Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Now, let’s be real: 2025 is going to be a truly hard year for the poor and vulnerable in our society. But the promise and possibility of ending poverty, reclaiming democracy, and advancing peace and justice remain closer than any of us may think.
I say, you can have one or the other — shitty capitalism or met needs. There is no both. And there never has been. And the awareness of this central fact is what we now call enshitification.
As Pope Francis implores those concerned with the ecological crisis to ask themselves: “’What is the meaning of my life? What is the meaning of my time on this earth? And what is the ultimate meaning of all my work and effort?’”.
But if we are to continue at all, we have only one choice—to give up the conqueror role; to return to living simply as a small part of an organic whole.
Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org and Stroud Commons in conversation with Sonia Bussu, Associate Professor in Public Policy at the University of Birmingham and project lead for INSPIRE (looking at democratic innovations and their limitations – particularly around marginalised people), about participatory democracy and its role in helping build the commons economy.
Adding up, when discussing decoupling, it is extremely important to look into the definitions, the boundaries and the evidence presented – regardless what message they have – in a very critical way.
Creative entrepreneurs are getting needed support to grow and sustain their businesses after Hurricane Helene.
For an illuminating deep dive on the politics of care, check out a new book, Pirate Care: Acts Against the Criminalization of Solidarity (Pluto Press).
The irony is that in this economy, women do distaff work for wages — usually benefitting women of higher socio-economic class — and struggle to keep their own home functioning because their wages and time are insufficient for the household work they can no longer do for themselves.
Biological systems are optimized for circular production systems because they follow the template of ecosystems, where spare nutrients are scavenged and waste is utilized by decomposers. Building technology from these systems allows us to model industries based on ecosystems, in lieu of the linear models pursued today, allowing us to unlock true sustainability.
By embracing harmony, relationality, and care, we can create a world where humanity flourishes — in balance with each other and the planet.
All the recent talk about government Bitcoin reserves has gotten me thinking about what happens when governments speculate.
