Bio-regional stakeholder cooperatives

This solution is meant to address two problems simultaneously, poverty and the ongoing collapse of our environmental systems. The idea is that by creating large bioregional stakeholder cooperatives that are specifically engaged in producing high quality versions of basic human necessities we can significantly improve the world. First by making sure the cooperatives are owned by the stakeholders you align incentives such that the workers no longer fear automation for its job killing capacity, they embrace it. Second, by placing the cooperative specifically in that bio-region you put pressure on production to re-localize, to be supportive of the ecological systems that provide the raw materials, and for the economy to become more circular. The combination of automation with environmental regeneration can drive the costs of basic human necessities to near zero. Imagine being able to meet your basic needs with 10% of your earnings, how would your world change?

I am working to address the healthy cities challenge. Within that challenge specifically poverty and the negative impact our cities have on ecosystems and residents. San Diego is lucky in that these problems are not as bad as they are in other parts of the world. We only have ~10,000 homeless compared to more than 26,000 in Los Angeles, but still a significant 15% of the population is below the poverty line. On the environmental side a new exotic tree pest arrives in San Diego every 60 days and our vegetation, hydrological systems, biodiversity, and soil are all in decline affecting everyone in the County, rich and poor. The poor are also burdened by disproportionate diesel/PM emissions, hazardous waste, and groundwater threats. There are many factors contributing to these problems such as our current form of crony capitalism, underfunded social support systems, a broken justice system, lack of education, climate change, land-use change, and the infinite economic growth paradigm. I believe we can address all of these underlying problems and the symptoms they create by empowering the citizenry of the region to band together to produce high quality versions of basic human necessities.

We are working to help the lives of the 99%, those people that haven’t managed to accumulate the ~$750k you need to make it into that top percent. We think a society is only as well off as the least among us and we think there are far too many people in this world that need nutritious food, clean water, renewable energy, and affordable housing. They also need compassion and community, and we think our solution will help with that too. I have been working to understand the needs of this community for the last 10 years working in the environmental and social impact space. I have participated in aspects of this solution by building examples of sustainable housing, advocating for regenerative agriculture initiatives, managing local urban wood salvage projects and more. This solution will address the needs of this group, by giving them the collective power to address their needs for themselves, directly by producing the goods necessary for a healthy and fulfilling life right within their own community.

My solution to promote healthy cities is bioregional stakeholder cooperatives that are engaged in producing high quality versions of basic human necessities in a way that also regenerates the local ecosystem. By making these companies cooperatives we can give an ownership stake to a populace that has not benefited from the increase in productivity that technology has given us over previous decades. According to a recent Oxfam report the 1% took in 82% of the wealth generated in 2017 while the bottom 3.7 billion gained nothing (1). If we don’t scale cooperative business models from their current niche of co-op grocery stores and the like the next wave of automation that is coming will only exacerbate global inequality and it will be most noticeable in our cities. 

Products and services would initially relate to water, energy, and housing. If those products can be successfully produced and served locally in a way that increases accessibility, food, healthcare, and education would be the next targets. Aside from compassion and community that list rounds out what we would call basic human necessities, and we think cooperative business models inherently address those two less tangible necessities as well. Under this model environmental justice issues that cause our current cities to be unhealthy and plague the poorest residents would be inexcusable and that population would finally have the collective bargaining power to address them. Industry would become a tool to meet the real needs of the populace, not a method to create endless economic growth and shareholder value for the top of the pyramid. 

The processes/technology can be summed up as a melding of old and new. Think drones + indigenous style agroforestry as an example. Or advanced filtration and water purification systems combined with daylighted creeks and rivers currently trapped in concrete. For healthcare the timeless compassion of a mother with the technology and knowledge of the Mayo Clinic. All owned by the stakeholders that are impacted by those activities. That shared ownership is critical to incentivize automation/innovation as opposed to the current system where it is feared for its job-killing capacity. It would also lead to better environmental stewardship and the internalization of social and environmental externalities. The natural capital contained within our local ecosystems would be added to the balance sheet and systematically grown/regenerated given nature’s unique ability to provide food, water, energy and construction materials year after year. 

(1) https://www.oxfamamerica.org/s...

Still working on this

Still working on this

Still working on this

Around 100 people with our pilot urban wood salvage project

To scale up into water, housing, and energy sectors

Funding and reaching a critical mass of cooperative members

Still figuring this out

We are in the process of converting the company into a certified Public Benefit Corporation (B-Corp) and cooperative using the operating agreement created by the Sustainable Economies Law Center. 

Approximately 10 at the moment

TBD

More to come

TBD

TBD

TBD

Arup

BIG