Author: Joshua

Collaboration Circle Update & Next Meeting

A big thanks to everyone who gathered for the first Collaboration Circle! It was very informative to hear more about what people and groups in our local community are working on, as well as what we are most interested in and concerned about. We had the opportunity to hear about the tiny house cooperative Emerald Village, which is an innovative example of a group working together with the community to create an affordable housing solution. Housing affordability emerged as the dominant theme of the evening.

We are looking forward to making this meeting a monthly event and an opportunity to have a community round-table where we can work to build a living network that connects individuals and groups that are focused on regenerative solutions to democratize our local economy. Let’s work together to increase collaboration and break down the silos that separate us! The next meeting will be at Emerald Village Community Room, 25 N. Polk at Railroad Ave (please park on Polk or in the lot across Polk from Emerald Village), 7pm Thursday January 9^th, and we look forward to seeing you!

Study Circle January Event

We expect an interesting, real-world discussion this month. Cooperation Eugene is planning to host an economic democracy summit toward the end of 2020. This is a forum in which leaders from around Eugene from various sectors are invited to a discussion where we pose that the problems we all face are from a single underlying cause and the solutions lie in our ability to understand this and unite.

Poughkeepsie, NY, held a summit similar to this and wrote up a PDF how-to document which you will find here. The Study Circle discussion will consider how we can create a Eugene version of that project. Please read it sooner rather than later because you may wish to come to this one even if you’ve not attended previously, or invite someone you know who would be interested!

See our Study Circle page for more information.

Lane Service Sharing Network – Time Bank

LSSN is already making strides to demonstrate that a more friendly and community oriented economy is possible. We look forward to continuing to grow our sharing community in the new year. Please join us!

Cooperation Eugene is on Meetup.com

Now there’s another way to stay in touch with us. We’ve joined Meetup.com and you can join our events by visiting:
https://www.meetup.com/Cooperation-Eugene/

We’ve set a date for the first monthly Cooperation Eugene Collaboration Circle meeting and you are invited! Thursday November 14th from 7-8:30pm at Emerald Village Community Room, 25 N. Polk at Railroad Ave (please park on Polk or in the lot across Polk from Emerald Village).

The agenda will include a brief introduction about what the regenerative economy might look like in Eugene and watch a brief video by Ujima, a new economy organization that is making waves in Boston. We will also make space for all comers to share their related project ideas looking for collaboration.

We have a couple exciting new projects that are in the early stages of development which we will discuss in more detail at the meeting as well:

The first is a Micro Grants program to support projects that are aligned with the mission and aims of our organization. How do we make these decisions? What criteria do you recommend? If these funds were available, do you have a project that needs funding?

Also, we are planning an Economic Democracy Summit that will bring regenerative economy thought leaders together with local key stakeholders and community members to forge new approaches to rebuilding the commons based on successful models in place elsewhere.

The vision for the Collaboration Circle is that it will create opportunities for greater community involvement that are well suited to newcomers and those with busier schedules. We’d like for it become a place where existing projects collaborate, new projects form, and people go to find out more about opportunities. We see it as a place where collaborative outreach events get organized, and community experts join us to lend their advice. We are also looking forward to seeing what ideas you have to contribute!

Please join us on Nov 14th!

Over 300 people enjoyed the Community Resilience Festival on Aug 24th! They browsed, tabled, heard about solutions for resilience from speakers, and collaborated on ideas for community action such as a local food system network.

If you weren’t able to make it but are interested in seeing some of what happened you can watch video that has graciously been taken and made available by Todd Boyle. See our own Clare Strawn presenting on creating a regenerative and resilient local economy!

Plenary Talks:
Clare Strawn – “Creating a Regenerative and Resilient Local Economy”
https://youtu.be/YSaLrs7iFjs?t=3377Clare Strawn – “Creating a Regenerative and Resilient Local Economy”
https://youtu.be/YSaLrs7iFjs?t=3377
Jan Spencer – “Towards A Green and Resilient Culture and Economy”
https://youtu.be/YSaLrs7iFjs?t=325
Terry McDonald, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul – “St. Vinnies Builds Community Economic Resilience”
https://youtu.be/YSaLrs7iFjs?t=1032
Charlie Tilt and Kate Perle – “Local Food Systems Build Regional Resilience”
https://youtu.be/YSaLrs7iFjs?t=1622

Residential Coops:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8cjoEIy9v0&t=1449s
Skeeter Duke – East Blair Housing Cooperative
Rob Bolman – Maitreya Eco Village
Tom Atlee – Walnut Street Co-op
Joanne Fox – PDX Commons, Portland

We are co-hosting an event on Saturday, August 24, 2019. 10:30 AM to 5 PM at the River Road Recreation Center, 1400 Lake Drive!

The Community Resilience Festival is a day long event that will be fun, educational and timely.  Its all about reducing our ecological footprints and building positive community culture. The event will show and tell projects, actions, allies and assets we have in Eugene and the southern Willamette Valley for creating more green and resilient homes, lifestyles, city and region.

For more complete information check out the event page on the River Road Community Organization Website or see the event page in Facebook.

Join Us For an Asset-Mapping Open-Space Exercise and Snack Potluck on June 8th

What does a Regenerative Economy ecosystem look like? As we foment new & regenerative economics in Eugene, what assets do we want to know about and connect with? Cooperation Eugene is developing an online directory of resources that are currently in place locally with the intention to help build networks of community. You can check out the initial database here.

Are you a knowledge holder of community activity in a specific area of interest (EG: food systems, permaculture, education, housing, cooperatives, economic development, cultural work, healing, legal and financial expertise, funds)? You are especially invited to contribute to this asset-mapping project! Your participation in this Open Space meeting is valuable and there will be other opportunities to continue working on this project.

After a brief introduction to Cooperation Eugene, and to asset-mapping in this context, the space will be opened to generate clusters of interest. We will then break into groups to talk about the topics that interest us most. Notes will be taken, including assets the groups mention that could be added to the Cooperation Eugene directory.

Where: Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High Street, Eugene. The doors open at noon on Saturday June 8th and the program begins at 12:30pm. We should be done by 3pm.

Bring finger foods or snacks to share. Donations for the space will be accepted and appreciated.

More information on Asset Mapping.

More information on Open Space.

Study Circle Update

The Cooperation Eugene Study Circle reads books and articles, podcasts and videos to explore the theory and practice of systems change for the regenerative economy. We meet monthly, and membership is by drop-in. Members on the study circle list receive an email, but you must RSVP so that our meeting place can accommodate all of the respondents. The discussion will be facilitated – at least in the beginning. Material addresses a solutions orientation on the new economy, and must have at least two people who know it before it becomes accepted for study.

Our next meeting is on June 4th at 7pm, and the first book is Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown. It can be ordered from Tsunami Books with a 20% discount.

To get on the mailing list, to RSVP or for more information contact studycircle [at] cooperationeugene [dot] org.