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Image | Rescuing Our Future
Rescuing Our Future
 PREVIEW
by charleshughsmith

Executive Summary

  • The Destructive Practices To Stop Doing
  • The Regenerative Behaviors To Do More Of
  • Getting The Foundational Pieces In Place
  • The Payoff, For Both You & Society

If you have not yet read Part 1: We Need a Social Revolution available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In Part 1, we compared non-hierarchical, bottoms-up secular social revolutions with hierarchical, top-down political and technological revolutions managed by the state and corporate sector.  Next, we surveyed the erosion of social connectedness and social capital, and asked who benefited from this fraying of the social order.  While certain players derive some benefit from political divisiveness and from the sale of technologies that undermine authentic connectedness, it seems that much of the social-order decay is collateral damage—destruction that wasn’t intentional.

How can we strengthen or repair our own connections and social fabric in such a disintegrative era?

There are two basic approaches: stop participating in destructive dynamics, and assemble the foundational pieces of a connected social life.

How do we as individuals and households foster and nurture the social bonds that are fast-eroding in civil society?

The basic strategies are not difficult to understand, though they are extremely difficult to put in place in modern-day America:

  • Strip out busyness to free up enough time and energy for social life and connectedness.
  • Live in a place with short commutes to friends, family and public social spaces.
  • Recognize (and then…..
Rescuing Our Future
 PREVIEW by charleshughsmith

Executive Summary

  • The Destructive Practices To Stop Doing
  • The Regenerative Behaviors To Do More Of
  • Getting The Foundational Pieces In Place
  • The Payoff, For Both You & Society

If you have not yet read Part 1: We Need a Social Revolution available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In Part 1, we compared non-hierarchical, bottoms-up secular social revolutions with hierarchical, top-down political and technological revolutions managed by the state and corporate sector.  Next, we surveyed the erosion of social connectedness and social capital, and asked who benefited from this fraying of the social order.  While certain players derive some benefit from political divisiveness and from the sale of technologies that undermine authentic connectedness, it seems that much of the social-order decay is collateral damage—destruction that wasn’t intentional.

How can we strengthen or repair our own connections and social fabric in such a disintegrative era?

There are two basic approaches: stop participating in destructive dynamics, and assemble the foundational pieces of a connected social life.

How do we as individuals and households foster and nurture the social bonds that are fast-eroding in civil society?

The basic strategies are not difficult to understand, though they are extremely difficult to put in place in modern-day America:

  • Strip out busyness to free up enough time and energy for social life and connectedness.
  • Live in a place with short commutes to friends, family and public social spaces.
  • Recognize (and then…..
Image | CropMobster: How To Put Your Local Food System To Its Highest Use
CropMobster: How To Put Your Local Food System To Its Highest Use
by Adam Taggart

In the developed world, we waste a LOT of food.

In America alone, it’s estimated that up to 40 percent of the post-harvest food supply is discarded, according to The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. That represents more than 1,200 calories per day for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. — just thrown into the trash. Yet at the same time we have food access issues and nutritional deficits that result in widescale health problems and hunger nationwide, despite having more than enough nutritional calories to go around. Our food system is a mess — and it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this week's podcast, we talk with Nick Papadopoulos, founder of CropMobster; an innovative company focused on helping communities dramatically improve the potential of their local food sheds. Nick explains how CropMobster provides a platform that any community can build on to connect local producers with local consumers in ways that boost economic development, reduce wastage of food and other resources, and assist local hunger relievers:

CropMobster: How To Put Your Local Food System To Its Highest Use
 by Adam Taggart

In the developed world, we waste a LOT of food.

In America alone, it’s estimated that up to 40 percent of the post-harvest food supply is discarded, according to The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. That represents more than 1,200 calories per day for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. — just thrown into the trash. Yet at the same time we have food access issues and nutritional deficits that result in widescale health problems and hunger nationwide, despite having more than enough nutritional calories to go around. Our food system is a mess — and it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this week's podcast, we talk with Nick Papadopoulos, founder of CropMobster; an innovative company focused on helping communities dramatically improve the potential of their local food sheds. Nick explains how CropMobster provides a platform that any community can build on to connect local producers with local consumers in ways that boost economic development, reduce wastage of food and other resources, and assist local hunger relievers:

Image | Shaun Chamberlin: Surviving The Aftermath Of The Market Economy
Shaun Chamberlin: Surviving The Aftermath Of The Market Economy
by Adam Taggart

Historian and economist David Fleming undertook the writing of Lean Logic a grand vision that projected out the likely path of collapse for our currently unsustainable way of life, as well as the key success factors society will need to cultivate to come out the other side.

Following his death, his writing partner Shaun Chamberlin distilled the book's prime conclusions into the more accessible Surviving The Future: Culture, carnival, and capital in the aftermath of the market economy. Shaun, who has also been deeply involved with Rob Hopkins in the Transition Movement since its inception, stresses that localized communities that pursue developing as much independence from the central economy as possible will be the foundations for entering a sustainable, enjoyable future.

