Overview: Why Collectives?
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In the words of Native American philanthropist Edgar Villanueva, author of “Decolonizing Wealth": “When it comes to getting or giving access to money, white men are usually in charge, and everyone else has to be twice (or more) as good to get half (or less) as much.”
He points out that money is not the root of evil. “Materially, it’s a bit of nickel, zinc, copper. It’s a little linen, mostly cotton, some ink. It’s basically Kleenex adorned with dead presidents. Actually, today mostly it’s a series of zeros and ones. Bytes, data on screens. Imaginary. Harmless.”
The problem is when we make money more important than human life, rather than remembering that money is a concept that people made up.
We are the ones who give money its meaning and power. Money can be “a tool of love, to help us thrive.” After all:
“What is money but a way to measure value, to facilitate exchange? And what is exchange but a type of relationship between people?”
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Our second series in the Ecolution Collective is about money. Specifically, how the “eco” — the root word for house or dwelling — is the essential part of economy. And, importantly, how people are reshaping the narrative around money to be that of cooperation and collaboration.
We begin our conversation about collective economies with the story of Angela Dawson, founder of 40 Acre Co-op. See clip below:
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Next week: How co-operatives have been a tool of growth for marginalized communities, including farmers and rural communities.
And much more from Angela Dawson
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The 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
If you want to be part of the Ecolution community, join the story team by taking this survey:
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Food Security Series
Do you want to participate in our upcoming series on air quality? Reach out to ecolution@womenspress.com with "air" in the subject line.
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Co-operative enterprise has been part of the American economy since its beginnings, especially important in rural communities. Today, 1 in 3 people in the U.S. are co-op members. Co-operatives enable people to work together to meet their needs and goals, providing themselves with everything from farm supplies to groceries, good jobs to financial services, and shelter to electricity.
What is a co-op? What are some of the ways that co-operatives have been used in the past, and how can they help us build stronger, more resilient and sustainable communities? Watch the webinar below:
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Black farmers haven't always had access to the same resources that white farmers have. Government agencies, lending institutions, and businesses discriminated against Black farmers, which deprived them of loans, technical assistance, and other critical support. Rather than struggling in an unfair system, Black farmers decided to reclaim power by creating their own, cooperatively-owned credit unions, supply stores, processing facilities, markets, and farms.
National Farmer's Union
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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
as of 10/20/2020
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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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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Next Steps: Grow the Ecolution
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1) Subscribe to this newsletter.
If you received it from a friend, please add yourself to the mailing list
2) Forward it to others who might be interested in the conversations
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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.
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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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