IC's as Hub for Alternative Infrastructure

Societies sometimes form alternative infrastructure when the needs of the people are not being met by the dominent power. I started a thread on the protest forum- link but the conversation disintegrated (partly my fault for not letting an argument go) and someone suggested I start a similar thread here.

In IC's I see the skeletons of an alternative infrastructure in the making. I see it on craigslist, on alternative culture directories like zenzibar
and the other sites listed on the thread mentioned above, but I also see a danger in relying on the internet. With a looming oil crisis, shaky electrical grid, and poverty causing many to not have access to alternative info, I find it important that we strengthen the loose network we have already between IC's, political groups, alternative culture groups, media and businesses.

How do we do this? Well you probably know it's already being done. Discussing how people are already doing it, and the many ways we couild improve upon it could serve as another knot in the rope tying us all together.

So, that being said, what's going down?

 

cob cottage, i think that you're orientation is right on. there is a need for an alternative economy and infrastructure. this being created by a networking of local projects including alternative living situations seems to be the way to go. personally for the last 10 years or so i've been very focused on the local inner city cooperative living and community development projects that i've been working on in providence,ri. over the past month i've had some time off from my construction work and have spent more time surfing the net. i've been amazed at how many projects and networks are developing including this forum. i can't really think of a better way to develop this networking than the internet. but one possibility to begin the process is to develop a flow of people among the projects possibly on a regional basis first. this would help to strengthen the individual projects and develop the connection between them. this is something that i see as integral to the network of communities that i will be working to develop. peace nwrfred

 

The important thing is to talk & then to act, in small ways at first to create an alternate culture. The dominant infastructure has fallen almost completely to the forces of regression and elitism, and with the Bush administration at the helm (with their deficts, environmental destruction and militarism), we are heading for an unfortunate appointment with fate. We have to create an alternative system within a system to deal with this situation. How should we proceed? What are the best first steps?

 

the first steps are developing consciousness and communications. drawing like minded people together. then creating local community development projects in different areas of the country and the world. and developing a networking amongst them including communications, flow of people, coordination of alternative infrastructure projects, and mutual aid. it's not too complicated. we just need people who are ready to move beyond talk and get to the doing. peace ps. greenhornet, i passed your bio link to a friend in texas who wants to create a community project in the austin area so you should hear from him soon.

 

NWRfred-Of course your right, I don't think many of what is going on now would be possible without the internet. What I meant was, we should be sure to have a back-up plan, and reach out to those who don't have access. You sound like you are doing this well enough in Providence. Tell us more about your work there. Many other groups like NWR are already taking first steps, groups like KWRU and Dignity Village.

I would like to be involved somehow in networking what is already going on, like woolf, the rainbow family "rides" list, and the alternative nursing homes and health centers, and help flesh out this emerging infrastruture for those who are insearch for another way to live and don't know it is out there. I am thinking of creating a blog and making flyers on this.

Tell me if this has been done already; I was thinking of creating a very practical list of alternative resources to suit almost every need people could have in life. Sort of like the weblife
list of links and other lists mentioned earlier, but more extensive and categorical in terms of how people live, like links to alternative sources of food and shelter and "activist" social work. I was also thinking of making a flyer with non-web related links.

I will probably do it anyway. I am pretty much stuck in the middle of nowhere for a month and I have to do something. Perhaps as many people should compile information as possible and then link them to each other. We need to convince people that the world they think they are living is is a sham created to shackle them to the wheel of "progress".

 

Here are some of the links to the groups and people that are forming part of an "Alternative infrastructure" already. A whole new world is being created

Here are some great "Hub's" for social change in my area.

http://www.traprockpeace.org/

http://www.peacemakercommunity.org

http://www.flywheelarts.org/

Here's a great Natural Building link

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/natural_building.htm

Here is some info on Biodiesel- http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/faqs/

IC lookup-

http://www.ic.org/

I have heard good reviews of "willing workers on organic farms"

http://www.wwoof.org/

The "Weblife" library has free books on building with cob and on "Humanure"- http://www.weblife.org/library.html

Food not Bombs-

http://www.foodnotbombs.net/

Walk Softly

http://www.earthrenewalshelter.com/index.htm

City Repair-

http://www.cityrepair.org/

I think these are among the best alternative news sites-

http://www.inthesetimes.com/

http://www.democracynow.org/

http://www.truthout.org/index.htm

Thom Harmann isn't news so much as commentary but I find so much truth from his work-

http://www.thomhartmann.com/

Speaking of truthout, here is an interesting article "ecotopia"

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/112504X.shtml

And check out "Dignity Village"-

http://www.outofthedoorways.org/

Here is a site about economic human rights-

http://www.economichumanrights.org/

Notice how everything ties together