can help grow the commons movement
We’ve put out requests for help before – in blog articles, at public events and via word of mouth. And they worked. In Stroud, we now have a core group of 10 people and three sector groups – housing commons, land common and leisure commons, with 8-10 people each.
I was interviewed about the commons by the ‘Voice of Islam’ radio station
I was invited to be interviewed about the commons and mutual credit for a show on the radio station ‘Voice of Islam’ called ‘Beyond Capitalism: Mutual Economics’.
Festival of Commoning, Stroud, Gloucs, Sep 13-15, 2024
A Festival of Commoning in the UK: Stroud, Gloucestershire, September 13/14/15 2024. The time is right for a Festival of the Commons.