Innovation – Radical Ecological Democracy

“Hola, Gustavo!”- A personal tribute to Gustavo Esteva

April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 1403 Views 0 Comments Alternatives, Community, Indigenous Communities, Innovation, New Politics, Revolutionary Struggle, Social Change, Social Movements, Society

The struggle for progressive “alternatives” suffered a great loss last month when one of its prominent standard bearers, Gustavo Esteva, passed away at the age of 86 in Mexico. In his remarkable and revolutionary journey spanning over six decades, Esteva redefined the very idea of “societal transformation”, and charted a unique course of praxis and theory for the realization of his vision. In this personal tribute, Ashish Kothari recounts Esteva’s enormous contributions, and their collaboration in the quest for meaningful “alternatives”.

Action Agenda Analysis Ideas Stories

The Prosumer Economy: Being Like a Forest

October 28, 2021April 13, 2022 2058 Views 0 Comments Capitalism, Community, Development, Environment, Innovation, New Economy

“Transition” explorations are sprouting all over the world. In Turkey, the “prosumer economy” is increasingly gaining recognition and support among the people looking for “alternatives”. Uygar Özesmi explains the progressive environmentalism and egalitarian economic thinking behind this unique initiative.

Action Agenda Analysis Ideas Stories

“Shared Societies” in the times of Covid-19

September 19, 2020April 13, 2022 2747 Views 1 Comment Community, Democracy, Innovation, New Politics, Social Change

As vicious viruses, climate calamities and sapping economic inequalities become the hard realities of contemporary human existence, how should the world prepare itself to deal with them? Clem McCartney analyses the societal response to Covid-19 from the lens of a “Shared Society” to outline a possible way out of the present predicament.

Analysis Conversations Stories

RED Conversations Series – A Meaningful Journey

October 21, 2018April 13, 2022 2786 Views 0 Comments Development, Innovation, New Economy, New Politics, Revolutionary Struggle, Sustainability

Ashish Kothari speaks with Elandria Williams and Mabrouka Mbarek about a unique journey of explorations and discovery they undertook in three cities of the United States to understand the nature of socio-economic struggle being waged by the Black communities and the political awakening it has resulted in.

Action Agenda Analysis Ideas Stories

Small and Shared vs McMansions and Slums

August 3, 2018April 13, 2022 6959 Views 0 Comments Capitalism, Community, Cooperatives, Environment, Innovation, New Economy, Sustainability

Contemporary urban housing has become an economic and environmental mess, a festering problem forever dodging solutions. Anitra Nelson explores the way out of the crisis and discusses the role cohousing could play in rejuvenating the urban space.

Conversations Ideas Stories

RED Conversations Series

May 14, 2018April 13, 2022 3421 Views 3 Comments Community, Innovation, New Economy

Ruth Mwangi explains the novel idea of community currencies to Ashish Kothari, and how it is creating viable economic options for low-income residents of informal settlements in the urban areas of Kenya.

Conversations Ideas Stories

RED Conversations Series

May 3, 2018April 13, 2022 3317 Views 1 Comment Capitalism, Community, Cooperatives, Democracy, Development, Innovation, New Economy

Ashish Kothari interviews Joel Morist I Botines of Cooperativa Integral Catalana to understand the new thrust of the cooperative movement in Catalonia and how it can be an accessible template for the rest of the world.

Analysis

Is There A Way Out?

September 27, 2017December 21, 2017 4549 Views 0 Comments Capitalism, Climate Change, Colonialism, Development, Environment, Innovation, Nature, New Economy, Policy, Politics, Power Dynamic, Society

There’s much that makes us feel despondent in the contemporary world – climate change, economic inequality, social discord and a sense of intense personal ennui. How do we move towards solutions which restore sanity to our existence and connect us to others in our communities and to nature? Ashish Kothari and Pallav Das explain the idea, conviction and commitment behind an attempt at documenting some of the serious efforts being made in that direction.

Analysis

A Path To Freedom

September 27, 2017April 13, 2022 5494 Views 4 Comments Community, Cooperatives, Democracy, Development, Innovation, New Economy, Policy, Revolutionary Struggle, Social, Sustainability

Gustavo Esteva narrates his encounter with “development” and how that has shaped his understanding of the need for crafting new alternatives to free market fundamentalism.

Agenda Conversations

RED Conversations Series

September 27, 2017April 13, 2022 4045 Views 0 Comments Alternatives, Community, Consumerism, Degrowth, Democracy, Development, Innovation, New Economy, New Politics, Policy, Power Dynamic, Society

A group of leading thinkers, activists and researchers discusses the roots of contemporary environmental issues and related socio-political challenges facing the world and the possible way out of it.

Ideas

‘Nature’s Grandchildren’

September 27, 2017April 13, 2022 6535 Views 1 Comment Climate, Community, Democracy, Education, India, Innovation, Pedagogy, Society

Rabindranath Tagore designed a revolutionary form of pedagogy for the educational institutions he founded as a challenge to British educational orthodoxy. It was based on revolutionary environmental principles and influenced by the country’s ancient philosophical insights. Aseem Shrivastava discusses its deep relevance for the contemporary world.

Agenda

Creating New Political and Ecological Consciousness Through Direct Democracy

September 27, 2017April 13, 2022 4166 Views 0 Comments Community, Democracy, Environment, Global, Innovation, New Politics, Policy, Society

Would new experiments in Direct Democracy hasten the much needed evolution of representative forms of democracy in the near future? Chistos Zografos gives us an insight into the new developments.

Stories

A Few Thoughts on Studying the Most Radical Social Movement of the Twenty-first Century

April 6, 2016April 13, 2022 2270 Views 0 Comments Innovation, New Economy, Society, Sustainability

First published by John Foran, on Resilience.org | MAR 14, 2016 Introduction We are living through an unprecedented crisis, in a

Stories

The Curious Case of the Antidepressant, Anti-Anxiety Backyard Garden

April 6, 2016April 13, 2022 1601 Views 0 Comments Innovation, Urban

Originally written by: Daphne Miller posted Nov 12, 2015 for YES Magazine. [pullquote align=”full” size=”25″]Whether it’s microbes in the dirt

Stories

Sweden to become the world’s first nation to end reliance on fossil fuels

April 6, 2016April 13, 2022 2301 Views 3 Comments Innovation, Sustainability, Sweden

First Published on : http://www.thealternative.in/lifestyle/sweden-become-worlds-first-nation-end-reliance-fossil-fuels/ The Scandinavian nation already meets two-thirds of its electricity requirements from non-fossil fuels energy sources,

Stories