We came across “Better Together: Restoring the American Community” (2004) in a used bookstore. It details 12 stories around the U.S. of community groups that bridged natural differences, and how they did it. Stories included sixth-grade led civic improvement projects in a small Wisconsin town, a dance project that connected the arts
community and naval shipyard of New Hampshire, and activism in Rio Grande Valley in Texas led partly by nuns and immigrants.
True bridging is different from bonding among like-minded people. The book focuses on
how trust and understanding were created in specific instances — how social capital was
created to develop networks of relationships that weave individuals into groups, and groups into communities.
As the book points out, connection in U.S. cities through civic groups, club and church
membership, and time spent with neighbors dropped significantly starting in the 1970s, falling by 25 to 50 percent. Television, careers, and urban sprawl reduce social capital.
Shared storytelling and small group discussions increase it.
“Finding commonalities among ‘I’ stories is a powerful technique,” the authors
concluded. “Reframing individual trajectories as a collective tale can create the crosscutting
identities that turn bridging distance into bonding ties. We tell our own stories, and through our stories we redefine who ‘we’ are.”
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Part 4: Why Angela Dawson, founder of 40 Acre Co-op, launched a co-op, rather than a sole proprietorship farm. Her "Super Woman" strain, the reason she is running a co-op and not a sole proprietorship, her goals and vision, and what readers can do and think about. |
Help us co-create a new type of participatory journalism that is focused on sharing solutions and stories about Minnesota innovators. What can we learn from each other? What stories should we be looking at? Who should we be talking to?
Please share this conversation with at least one friend, family member, or colleague today.
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Resources About Collectives |
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Co-op Support & Resources
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Black Collectives
Black farmers don't always have access to the same resources that white farmers have from government agencies, lending institutions, and businesses, which deprives them of loans and technical assistance. So, Black farmers have created their own, cooperatively owned credit unions, supply stores, processing facilities, markets, and farms.
Reasons to be Cheerful article
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This new Ecolution Collective series cumulatively points out issues of equity and sustainability alongside “what if” and “look at this” solution-makers. It is designed to network Minnesotans around innovations and action.
Ecolution is for people who care about:
1) food,
2) collective efforts,
3) ecosystem resilience,
4) regeneration
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1) Subscribe to this newsletter.
Please add yourself to the mailing list if this was shared to you.
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2) Forward this to others who might be interested in the conversations and/or connect with our social media community.
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3) Take the survey
Join the Ecolution story team by taking our introductory survey.
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4) Share what you know about upcoming topics
The next series is on air quality. Are you involved with researching Minnesota's air quality? Advocating for protections around indoor and neighborhood air issues? Working on solutions for mitigating climate crisis related to air?
Reach out to ecolution@womenspress.com with "air" in the subject line. We would like to learn more to enlighten our Ecolution community.
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November The Air We Breathe
December Regenerating Habitat
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2021 Suggestions from Ecolutionary survey participants:
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SotaGrown: hydroponic container supplying local, year-round, fresh, sustainable grown food, based in Staples
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Towerside MSP: transforming an overlooked district into an equitable and restorative 21st century urban redevelopment
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American Indian Community Housing Organization: centering Indigenous values to strengthen communities, based in Duluth
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Women's Environmental Institute: research and renewal for communities affected by environmental injustice, North Branch
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What solutions are you part of that create cooperative economies in Minnesota? What story can you share about how it works?
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Survey Results
Priority topics (in order): Co-op culture, environmental health disparities, community-based food resiliency, regenerative agriculture, energy models, climate resilience research, smarter consumerism, reducing waste
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Ecolutionaries report they are passionate about: community gardens, regenerative agriculture, micro food systems, emerging farmers, revitalizing rural areas, regional food systems, soil health, cooperatives, permaculture, zero waste, and more. If you haven't participated yet:
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Share Our Ecolution Library |
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Collaborative, collective partnerships generate community-based wealth and health.
Ecolutionaries (and yes, we made that word up) are not passive readers who simply “like” stories. They have ideas, resources, and storytellers to share — and are consumers who want to put their dollar where their values are. We ask Collective members:
Who should we learn from next?
What related issue do you care about?
Ecolution Collective is created by Minnesota Women's Press, a storytelling pioneer since 1985. Get a subscription to our monthly magazine that focuses on connections, justice, and equity. |
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With your input, each month we look at an Ecolution topic from different angles:
- Week #1: Overview
- Week #2: Profile
- Week #3: Data, research
- Week #4: Action
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