Cooperative Economics
This Peer-to-Peer Credit Exchange Could Be Great For Intentional Communities
Posted on October 10, 2016 byFor a while, peer-to-peer lending platforms were going to be the next big thing. Instead of borrowing from big banks, we could borrow from each other, on platforms like Lending… Read More
Shared Earth Connects Gardeners With Unused Land In Their Neighborhood
Posted on October 3, 2016 byFor years, projects like Fallen Fruit and the Urban Farm Collective have been making it easier for people to access the excess produce and gardening space in their neighborhoods. A… Read More
A New Site Called Simbi Lets You Barter Your Skills, Lessons, and More
Posted on September 29, 2016 byA lot has been written about how the “sharing economy” isn’t really about “sharing” – many of the companies that use the term are more about renting, buying and selling,… Read More
A New Game Called “Rise Up” Explores Cooperative Social Movements
Posted on September 26, 2016 byThe Toolbox for Education and Social Action (TESA) is launching a Kickstarter for a new board game on September 27th. Called “Rise Up: The Game of People and Power,” the game… Read More
The Diggers Started Their Own Back-to-the-Land Movement in 1649
Posted on August 18, 2016 by“In 1649/to St. George’s Hill/a ragged band they called the Diggers/came to show the people’s will.” So starts Leon Rosselson’s song, “The World Turned Upside Down,” which tells the story… Read More
How This French Philosopher Inspired An Early Version of Cohousing
Posted on July 23, 2016 by1 Comment
Although not as famous as some of his contemporaries, the French thinker Charles Fourier was one of the early visionaries of the intentional community movement. A utopian socialist, he proposed… Read More
The First YIMBY Conference Says Yes In My Backyard
Posted on July 21, 2016 byMany U.S. cities are in the middle of a housing crisis. Some, like San Francisco, have been struggling with it for years, while others, like Portland and Seattle, hope to… Read More
The Placemaking Movement is Turning Cities into Communities
Posted on July 8, 2016 byOver 15 years ago, a group of natural builders organized the first Village Building Convergence in Portland, OR. It’s partly the reason why the city is now dotted with colorful… Read More
Going Biking This Summer? Try Out This Network For A Shower and A Place to Stay
Posted on July 4, 2016 bySince 1993, the Warm Showers network has been connecting touring bicyclists with hosts willing to offer them a couch, shower, camping space, or other form of hospitality. Originally started as… Read More
One of These 7 Finalists Will Be the First “Smart City” in the U.S.
Posted on June 23, 2016 byLast year, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its “Smart City Challenge,” a contest that will award one mid-sized city with $50 million in funding to improve its transportation networks.… Read More
Try One of These Unique Alternatives to Airbnb
Posted on June 20, 2016 by3 Comments
Airbnb and other “sharing economy” sites have been getting some bad press lately, with many cities arguing that the platforms are driving up rent, contributing to housing scarcity, and turning… Read More
How These Co-op Bars Are Reinventing the Idea of a “Public House”
Posted on May 30, 2016 by“Have a pint – change the world,” is the motto of the Oregon Public House, a co-operatively owned, non-profit bar in Portland, OR. According to co-founder Ryan Saari, the city… Read More
Here’s How You Can Participate in Global Sharing Week June 5-11
Posted on May 26, 2016 byShareable.net and The People Who Share are collaborating on this year’s Global Sharing Week, which will take place from June 5-11, 2016. Originally launched as Global Sharing Day, the event… Read More
How These Collaborative Networks Foster Inter-Community Connection
Posted on May 16, 2016 byAs interest in community living grows, it’s important that we make it easy and accessible for people to get involved with their local co-ops and coliving spaces. For many people,… Read More
OuiShare Pushes for A Fairer Sharing Economy
Posted on May 5, 2016 byFor years, OuiShare has been one of the leading voices on the sharing economy in Europe, and has helped put the concept of collaborative consumption and peer-to-peer economies on the… Read More
Millennials Are Embracing Cohousing – Of A Different Kind
Posted on April 14, 2016 byIt may have been only a matter of time before the millennial generation turned its attention to cohousing. As car and home ownership among young people has declined, and as… Read More
Former Residents Call on Black Bear Ranch to Unsettle The Klamath River
Posted on March 30, 2016 byEight years ago, when I moved out to the West Coast for the first time, I wasn’t yet aware of the intentional community movement. I’d always imagined living collectively, but… Read More
Life in an urban eco-village
Posted on March 23, 2016 byHi, I’m Saul, the new Social Media Manager here at FIC. I’m excited to join the team from my home at Foster Village, an urban eco-community in Southeast Portland, OR!… Read More
An Evolving Movement
Posted on December 21, 2015 by1 Comment
The FIC’s new Executive Director reflects on his and the organization’s converging paths.
How a New Generation is Finding Education Abroad- Without A Tuition
Posted on December 10, 2015 byA generation in search of answers There’s long been a bug in the minds of the new generation- something doesn’t add up about the modern life path. We’ve heard it… Read More
Why I’m a Locavore
Posted on June 1, 2015 by1 Comment
By eating food grown locally by farmers we know, we can create a strong and resilient local food system and a healthier community.
5 Reasons Why Intentional Communities are More Relevant Than Ever
Posted on May 4, 2015 by5 Reasons Why Intentional Communities are More Relevant Than Ever In the 70’s and 80’s there was a flurry of intentional communities that then seemed to lose their relevance, and… Read More
Income Sharing Urban Communities
Posted on May 2, 2015 byIncome Sharing Urban Communities Point A is a group which has “an audacious proposal to form urban, income sharing, egalitarian, democratic, ambitious, engaged communes in the cities of the American… Read More
All About Healing
Posted on April 22, 2015 byLearn All About Healing Many are opting to localize their approach to well being, by taking as much responsibility for their health and healing as they can. AllThingsHealing.com explores health… Read More
Which stage is your tribe?
Posted on March 17, 2015 byWhich stage is your tribe? It turns out that by listening to the way people speak to each other in working and social groups one can tell a great deal… Read More
Kindista helps you share with people nearby
Posted on March 16, 2015 by1 Comment
Kindista helps you share with people nearby Looking for a plot to garden in, or someone to landscape your yard? Wishing for a dog walker, or offering mural painting skills?… Read More
Mass Mosaic helps people connect to share in abundance
Posted on February 13, 2015 byWouldn’t it be great if you could share your skills and what you have in abundance, and receive help from those who have what you are lacking? This is how… Read More
Kindista: Technology for Living More Freely
Posted on January 9, 2015 byBorn of collaboration, an innovative technology helps build community by encouraging trust, appreciation, and giving from the heart.
The Dirty Business of Growing a Cohousing Community Farm
Posted on August 8, 2014 byA farm is not a clod of dirt; it is more like mud that slips through your hands, gets on your boots, and is tracked all through the community.
Vision, Money, and Sustainability: Bringing in Renters while Building the Dream
Posted on July 29, 2014 by2 Comments
In the quest for sustainability, long-term goals can yield to short-term needs and opportunities, fertilizing new growth in unpredictable ways.
