The Rise of the Sharing Economy in my Community

by Davie Philip, originally published by Reconomy Project  | Oct 24, 2013

“Our well-being will depend more and more on what we share with others and create together”. - Charles Leadbeater, author of We-Think

As I live and work in rural Ireland, it is the local application of the sharing economy that most interests me.  Cloughjordan is a small heritage village located less than two hours from Dublin and is reachable by train. In the past the village had suffered from population decline and some of its key services were under threat before the ecovillage project first arrived in 2003. The term ecovillage is actually a little misleading, as we are very much a neighbourhood of Cloughjordan that is experimenting with good practice in community regeneration.

The ecovillage project has now attracted over 65 families to move to Cloughjordan contributing to the flourishing of the whole village and is now seen as one of the healthiest communities in Ireland. In the last two years, it has won the National Green Community Award, in 2012 was voted runner up in an ‘Irish Times’ contest looking for the ‘Best Place to Live in Ireland’ and this year has been nominated for an Irish Pride of Place award and a UN award for liveable communities.

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Learning from Nature By Davie Philip

What do billions of years of resilience have to teach us?

“Those who are inspired by a model other than Nature, a mistress above all masters, are labouring in vain.” ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

What does it mean to live a good life, especially in a time when we face so many uncertainties? How do we maintain our health, happiness and collective well-being when the world seems to be unravelling? How do we make a living by collaborating and working together for the common good? These are some of the questions I have been exploring, and attempting to answer, in this column.

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Cultivating Liveable Communities In Tipperary

This week a full day workshop was held in Ennis that explored how we might nurture our communities to be healthier and more sustainable. Over 30 people from different community initiatives from across the county attended the session, which was organised by Clare County Council and held at the Áras Contae an Chláir.
 
The day focused on how people and groups can work with and learn from each other to sustain the economic, environmental and social well being of our local areas.  Davie Philip and Chris Chapman from Cultivate Living and Learning, a community training organisation based in Cloughjordan, Tipperary, facilitated the workshop.  “This was a great opportunity to engage with other people and groups working for the betterment of our communities and to share knowledge and learn new skills.”  said Joan Tarmey the Environmental Awareness Officer.

Read more: Cultivating Liveable Communities In Tipperary

Community Resilience - What is It?

"Resiliency is like a muscle … that must be developed in advance and consistently exercised to be both strong enough to withstand severe challenges and flexible enough to handle a wide range of unpredictable forces." - Global Resilience Network

“Next generation resilience relies on citizens and communities, not the institutions of state...” - DEMOS - RESILIENT NATION

“Resilience can be defined as the ability of people, communities, and systems to maintain their core purpose and integrity amid unforeseen shocks and surprises.” Andrew Zolli

We are truly living in interesting times. Our economic system is broken, jobs are being lost with many more threatened and levels of anxiety are high. No one can predict the future but what is certain is that we are in the middle of a storm that shows no sign of ending any time soon. To ensure a good quality of life in this context we will need to adopt new ways of living and working and build our ability to cope in these times of rapid change. With a little ingenuity and collaboration we could design community systems that will allow us to not only survive but thrive in this changing world.

The term ‘resilience’ is widely used by ecologists and is defined as the ability of ecosystems to maintain themselves in the face of disturbance. Resilience from a community point of view refers to the capacity of a community to cope with stress, overcome adversity and adapt to change positively.

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2014 Courses at Cloughjordan Ecovillage

VERT (Village Education, Research & Training) at Cloughjordan Ecovillage invites you to attend a course.  See 2014 Calendar.

Courses include those hosted by Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Cultivate (You Are Here), Red Gardens, WeCreate, Cloughjordan Community Farm, Cloughjordan Heritage Group, Cloughjordan Festival and Cloughtoberfest, among others.

Surfing The Waves of Change Short Film

View Cultivate’s animated film, Surfing the Waves of Change... a brief introduction to community resilience through the eyes of a surfer.

This video and the entire Powerdown Show are available as well on our Community Resilience website.

The Powerdown Show DVD

the powering up of community, creativity and culture

"Bursting with insightful analysis and creative solutions to the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil, The Powerdown Show is an inspirational pointer to life beyond fossil fuels. Essential viewing – a flash of light in the darkness."
- Rob Hopkins, Founder of the Transition Movement

Read more: The Powerdown Show DVD

Social Network for Transition Towns in Ireland and Northern Ireland

the network for communities building local resilience

transitiontownsireland.ning.com

Read more: Social Network for Transition Towns in Ireland and Northern Ireland