Back to +Home Pad for the Weaving the New Economy Movement Conversations

Welcome to the hackpads for our group conversation on May 13, 2014, from 9-10:30am PT/12-1:30pm ET

Our call flow:

Welcome and check-in (Ben)

Overview of this call

Tech notes

Overview of the overall process

Invocation

BRIEF check-ins from each participant

The context for this conversation

What is "the adjacent possible?" (Ben)

Some of what is resonating from our interviews to date (Ben, Marissa and Ken)

Breakout group discussions:

What are some specific examples of "the adjacent possible" for the New Economy that inspire you?"

Full group harvest

Next Steps/Closing

Invocation

Charles Eisenstein:

A child plays, and develops his or her gifts, but doesn't apply them toward their true purpose yet. And that's what humanity's been doing. We've been messing around, playing with our gifts of technology and culture, and developing these gifts. Now we're coming into adulthood, and it's time to apply them to our true purpose. At the beginning I think that will be simply to heal the damage that's been done. There's a lot of healing that needs to be done, and it's almost impossible, actually.

You could say that, really, we're in the business of creating a miracle here on Earth... It's something that's impossible from an old understanding of reality, but possible from a new one. And in fact, it's necessary. And in fact, anything less than that isn't even worth trying.

http://youtu.be/EEZkQv25uEs

Pads for Breakout Group Notes

+Group 1

+Group 2

+Group 3

Notes for Full Group Harvest

Please help us take notes together below!

The adjacent possible. Primordial soup. Only one next step possible. Early simple combinations led to an exponential increase in possibility. Important quest is what is immediately possible to develop next. Seeding the conversation with information from the interviews. Marnie Thompson just joined the call.

Marissa: Metaphor of NE as a diverse ecosystem. Different collaborators are coming in with different focus areas. Serving distinctive audiences. Different niches. Much shared vision as well. Core themes mutual community support, regenerative economies, ecologically balanced, sustainable, etc. Much interest in collaborating due to the fact that these things serve and support each other. NEC conference will build those collaborations and networks.

Ken White: Oftentimes the vision emerged through doing. The vision started in one place, and through implementation, a higher vision emerged. Quoting Carolyne: "What was more moving was people sitting around each other..."

Relationship building, and the desire for deeper relationships. Connecting the movement to more of itself. Quoting Chuck: "Resilience starts with people claiming control over their own lives...."

Ben: Establishing common ground as a movement is important. Multiplicity is a blessing. We need to give each other the benefit of the doubt. No litmus tests. Alternatives are rooted in the common belief that we need a change.

Marissa: 5 year time frame was appreciated. What will the NE look like in 2019? Thinking big over the next 5 years.

Ben: Resources? Need for funding. Vision: The emergence of an enlightened funder. "Enlightened Funder's Network."

Marco: Got the importance of a cultural shift. Systems approach also requires a cultural shift.

"Adjacent possible" as a cultural shift--people recognizing where they can contribute. People aren't used to directing their own affairs. Also, this implies a shift to systems thinking.

How to be both small/local and to think about broader systemic impact? Possible leverage points: changing how wealth is created and allocated, cooperatives/new economy enterprises in a downtown area can educate people and radiate out, interest in disaster preparedness and leveraging that....

Rooting the work in the local context, and tying it to a broader shared vision/narrative. So it can infiltrate the national discourse on economic systems.

The future may appear a little bit scary, but we come together as neighbors to prepare for the future.

Jim?: [Want to include] Bob Swan's concern about military spending. I attended a "move your money" workshop in Massachusetts, and focused on the huge percentage of tax money that goes to the military. I wonder if we're losing track of this. In 1990, we were talking about the peace dividend and climate, but I'm frustrated that the peace movement is not joining this economic conversation.

Carolyne: Re the culture shift: Feels like it's already happening, even as the old economy marches on. We're building oil terminals for Bakken crude at the same time as solar panels are being proposed as pavers for highways. There's a readiness for the new info and what we can do on the ground. a fertile opportunity. Exciting.

Military spending is incredibly important. Let's not lose sight of globalization issues. Google's solar pavement is challenged by the money power of Big Oil. Where does the political will come from ? Enlightened funders are out there. We have to remain aware of the political climate in which this takes place--not everyone is aligned. Some powerful forces are committed to an insane path due to immediate benefits. The concentration of wealth and power--that's why the military gets so much money.

Two great powers are military industrial complex and Big Pharma. [People who are stuggling] are used by these groups--those are the only jobs in many areas. We need to empower people with other options for work. it's the elephant in room.

Some themes--military spending, for example touch on the power of money in politics. Building strength in our communities is key. Marnie's story about a community grocery store in a food desert-->econ literacy, community empowerment, changed local govt and public heath spending.

Jim Barton: Would be happy to develop a dialogue that brings together [new economy] and peace communities.

Post -Call Reflections

I'd be interested in connecting with people on dialogue between the climate/environmental communities and the anti-war/peace communities. Jim Barton smithmillcreek@gmail.com

Great job, Ben!

Since the most important thing of these calls is their ability to connect people, I would suggest a format for the breakout groups that would start with a one minute check-in from each of the people in the room to find out what they are involved in. Then we could tackle the question being offered.

Marco Vangelisti: Would like to share the resources I created (three webinars on the large systems: money and banking, finance, economics). You'll find them on my website (www.ek4t.com) under curriculum.