Links

Community Economic Development

• The Anti Displacement Project
• ARIES: Social Economy on-line (Europe)
  Aries is a European network that includes topics such as co-operatives, associations, mutuals, foundations, non-profit organizations and more.  Its focus is on economic activities with social goals, sustainable development, equal opportunity, inclusion of disadvantaged people and civil society.
• AUSCED: Australian Community Economic Development (Australia)
  This site contains some background papers, a mail list and discussion forum, and links to other sites.
• BITC (Business in the Community) (UK)
• Center for Economic Conversion (USA)
  CEC is a non-profit organization aims at building environmentally sound and socially beneficial economic development. Based in California the CEC site features community programs, curriculum, journal, and links.
• Community Builders NSW
• Centre for Sustainable Community Development (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
  This is a large and interesting site well worth a visit. It includes research, courses, discussion network, news, resources and links, small business information, projects and more.  The book of stories from communities across British Colombia, Canada is an inspiring read. You'll also find a useful list-server.
• Community Economic Mapping
• The Enterprise Development Website: Community Economic Development (USA)
  The Community Economic Development section of this website features a good list of electronic resources aimed towards fostering economic development at the local level.
• Empowering communities through community conscious capitalism
• European Network of Cities and Regions for the Social Economy (Belgium)
• The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
• Institute for Community Economics (USA)
  ICE is a north American community development organization promoting economic justice through community land trusts (CLTs) and community investment.
• Ithaca Hours local currency
• LETS (Local Exchange Trading Schemes) LETS is a worldwide phenomena that allows the buying and selling of goods and services outside the money economy. Local schemes establish an alternative currency to facilitate local community trading. There are many links to individual LETS schemes and research on LETS, here are a few:
  • International Journal of Community Currency Research
  • LETS, South Australia with links to other Australian groups
  • Local currencies and social credit listing
  • Information on LETS systems
• The Loka Institute(USA)
• New Village community currencies
• Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
• Nuestras-raices
• Our Family Farms
• Rocky Mountain Institute (USA)
  The Rocky Mountain Institute is a nonprofit organization that fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to create a more secure, prosperous, and life-sustaining world.
• Sirolli Institute (USA)
  The Sirolli Institute promotes a model of enterprise facilitation which believes that economic revitalization starts with building the dreams and aspirations of ordinary people into small business enterprises.
• Sustainable Communities Network (USA)
  Sustainable Communities Network is a comprehensive site that promotes innovative strategies to produce communities that are more environmentally sound, economically prosperous, and socially equitable.
• Tompkins Institute
• United Way (USA)
  United Way is a series of local independent organisations, sometimes called Community Chest or Community Fund. United Way concentrates on making a significant impact on the community's growing needs for satisfactory health and services.
• Valley Dollars The Pioneer Valley's Community Currency & Barter Network

Cooperatives

• Australian Centre for Co-operative Research and Development
• British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies (Canada)
• Centre for the Study of Co-operatives University of Saskatchewan (Canada)
  This Canadian site includes a resource centre, virtual library, links, conferences as well as outlining the centre's research which has an agricultural focus.
• Cheticamp's Co-ops (Canada)
  The 10 cooperatives run by the Cheticamp community provide over 300 jobs forthis isolated town.
• The Co-op Home Page - New Generation Co-op Leaders Conference
• Cooperative Life (CDI) (USA)
• Miminegash Seaside Cooperative (Canada)
  In response to the collapse of the staple local industry, local women banded together to create green jobs from local resources.
• Mondragon (Spain)
  The Mondragon Cooperative has been in existence for 40 years and is now a huge enterprise. Located in the Basque region it is an outstanding example of what cooperatives can achieve.
• United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives
  This was founded in May 2004 under it on the links page after Mondragon.
• University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives

Case studies

• Case Studies of Sustainable Communities
  This website has case studies of initiatives in the Unites States that integrate environmental, economic and social goals. Click on the map of Hawai'i on the Sustainable Communities index page to have a look at the Wai'anae Backyard Aquaculture Project, a community-based non-profit corporation providing financial and technical assistance to help families raise sunfish as a means of promoting local self-sufficiency and nutrition.

• CERES Community Environmental Park (Australia)
  The Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies is a non-profit organisation concerned with sustainability, social equity, cultural richness and community participation. It has an annual budget of over $A1.2 mill, and employs 25 equivalent full-time positions.

• FarmFolk-CityFolk (Canada)
  A not-for-profit group that strives to connect people and organisations by focusing on food.  They are committed to the development and maintenance of a just and sustainable food system.
• Hoa 'Aina O Makaha (Hawaii)
  Hoa 'Aina O Makaha is a non-profit, spiritually-based community organisation. Rooted in their relationship to the land, Hoa 'Aina O Makaha has grown from five acres of unused land to a farm which supports a range of programs - abuse rehabilitation, alternative school, women's support, peace education, and more - that help fulfil the needs that were felt in the community. As well the farm has developed, and today they export basil and provide work experience for school pupils.
• Maleny, South-East Queensland (Australia)
  Maleny, in South-East Queensland, Australia, has the second highest number of cooperatives in the world. Find out more about Maleny at - http://www.oneworld.org/ni/issue278/bunyas.htm
  
• Sharing Stories: Community Economic Development in British Columbia (Canada)
  A great collection of stories from communities in British Colombia.

• Sustainability in Action (USA)
  A whole book of stories of community initiatives from across the United States.

Community development

• Community Builders, NSW (Australia)
• Community Building Resources (Canada)
• Community Exchange Systems in the Global South
• Community involved in Sustaining Agriculture
• The E F Schumacher Society (USA)
• Highland Valley
• Shopfront: working with the community University of Technology, Sydney (Australia)

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