Community Water Sovereignty, Not-for-Profit Businesses, and the Case for Localization

In this update, we ask: How can communities take control of their own water supplies and achieve 'water sovereignty'? Just how circular is the much-talked-about ‘circular economy’? And is there a substantive difference between the Leave and Remain camps when it comes to Brexit? Plus, Helena Norberg-Hodge makes a passionate case for local food and local economies in a new article and TV interview, and we speak with the Post Growth Institute’s Jennifer Hinton about the role of not-for-profit businesses in the economy of the future.

In November, we published the third and final installment in our series of articles on water sovereignty – communities taking control over managing their own water supplies. In Part 3, we cover the spread of small-scale, locally managed systems of water filtration and storage, built on simple technologies and a close relationship between people, water, and the land. Read Part 1 and Part 2 in the series for more about traditional water systems, and the challenges that arise when water becomes privatized.

We also added several of the projects mentioned in the series to our Planet Local library – a growing database of grassroots local economy initiatives around the world. Other newly-added initiatives include:

• Brooklyn Microgrid (USA), which allows residents of Brooklyn to buy and sell locally-produced renewable energy via a networked grid of rooftop solar panels.
• Chololo Ecovillage (Tanzania), which pilots more than 20 ecological methods in agriculture, forestry, livestock management, and water conservation.
• Ecoposro (India), the first 100% zero-waste organic grocery store in the city of Goa, which sources all products locally, and has eliminated disposable plastic from its supply chain.
• Foxfire Magazine (USA), a publication created by high school students in rural Appalachia to share local folklore and practical knowledge of living close to the land.
• Smarta Kartan (Sweden), a digital map of the new economy in the city of Gothenburg, showing bike repair centers, community fridges, clothing exchanges, and more.

We will also be redesigning the Planet Local library soon, to make it easier to navigate and search as it gets bigger. Stay tuned!

From social enterprises to credit unions, a new not-for-profit model of business is gaining ground, pushing back against the assumption that consumerism and competition must drive the economy. In the latest episode of the Local Bites podcast, Jennifer Hinton of the Post Growth Institute – co-author of a forthcoming book on not-for-profit businesses – sits down with us to discuss this revolutionary way of doing business and what it means for society. Not-for-profit businesses keep only what money they need, and reinvest the rest in communities, pointing the way toward an economy driven by purpose rather than profit. Listen to the episode.

- What would it take to create and support local food around the world? Unlike a globalized food system, local food won't destroy the environment, writes Helena Norberg-Hodge in her latest piece. To build the capacity for local food systems, we need to lay out the benefits, counter the myths, and push for pro-local policies. Read more.

- Is there a substantive difference between the Leave and Remain camps on Brexit? Helena Norberg-Hodge argues that both sides in the Brexit debate – along with governments worldwide – see economic growth as the panacea for all our problems. Read more.

- Can economic growth be green? Frequent guest contributor Jason Hickel discusses how the mainstream assumption of endless economic growth is incompatible with Earth’s finite resources. But ending growth doesn’t have to mean a drop in living standards. Read more.

- How circular is the circular economy? Presented as an alternative to the ‘linear’, waste-producing industrial economy, the idea of a circular economy has gained a lot of traction in recent years. Kris De Decker from Low Tech Magazine asks what the environmental implications of this vision would be. Read more.

- Who is Jacques Ellul? From smartphones to Facebook to industrial farming, technology has grave consequences for humanity and the planet. Jacques Ellul was one of the most prescient critics of technology in the 20th century, a little-known prophet for our tech-saturated times, and his voice is needed now more than ever, writes Andrew Nikiforuk. Read more.