Oliver Sylvester-Bradley co-founded The Open Co-op in 2004 with the purpose of “building a world-wide community of individuals and organisations committed to the creation of a collaborative, sustainable economy”. Here, he shares three inspiring reads.
1. Owning Our Future – The Emerging Ownership Revolution by Marjorie Kelly (Berrett-Koehler, 2012) uses the example of a house whose owners were forced to move out due to foreclosure on their mortgage to chart the madness of our present economy. It’s a brilliant read which explains how the present economy works to maximise financial income for the few and how a new economy, based on collective ownership, is ushering in a completely way of organising the way we live and work.
2. The Internet of Ownership (ioo.coop) is a website that provides a wealth of information about the collaborative economy. Featuring a directory of co-owned, co-operative and collaborative businesses and organisations, as well as a blog, library and event listings, IoO is a great starting point for anyone looking to find out more about the burgeoning online collaborative economy.
3. STIR magazine (quarterly, £3.95) describes itself as “The magazine for the new economy” and focuses on the people, the progress and the organisations that are building the solidarity economy. Featuring beautiful illustrations and photography as well as in-depth discussions, interviews, analysis and reviews STIR is a high quality, inspirational, read.
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