Solidarity Economy News
Solidarity Economy at the Left Forum - Occupy the System!
Submitted by Emily Kawano on Thu, 04/12/2012 - 4:00pmSolidarity Economy at the Left Forum, March 16-18, Pace University, NYC
SEN members organized or are participated in a number of workshops that relate to different aspects of the solidarity economy. You will find below a list of these workshops along with a brief description and a link for further details.
Community Economic Development and Worker Cooperatives
Sponsored by: US Solidarity Economy Network and URPE
Participants: Fred Rose -- Wellspring Initiative, Djar Horn -- Jersey Shore Neighborhood Cooperative, Al Campbell -- Union for Radical Political Economy
When times get hard, people often are forced to create their own livelihoods. The current economic crisis has seen an upsurge, especially in poor and marginalized communities, of efforts to create worker cooperatives. This workshop will explore the potential of cooperatives to not only create jobs, but also to consciously contribute to community revitalization and inform alternative strategies of community economic development. This workshop will look at examples of cooperative development in low income communities from the Jersey Shore, NYC and Springfield, MA. We'll discuss lessons about replicating these models along with the economic and community impact of this work.
US city turns tough times into 'co-ops'
Submitted by miraluna on Tue, 03/20/2012 - 5:58pmHard-hit California city uses community economic model to battle double-digit unemployment. Watch on Al Jazeera.
Song mentions Solidarity Economy: How we gonna make Wall Street pay?
Submitted by miraluna on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 3:17pmBiketopia Exists!
Submitted by miraluna on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 2:52pm
I like to think of utopia as the space where idealism meets reality. Over the years, I have found few radical social change projects that met reality without failure or conflict, especially within a capitalist economy. Transformative projects often fail to take off and end up disillusioning their founders and volunteers. The Bike Kitchen model is one of those unique exceptions that we can try to learn from.
The first time I visited the San Francisco Bike Kitchen...
Occupy the Economy! Solidarity Economy Briefs
Submitted by Emily Kawano on Wed, 01/18/2012 - 12:04pm
The U.S. Solidarity Economy Network stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall St. movement. As a network of groups, activists and solidarity economy practitioners, we seek to transform our economic system into one that puts people and planet front and center – an economy for the 99%. Another World is not only possible, it already exists, in many, many forms. The solidarity economy, grounded in principles of solidarity, participatory democracy, sustainability, equity in all dimensions, and pluralism (not a one-size-fits-all model) is a fast growing global movement. We offer these Solidarity Economy briefs to provide a glimpse into some of the aspects of the solidarity economy that exist all around us. (click title for more including links to the SE Briefs)
Five Ways OWS Can Stay Powerful
Submitted by CarlDavidson on Thu, 12/22/2011 - 10:54am
Revolutions Don't Happen in a Day:
5 Ways OWS Can Stay Powerful
and Truly Build a Movement
By Yotam Marom
New Hydrids: Paths to 21st Century Socialism from the Bottom Up
Submitted by CarlDavidson on Wed, 12/21/2011 - 12:09pmWorkers at the Evergreen Cooperative Laundry in Cleveland
Worker-Owners of America, Unite!
By GAR ALPEROVITZ
Solidarity Economy and South Africa's 'Red October' Campaign
Submitted by CarlDavidson on Mon, 12/19/2011 - 8:47pmSpeech by SACP General Secretary Cde Blade Nzimande at the Launch of the Red October Campaign, October 2 2011:
Higher Education and Responsible Investing: $350 Billion at Stake
Submitted by Emily Kawano on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 11:34amFormer SEN Board member, Dan Apfel's interview in Forbes Magazine, 12/7/11
Rahim Kanani: Recently, I interviewed Dan Apfel, Executive Director of the Responsible Endowments Coalition (REC)—the leading voice for responsible investing in higher education. REC works with student activists and college community members to advocate for responsible investing of the $350 billion that colleges and universities have in their endowments.
Dan became involved in this work as a student and has a background in community economic development working in New York City at the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions and in Rochester, NY. He has a BA in history from the University of Rochester.
Rahim Kanani: What is the Responsible Endowment Coalition and what was the impetus for its formation?
Dan Apfel: In total, colleges and universities in the United States have about $350 billion in their endowments and spend over $400 billion annually. These institutions are not-for-profit, taxpayer-supported institutions set up with the social purpose of education and research. The Responsible Endowments Coalition was founded to help students and others advocate for and implement responsible investing on campuses around the country.
From Foreclosure to Occupation: Tenants Organize To Beat Evictions - Mira Luna
Submitted by Emily Kawano on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 11:07am
A group of low-income San Franciscans has come up with a positive, long term solution to the housing crisis that is causing millions of Americans to be evicted and some to embrace the "Occupy Homes" movement: buy the buildings.
In October 2011, residents of the Columbus United Cooperative (CUC) in San Francisco celebrated final approval of the ownership of their building as a permanently affordable, resident-owned limited-equity housing cooperative. The residents can now purchase shares in the co-op for only $10,000 in the heart of San Francisco (where most housing starts at $500,000) to become cooperative homeowners, though most earn less than 50 percent of area median income. Previous to the conversion they had been living in their building under the threat of eviction.