Shaun Chamberlin: Surviving The Aftermath Of The Market Economy
 by Adam Taggart

Historian and economist David Fleming undertook the writing of Lean Logic a grand vision that projected out the likely path of collapse for our currently unsustainable way of life, as well as the key success factors society will need to cultivate to come out the other side.

Following his death, his writing partner Shaun Chamberlin distilled the book's prime conclusions into the more accessible Surviving The Future: Culture, carnival, and capital in the aftermath of the market economy. Shaun, who has also been deeply involved with Rob Hopkins in the Transition Movement since its inception, stresses that localized communities that pursue developing as much independence from the central economy as possible will be the foundations for entering a sustainable, enjoyable future.

Image | Sebastian Junger: Our Evolutionary Need For Community
Sebastian Junger: Our Evolutionary Need For Community
by Chris Martenson

Peabody award-winning author Sebastian Junger joins our podcast this week. Junger is well-known for his NYT-bestselling books The Perfect Storm and War, the latter of which was written after a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley.

Based on his observations while in Afghanistan, Junger noted how much troops in combat valued the social solidarity of their units. In fact, he noted that the loss of this cohesive community, with its sense of purpose and shared responsibility, created prodigious psychological strife when these soldiers returned and tried to re-integrate into civilian life. This dynamic is not just limited to the military; any collection of humans working in tight-knit groups under stress, united in purpose, evidences similar behavior (Peace Corps volunteers, trauma care physicians, etc).

In his latest book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Junger explores our evolutionary wiring for community, and paradoxically, how our modern aspirations for “success” and “wealth” attempt to distance ourselves from it — making us unhappier and emotionally unhealthier in the pursuit.

Sebastian Junger: Our Evolutionary Need For Community
 by Chris Martenson

Peabody award-winning author Sebastian Junger joins our podcast this week. Junger is well-known for his NYT-bestselling books The Perfect Storm and War, the latter of which was written after a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley.

Based on his observations while in Afghanistan, Junger noted how much troops in combat valued the social solidarity of their units. In fact, he noted that the loss of this cohesive community, with its sense of purpose and shared responsibility, created prodigious psychological strife when these soldiers returned and tried to re-integrate into civilian life. This dynamic is not just limited to the military; any collection of humans working in tight-knit groups under stress, united in purpose, evidences similar behavior (Peace Corps volunteers, trauma care physicians, etc).

In his latest book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Junger explores our evolutionary wiring for community, and paradoxically, how our modern aspirations for “success” and “wealth” attempt to distance ourselves from it — making us unhappier and emotionally unhealthier in the pursuit.

Image | Francis Koster: Rescuing Your Local Economy
Francis Koster: Rescuing Your Local Economy
by Adam Taggart

"Locally there are lots of nice, tidy, quarter-of-a-million-dollar investments sitting there that the large companies will not do because their overhead is too high. So one of my themes is look in your own backyard — focus on fiscally-conservative, sound investments and focus on local employment. You will be surprised at the opportunity that just leaps out at you."

So says Francis Koster, author of the new books Rescuing Your Local Economy and Rescuing School Kids who specializes in identifying community investment opportunities that offer attractive returns for the capital provider as well as long-term benefits for the local residents.

In this podcast, Francis highlights a number of the case studies he's collected at his website, The Optimistic Futurist, where motivated individuals have improved their local schools, roads, food, water supply, etc. while earning double-digit returns. These models can be adopted in nearly any community, which is the purpose behind Francis' work.

Francis Koster: Rescuing Your Local Economy
 by Adam Taggart

"Locally there are lots of nice, tidy, quarter-of-a-million-dollar investments sitting there that the large companies will not do because their overhead is too high. So one of my themes is look in your own backyard — focus on fiscally-conservative, sound investments and focus on local employment. You will be surprised at the opportunity that just leaps out at you."

So says Francis Koster, author of the new books Rescuing Your Local Economy and Rescuing School Kids who specializes in identifying community investment opportunities that offer attractive returns for the capital provider as well as long-term benefits for the local residents.

In this podcast, Francis highlights a number of the case studies he's collected at his website, The Optimistic Futurist, where motivated individuals have improved their local schools, roads, food, water supply, etc. while earning double-digit returns. These models can be adopted in nearly any community, which is the purpose behind Francis' work.

Image | An Opportunity To Live Resiliently
An Opportunity To Live Resiliently
by Adam Taggart

After watching the Crash Course, who among us hasn't felt insecure with where we live?

The idea of a sustainable community has a powerful allure. Imagine a resource-rich property mapped out with a plan for sustainable self-sufficiency, populated with a community of like-minded folks that already "get" the importance of cultivating resilience….  Sounds pretty good, right?

But what exactly is a "sustainable community" anyways? How do you find one? What's it like to live there? How do you know if it's all going to work out in the long run?

 

 

 

An Opportunity To Live Resiliently
 by Adam Taggart

After watching the Crash Course, who among us hasn't felt insecure with where we live?

The idea of a sustainable community has a powerful allure. Imagine a resource-rich property mapped out with a plan for sustainable self-sufficiency, populated with a community of like-minded folks that already "get" the importance of cultivating resilience….  Sounds pretty good, right?

