Some of my friends consider me a jack of all trades. I'm not, but I can do a lot -- except drywall. I'd tried and botched it in the past and just never figured it out. Thus I had my reservations a couple of Saturdays ago when I found myself at a fellow timebank member's home with a pail of spackle and a spatula in my hand. I'd signed on for this group project when it was supposed to be just post-drywall painting, but the last-minute change in project scope meant it was finally time to learn how to spackle.
Isaac (the homeowner) brushed aside my warning and offer of bailing, and after showing me the proper technique (it's not all that hard, it turns out, it's mostly about applying the right amount of correctly-timed pressure), I set to work applying the grey goo, filling in the gaps between the drywall panels and then smoothing out all the imperfections along the seams. The finished product looked mostly OK. Not perfect, but passable. Which I later found out was just right, as a key tenet of the professional's philosophy is, "drywall is the art of illusion, not perfection".
I think there's a loose metaphor in there for the multiple dilemmas industrial civilization is currently facing. For those of us not otherwise preoccupied in the next room playing video games, how to best go about keeping up this old house we all live in is a matter of great and urgent concern. Most of the time it seems like our national leaders and policymakers spend all their time and energy with their pails and spatulas, spackling up all the cracks, fissures, and holes in our socioenviroeconomic structures. Some of us who know that the wall underneath is structurally unsound want to approach the problem by pulling down the drywall and rebuilding the existing wall; others of us want to tear down the wall entirely and start again from scratch. Then there's another group of us who have already started building a new wall beside the old one. I'm in that group.
Welcome to the New Economy. Please join me below the seam - - no spackle permitted. ;)
So, what follows is just a brief update from my previous diary about what is happening here in Lansing. Before I begin, however, I'd like to point you to a recent interview with Gar Alperovitz and Michael Albert. My favorite quote from Gar:
GAR ALPEROVITZ: Let's again return to what's happening on the ground - all but ignored by the mainstream press. What's interesting is that a truly massive process is under way that I have not seen happen in my entire adult life, particularly with regard to the ownership of capital and the development of co-ops and worker-owned companies and land trusts and community-owned structures and municipalization strategies. Though the public press does not cover this, it is, in fact, explosive. In my experience most activists and radical theorists are also unaware of the range of activity.
Gar speaks the truth. What is unfolding here on the ground is not unique to Lansing, Michigan; it is happening in economically-stressed communities, both large and small, all across the country. I urge you to explore your neck of the woods and get involved, and if nothing seems to be underway, start something. I promise you that you will be amazed at the number of people eager to join you in your efforts.
Okay, first off, the Mid-Michigan Time Bank (Wiki link to Time Banks if you're unacquainted with the concept) continues to thrive and grow. We're at something of a critical stage in our development, however; studies show that if we don't reach around 150 members within our first year, odds are that we won't last long. So at 70+ active members, we're doing a major membership drive this spring to up our chances. I'm confident we'll be here and continue to grow for a long time to come; if we somehow don't, it certainly won't be for lack of trying.
Here's our first update video:
(That was me shredding the rake guitar, btw :) )
One of the things that struck me from the very beginning of getting involved last summer is the diversity of our membership. Our demographics span the gamut: students and retirees, busboys and barristers, and poor and well-off. What brings us together is our common goal of building a local economy whose unit of currency is the time of our labor. In building this new local economy we are creating resilient socioeconomic networks that will function no matter what happens to the main dollar-currency based economy we all still live in. And although we have a long way to go until we reach the size of a network such as the Dane County, Wisconsin Time Bank, with thousands of members and three paid full-time staffers, we know that we'll get there eventually. We know that we have to.
Next up, our Solar Energy Cooperative. This was plodding along rather slowly since my mention here last July, but then the Christmas ice storm hit. Many areas in and around Lansing were without power for over a week, myself included. Our local utility company (which operates its own coal-fired power station) came under a fair amount of fire, and as a result regular meetings have begun with area residents now wanting to take action to improve the resiliency of our energy infrastructure, most especially distributed solar.
How we are going to go about tapping into and organizing this interest and momentum isn't exactly clear yet. We definitely want to go the Mondragon-type cooperative route, leveraging the resources of the Time Bank. Hardware-wise, one of our MMTB members who recently lost his technician job at a local TV station turned me on to these new type of solar collector components. I used to work in the solar industry back in the 80s and no one then had come up with the idea of using vacuum tubes to enhance collection efficiency. Ken just got a box of these things in the mail and we're going to start experimenting with them on his roof this summer to see if we can't come up with a design that will lead to using our own labor to assemble systems locally.
The Lansing Makers Network also officially opened its doors in 2013 (Wiki link here if you're unfamiliar with the concept). Check out their website to see their awesome digs in the old Temple Building in Old Town and the incredible range of tools at their facility. A contingent of us MMTBers paid them a visit on opening day after a group project and had a blast exploring the place and flying some of their RC aerial machines around in the huge main hall. We're hoping for some very beneficial collaboration between our two groups, beginning with one MMTB member wanting to learn CNC machining who hasn't had the opportunity or resources. Now he has both.
The ecovillage I mentioned last July has also picked up a huge head of steam. We've had a number of meetings and the interest from potential residents has been extraordinary. Now called the Lansing Ecol-Econ Park, we're looking at a gorgeous 100-acre bankrupt golf course owned by the city of Lansing. Located within sight of the Capital Building, if the project scope is fully realized as described in this "one-pager", the property is perfectly situated to become a jewel of sustainable resilient living and commerce in the heart of the State. So far most everyone that Christian (the visionary young man behind this initiative) has been speaking to is in support of what we're trying to accomplish, but the typical corporate development interests we may be in competition with far outweigh us in the dollar department. Hopefully some form of collaborative relationships will emerge where everyone benefits from the outcome.
Another group which got up and running last year is the Capital Village Trade Cooperative. This network is focused on building affordable organic food chains. There is a lot of local interest in this initiative, as well, and the 2014 growing season will hopefully provide a bumper crop of both awesome food and energetic new members.
So that's my little round-up of what's been happening with our local New Economy Initiatives. I had a whole other big section written where I was going to share some thoughts about how I see these types of New Economy Initiatives fitting (or not) into the bigger picture of The Great Transition industrial civilization is about to undergo as we move into a global steady-state economy, but I think that's enough for today. Maybe tomorrow.
Have a splendid Sunday, everyone! Let's keep the lids on our spackle pails and break out the hammers and nails, shall we? :)
~ vasudhaiva kutumbakam ~
scott