building resilient communities

Beam Uses Crowdfunding to Support Job Training for the Homeless in the UK

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There are more than 300,000 people who are homeless in the United Kingdom. That’s the figure from Shelter, a nonprofit based in London, England, that provides legal and other support services for the homeless. A new organization called Beam, founded by Alex Stephany, is taking a unique approach to assist the homeless population. The platform features profiles of people — recommended by other charities — who are looking for job training assistance.

The Woman Beside Wendell Berry: The Most Important Fiction Editor Almost No One Has Heard Of

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That’s the home Tanya Berry has made, in a rural community that endures—at least for now—because of people like her. Over those years, she has honed skills in farm work and the domestic arts, while serving as perhaps the most important fiction editor almost no one has heard of, married to one of the most important American writers almost everyone knows.

Felix Beltran on how Barcelona en Comu are Reimagining Democracy

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While the media is full of the story of the declaration of independence of Catalonia and the subsequent response by the Spanish national government, what is not being told so much is the very real, and remarkable, story of the municipalist approach that has risen there, and elsewhere in Spain.

How Northwest Communities Are Stopping Big Oil Projects

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Steinke’s advice for others who want to make a difference: “Show up, speak up, and make your case repeatedly. Without advocates, nothing happens. Elected officials don’t want to rock the boat, but if you rock it, they will be receptive.” And, if Steinke’s experience is any indication, the deeper sense of community and commitment that results could be oxygen for local revolution.

A County of One Million Declares First-in-Nation Climate Emergency

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On Tuesday December 5, thanks to the efforts of TCM organizers, the County Council of Montgomery County, Maryland unanimously passed a resolution declaring climate emergency — making it the first county in the nation to do so. The County also moved its emissions reductions goal up from 80% in 2050 to 100% by 2035, and is newly greatly emphasizing the need for developing and scaling the county’s capacity for carbon drawdown.

Learning Resiliency from Disaster

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Now the Wine Country fires are out and Richard is available to come back on Locus Focus for this episode, but instead of talking about the original topic we’re going to look at how all the disasters we’ve witnessed this year are highlighting critical lessons about what it means not only to build a sustainable future but one that is resilient as well.

Houston Neighbors Said No to Walmart and Invested in Black-Owned Businesses After the Hurricane

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Although West Street Recovery formed out of Hurricane Harvey, the organization doesn’t plan to dissolve once those in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods recover. The members know that another hurricane will hit eventually, and they want to be prepared.

Warning to Local Governments: Adopt Climate Adaptation Strategies or Face Credit Downgrades

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The growing effects of climate change, including climbing global temperatures and rising sea levels, are forecast to have an increasing economic impact on state and local governments in the United States. “This will be a growing negative credit factor for issuers without sufficient adaptation and mitigation strategies,” Moody’s noted in a statement released in conjunction with the report.

Sharing Cities Book Shows Variety of Urban Commoning

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So what might the commons actually achieve for you if you live in a city?  How might you experience the joys of commoning? Check out Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons, a fantastic new book that describes more than 100 case studies and model policies for urban commoning. Researched and published by Shareable, the book is an impressive survey of citizen-led innovations now underway in more than 80 cities in 35 countries. 

Waste Not, Want Not

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The annual holiday celebrations have arrived and it seems a good time to think about what we are really celebrating.  It seems the historic and religious significance of these holidays have been overshadowed by consumerism.  Thanksgiving and Christmas have become celebrations of consumption filled with opportunities to eat, drink, and make merry with food and gifts.