Land/Environment

Pioneering economist Mark Anielski outlines the pitfalls of relying on gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of societal wealth. Instead, we need to measure the things that matter most to us to really understand how we're doing. And...

Here are three major ways that I see the idea of simplicity presented in today’s popular media: 1. Crude or Regressive Simplicity The mainstream media often shows simplicity as a path of regress instead of progress. Simplicity is frequently presented as anti-­technology and anti-­innovation,...

We did a piece some time ago about Joan Horwitt and her idea to teach school kids how to grow lettuce. Then she gave them all packs of seeds to take home and teach their parents how to do...

More than two years ago, Gary Robbins, Meagan Lauer and I got together after an ASG  monthly gathering and decided to work on a few common interests together. One item was to develop a workshop where the three of...

The Hidden Garden Steps ceramic-tile mosaic created and completed by project artists Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher is in place here in San Francisco, and an ever-expanding community has quickly claimed the site as its own — just as organizing committee members hoped it would. New resources connecting...

What do people across North America today believe the job of community is? Where do they experiencing belonging and caring? What prevents them from experiencing deep and meaningful connections with others? Beyond curiosity, these questions reveal a desire to...

From tools and food to toys and babysitting, 9 out of 10 Americans say they are willing to share resources with their neighbors. So says a recent survey sponsored by Nextdoor, the free and private social network for neighborhoods. Nextdoor...

From "Nurturing Our Taro Patches," a column in Hawaii's monthly Paradise Post, by Jimmy Toyama This month I’m pleased to introduce James Koshiba to you. Until recently James was the Executive Director of Kanu Hawaii, a community building organization of which he...

PEEK INSIDE THE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES ISSUE OF YES! MAGAZINE   Sharing stuff and services saves money, but the benefits go far beyond the financial. When our goal is to own stuff, to amass square footage and cars and boats and electronic devices, our...

Foreword to Deepening Community: Finding Joy Together in Choatic Times, by Paul Born   The idea of community is all around us and increasingly on our lips. It sells real estate, markets social technology, and appears in the mission statements of most...