But what exactly is a "sustainable community" anyways? How do you find one? What's it like to live there? How do you know if it's all going to work out in the long run?

 

 

 

Image | The Rise of New Models of Community
The Rise of New Models of Community
by charleshughsmith

In my previous series on the erosion of community, I surveyed a number of conventional explanations for this decades-long trend and discussed 10 other potential factors in the decline of social capital. I concluded that economic need would likely be the driver of a resurgence of community—a need that will only become apparent when the Central State and the debt-based, consumerist-corporate system are no longer able to fulfill their implicit promises of welfare, subsidies, endless credit and secure jobs. In this next installment on community, we look at the possibility that new models are arising beneath the mainstream media’s master narratives that Everything’s fine and The Status Quo is both good and eternal.

The Rise of New Models of Community
 by charleshughsmith

In my previous series on the erosion of community, I surveyed a number of conventional explanations for this decades-long trend and discussed 10 other potential factors in the decline of social capital. I concluded that economic need would likely be the driver of a resurgence of community—a need that will only become apparent when the Central State and the debt-based, consumerist-corporate system are no longer able to fulfill their implicit promises of welfare, subsidies, endless credit and secure jobs. In this next installment on community, we look at the possibility that new models are arising beneath the mainstream media’s master narratives that Everything’s fine and The Status Quo is both good and eternal.

Image | Promising Emerging Community Models
Promising Emerging Community Models
 PREVIEW
by charleshughsmith

Executive Summary

  • The "half farmer, half X" model
  • The "no middleman" model
  • The "15% commission" model
  • The key features of successful new community models

If you have not yet read The Rise of New Models of Community, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In Part 1, we discussed the potential for new models of collaboration and community enabled by the Web and social media. I proposed a simple metric for differentiating between simulacrum community and the real deal: a community is only a “real community” if the collective actions of its members push the envelope of the material world.

In Part 2, we’ll examine some models that have arisen as people either abandon or are cut out of the Central State/Corporate Consumerism Status Quo and must create new social and economic arrangements to earn a livelihood.  This requires structures that enable self-organizing, voluntary communities to endure and grow.

As Zeus noted in Part 1, The new price of entry is production, meaning that parasitic layers of middlemen have no role in these new arrangements. To participate, one must be productive. i.e. create or add value.

As I mentioned earlier, social media doesn’t change a system’s incentives/benefits and costs/disincentives; the Web is a powerful tool for community building, once the incentives for participating far outweigh the costs.

Let’s start our survey with an example from…

Promising Emerging Community Models
 PREVIEW by charleshughsmith

Executive Summary

  • The "half farmer, half X" model
  • The "no middleman" model
  • The "15% commission" model
  • The key features of successful new community models

If you have not yet read The Rise of New Models of Community, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In Part 1, we discussed the potential for new models of collaboration and community enabled by the Web and social media. I proposed a simple metric for differentiating between simulacrum community and the real deal: a community is only a “real community” if the collective actions of its members push the envelope of the material world.

In Part 2, we’ll examine some models that have arisen as people either abandon or are cut out of the Central State/Corporate Consumerism Status Quo and must create new social and economic arrangements to earn a livelihood.  This requires structures that enable self-organizing, voluntary communities to endure and grow.

As Zeus noted in Part 1, The new price of entry is production, meaning that parasitic layers of middlemen have no role in these new arrangements. To participate, one must be productive. i.e. create or add value.

As I mentioned earlier, social media doesn’t change a system’s incentives/benefits and costs/disincentives; the Web is a powerful tool for community building, once the incentives for participating far outweigh the costs.

Let’s start our survey with an example from…

Image | Off the Cuff: Preparing To Ride Camels
Off the Cuff: Preparing To Ride Camels
 PREVIEW
by Adam Taggart

In this week's Off the Cuff podcast, Chris and Charles discuss:

  • Preparing To Ride Camels
    • What less net energy looks like for future generations
  • Energetic Insanity
    • We're going to make more bad choices before we make good ones
  • Communicating Hard Truths
    • What works and what doesn't
  • Community As The Master Asset
    • Your best bet if you could only pick one

"My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel."

~ Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum

The above quote comes from a former Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates who was also the Emir of Dubai and is credited with making that that small settlement into a regional commerce hub. Sheikh Rashid realized even back in the 1970's, that the region's massive oil supplies would last only a few generations.

In this week's Off the Cuff, Chris and Charles discuss the implications of…

Off the Cuff: Preparing To Ride Camels
 PREVIEW by Adam Taggart

In this week's Off the Cuff podcast, Chris and Charles discuss:

  • Preparing To Ride Camels
    • What less net energy looks like for future generations
  • Energetic Insanity
    • We're going to make more bad choices before we make good ones
  • Communicating Hard Truths
    • What works and what doesn't
  • Community As The Master Asset
    • Your best bet if you could only pick one

"My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel."

~ Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum

The above quote comes from a former Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates who was also the Emir of Dubai and is credited with making that that small settlement into a regional commerce hub. Sheikh Rashid realized even back in the 1970's, that the region's massive oil supplies would last only a few generations.

In this week's Off the Cuff, Chris and Charles discuss the implications of…

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