In this special episode of the Bioneers, guest host Laura Flanders explores “Community Wealth Building,” a model that democratizes the economy, creates more cooperative businesses, better care for communities, and builds wealth for the many, not just the few. This episode features American political economist, historian, and author Gar Alperovitz of the Democracy Collaborative, along with India Pierce Lee about her work with the Collaborative in Cleveland, Ohio; and John McMicken, Executive Director of Cleveland’s Evergreen Cooperative Corporation.

This episode is part 1 of a 4-part series exploring how communities are working to transform their local economies by harnessing their assets, anchoring capital and resources locally to directly invest in that place and its people – from land to money and finance. Explore the full series here.

Guest Host

Laura Flanders is the host and executive producer of Laura Flanders & Friends, which airs on PBS stations nationwide. She is an Izzy-Award winning independent journalist, a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Media Center.

Credits

This series is co-produced by Bioneers and Laura Flanders & Friends

Laura Flanders & Friends Producers: Laura Flanders and Abigail Handel

Production Assistance: Jeannie Hopper and David Neumann

Bioneers Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel

Senior Producer: Stephanie Welch

Producer: Teo Grossman

Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey

Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris

Resources

Democracy Collaborative

Evergreen Cooperatives

How to Make a Democratic Economy | Laura Flanders & Friends

Action Guide for Advancing Community Wealth Building in the United States | Democracy Collaborative

Gar Alperovitz – Replacing Corporate Capitalism: Why We Need a Next System | Bioneers 2018 Keynote

Our Economic Future: Achieving a More Equitable Society by Radically Rethinking Our Guiding Economic Ideas | Bioneers Reader