Fresh Ground Online

Fresh Ground for Ideas and Action

Welcome to The Working Centre’s curated platform to create space for reflection and discussion on:

We are increasingly aware of the growing and unprecedented global crisis as a result of climate change. What can we do and how can we become people capable of acting to make the changes our world needs?  We have seen the kind of collective change that can happen through the COVID-19 experience – are there lessons to be learned?

Ecological economics is about nurturing an economy that allows us to build community, live sustainably, and meet human needs at the same time. The work to be done here, is to creatively build an economy in harmony with nature and where all are included. The COVID-19 world imposed limits on us in order to “lower the curve”; local companies started to produce goods we needed in our community.  How might we start to explore how much is “enough” as we build an economy that encourages deeper belonging, meaningful work, and living more gently on the earth? 

Local democracy is about democratic relationships in everyday life - being included in decision-making, being listened to, and being treated as an equal in our families, our workplaces, our schools, & our faith communities. In light of COVID-19, can we reflect together on centralized versus distributive decision-making in times of crisis?  When we practice the skills of everyday equality & deep inclusion we may be able to better our own lives and foster deeper democracy in our wider society.

COVID-19 has shaped the dialogue of our time; at The Working Centre, we have been exploring these ideas for the past 40 years, and we seek to continue and expand these conversations. 

In each section you’ll find resources (books, articles, podcasts and links) to explore the ideas and an invitation to join activities (discussion groups, book clubs and other ways of participating).  We will be updating this site regularly with new resources and opportunities to get involved.

For more information, or to share ideas, send us an email at freshground@theworkingcentre.org

Covid-19 is showing us that when humanity is united in common cause, phenomenally rapid change is possible. None of the world’s problems are technically difficult to solve; they originate in human disagreement. In coherency, humanity’s creative powers are boundless. A few months ago, a proposal to halt commercial air travel would have seemed preposterous. Likewise for the radical changes we are making in our social behavior, economy, and the role of government in our lives. Covid demonstrates the power of our collective will when we agree on what is important. What else might we achieve, in coherency? What do we want to achieve, and what world shall we create?

https://charleseisenstein.org/essays/the-coronation/

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