This guide explores the concept, models, and examples of the peace economy: the giving, sharing, thriving, caring economy without which none of us would be alive. A peace economy is the sharing of resources, a culture of care, and the remembrance that there is enough abundance for all of us on this planet. It is the return to a culture that understands true value and wealth come from nurturing life, love, and joy. We call it a "local" peace economy because it operates at the local level, beginning in the commons. This guide also offers ways to divest from the war economy that is destroying life and well-being on this planet.
Editor: April M. Short
Source: Local Peace Economy Project
Welcome to the local peace economy.
There is no such thing as an apocalypse, but there are storms to weather and upheavals to transcend. If our current moment is a flood, what does the ark to get through this flood look like? It looks like cultivating our local peace economies. A peace economy is the giving, sharing, thriving, caring economy without which none of us would be alive. It is the sharing of resources, and the remembrance that there is enough abundance for all of us on this planet. It is the return to a culture that understands true value and wealth exist in nurturing life, love and joy. It is the uplifting of all people in a given community. And it begins right where you are, at the local community level.
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Operating within local peace economy requires different ways of thinking about what is of value and worth in our lives. Understanding what the solidarity economy and just transition are, and how they operate, can help.
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One of the symptoms of the war economy is a culture of colonial extraction. In this article, learn about the work of Rupa Marya, a physician and musician, who studies how social structures impact health. She says colonial capitalism fractures the critical relationships that keep us healthy, and discusses models of approaching health that begin with the earth and soil.
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The COVID-19 pandemic was revealing of what is and isn't essential. One thing it made clear is that mutual aid networks are essential to survival during times of crisis, and far beyond. This article looks at various mutual aid efforts that expanded during the pandemic, and how and why they were so essential.
Ready to actively divest from the war economy—the economy that is killing you, your community and the earth? Here is a guide with practical ways to divest from war economy practices, and engage with local peace economy practices, in daily life.
