What鈥檚 Next for the World鈥檚 Largest Federation of Worker-Owned Co-Ops?
A conversation with Mondragon President Josu Ugarte on the future of the mega-cooperative.
Economy
How This Library Paid $1 to Install Its Solar Panels
In West Virginia, Solar Holler helps nonprofits install solar panels for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
These Friends from High School Bought an Abandoned Factory. Now They’re Distilling Artisanal Whiskeys鈥�
Much as blight can be contagious, so can renewal. How grassroots community groups are saving neighborhoods and building new businesses.
Where Do 鈥淩ednecks鈥� Really Come From? A New Museum Has the Surprising Answer
Tourists spend $400 more per trip on average when their trips focus on history and culture. That could be a big opportunity for West Virginia's changing economy.
Even in a Drought, California Farms Have a Future鈥擝ut They鈥檒l Need Local Control to Succeed
Some California farmers have discovered ways to farm that use very little water, yet thirstier methods still dominate. What gives?
One in Four Local Banks Has Vanished Since 2008. Why We Should Treat It as a National Crisis
While megabanks make megabucks, local banks are financing businesses that create jobs and improve well-being. So why are they disappearing so rapidly?
Which of These 4 Radical, Badass Women Will Be on the $20 Bill? The Results Are In
Americans voted on Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and two other contenders to replace Andrew Jackson.
Is the Local Economy Too Local? Why Co-Ops and Credit Unions Need a Broader Strategy
Author and activist Gar Alperovitz calls it a 鈥渃heckerboard strategy.鈥� In the first piece in a series, we look at the organizations working to transform our economy, and how they can benefit from working together.
The U.S. Has Nearly 600 Coal Waste Sites. Why They’ve Got West Virginians Worried
Residents fear that coal-contaminated water is seeping into their wells. But a lack of evidence is stalling action.
Food Stamps Are Worth Double at These Michigan Farmers Markets鈥擧elping Families and Local Businesses
The USDA is putting $31 million behind a program that helps low-income families take home twice the veggies, and local farmers make twice the money.
Big City Living May Help You Slow Down, Stress Less, and Be Happy鈥�. Really!
From New York City to Barcelona, cities across the world are turning to 鈥渟low living鈥� to make their communities happier and healthier in the face of increasing urbanization.
A Trade Rule that Makes It Illegal to Favor Local Business? Newest Leak Shows TPP Would Do That And More
The leaked text is full of dense legal jargon. But a close reading makes its corporate agenda crystal clear.
What If Uber Were a Unionized, Worker-Owned Co-Op? These Denver Cabbies Are Making It Happen
Workers at app-driven companies like Uber don鈥檛 have the rights of full employees. But with the help of traditional unions, some are banding together into worker-owned cooperatives.
What Your Town Can Learn From America’s Most Walkable Suburb
It's got great transit, plenty of sidewalks, and values people more than cars.
How to Become a Citizen Eater: A Trip Behind the Labels of Your Ethical Cup of Coffee
Labels like "fair trade" and "direct trade" indicate food is ethically sourced鈥攂ut how do you know what they really mean, and whether they're effective?
A March Madness Makeover: 5 Ways to Bring Fairness Into College Basketball
March Madness is now a bigger cash cow than the Super Bowl, but in college sports the only people not getting a piece of the billion-dollar pie are the players.
Why 鈥淏road City鈥� Is the Perfect Comedy for the Student Debt Generation
The Comedy Central show allows millennials of a specific demographic鈥攁nd even those outside of it鈥攖o laugh at the situation the 1 percent has handed them.
7 Myths About Housewives, Debunked
Are housewives less ambitious than career women? Are they bad feminists? Read on to go beyond the stereotypes.
Alternative Currencies Are Bigger Than Bitcoin: How They鈥檙e Building Prosperity From London to Kenya
The Brixton Pound, Koru Kenya, and Mazacoin are all attempting to achieve a common goal: empowering people in a monetarily unequal world, from the bottom up.
Do Corporations Really Need More Rights? Why Fast Track for the TPP Is a Bad Idea
We can have democracy and a prosperous, just, and sustainable human future. Or we can have corporate rule. We cannot have both.
Craigslist Saved 5M Tons of Stuff From Landfills鈥擜nd 4 Other New Stats on Local Economies
Exactly how much difference do 鈥渘ew economy鈥� organizations make? Economists looked into it, and here are a few of their results.
What鈥檚 the True Impact of the Alternative Economy? Researchers Decide It鈥檚 Time to Find Out
Successful initiatives are investing in human relationships, not faceless call centers or centralized headquarters.
Students for Economic Pluralism, Unite! How College Kids Are Taking on the 鈥淗igh Priests鈥� of Money
After years of work as a climate activist, Keith Harrington decided to get a degree in economics. Now, he鈥檚 working to transform the field.
Replace the Gospel of Money: An Interview With David Korten
What if we measured wealth in terms of life, and how well we serve it?
Local Food With a Big Twist: Oregon Super-Cooperative Takes Aim at the Corporate Food System
This co-op south of Portland wants to strengthen the local food system by helping local farmers cooperate instead of compete with one another.
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