Frontiers of Commoning, with David Bollier

Will Ruddick discusses 'commitment pooling' in creating community currencies to empower marginalized African groups. The evolution of community currency systems is explored, highlighting the shift towards collective ownership and stewardship. The podcast advocates for redefining ownership through traditional practices in economic commons and breaking free from the wage slavery system.

Kathryn Milun, community-engaged scholar, shares the innovative Solar Commons model, using decentralized solar arrays to generate revenue for community wealth. Challenges faced in implementing solar commons, developing a digital dashboard, and creating prototypes for community solar projects are discussed. The potential of solar commons in right-of-way corridors and public lands is explored, along with the importance of understanding legal, financial, and participatory aspects for creating a solar commons.

Jennifer Brandsberg-Engelmann, an international secondary school educator, discusses her project to develop a regenerative economics syllabus that challenges traditional views. She explores alternative economic approaches such as 'Doughnut Economics' and the circular economy, as well as the inclusion of commons and household care economy. The project aims to debut in September 2024 and has attracted international attention.

Professor Aaron Perzanowski discusses how artistic communities like tattoo artists and chefs flourish as commons without copyright protections. The podcast also dives into the right to repair movement and the challenges faced by repair-commoners. It explores the influence of social communities on property rights and highlights recent developments in legislation and industry response to the right to repair movement.

Shane O'Donnell, a sociologist and researcher, has been at the forefront of the "device activism" and #WeAreNotWaiting movement, a globe-spanning community of techies and people living with diabetes who have pioneered patient-led innovations in medical devices and healthcare. Outflanking a stodgy, risk-averse medical device industry, the movement has relied on commoning to develop the Tidepool Loop device, the first open source, interoperable, and automatic insulin-delivery system, and Nightscout, a collectively managed data system for treating diabetes more effectively.

Mihnea Tănăsescu, a research professor, discusses the concept of the Ecocene era and the need to shed anthropocentric notions. He explores the impact of capitalism on meaning, the cultural significance of olive trees, and the challenges of increasing visibility of diverse perspectives. Tănăsescu emphasizes the importance of commitment to relationships, creating protected zones of coherence, and alternative practices to challenge mainstream culture.

Guest Hannes Gerhardt discusses his book 'From Capital to Commons' and the potential of compeerism to transition away from capitalism. They explore the role of technology, challenges of capitalism absorbing commons efforts, and the importance of protecting commons-based work. They also discuss alternative forms of quantification, creating non-bank-driven currency, empowering communities, and the potential for mass mobilization towards a commons-based society.

Natasha Hulst, Director of the European Land Program at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics, describes a spirited campaign by commoners to build an urban farm and green space, Voedselpark, or Food Park, on the edge of Amsterdam. While climate change and global economics argue for relocalizing agriculture, city officials and businesses are determined to build a big-box distribution center on the unspoiled land. The question at hand: Will a famously progressive city double-down on capitalist growth and consumerism as its vision for the future, or can it embrace a modest experiment in climate-friendly land use and commoning?

Thomas Linzey, Senior Legal Counsel at the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, has been at the forefront of ambitious campaigns to create novel legal doctrines for "community rights," "the rights of nature," and more recently, "self-owning land." The primary goal is to expand democratic self-determination, especially at the local level, and provide stronger legal protections for land, water, animals, and other elements of living ecosystems. More on the commons at Bollier.org. Downloadable PDF transcript: https://www.bollier.org/files/misc-file-upload/files/Thomas_Linzey_transcript_Episode_40.pdf

Long-time activist Alnoor Ladha and former program officer Lynn Murphy explain why so many philanthropies aren't really interested in system change. In their book 'Post Capitalist Philanthropy', they explain how large foundations are more intent on reproducing capitalist modernity and its norms than in moving beyond the growth economy. The real challenge for philanthrophy, say Ladha and Murphy, is to help the world move to a post-capitalist economy and culture that overcomes the cultural traumas of Western conquest and colonality. More on the commons at www.Bollier.org. Downloadable PDF transcript: https://www.bollier.org/files/misc-file-upload/files/Ladha__Murphy_transcript_Episode_39.pdf.