Ch 3 - CST Orientation

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3. Solidarity Economy

Putting People and Planet Over Profit

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Capitalism

Solidarity Economy

Cooperation & shared ownership

Solidarity, mutual support, and community benefit

Grassroots democracy and participation

Justice & equity across all dimensions

Sustainability, Rights of Mother Earth

Pluralism: A world in which many worlds fit; non-dogmatic, humble, grounded in lived experience, evolving. Many pathways to liberation.

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comparing VALUES

Capitalism

Solidarity Economy

Cooperation and shared ownership (cooperative enterprises)

Competition, private property and consolidated ownership

Solidarity, mutual support, and community benefit

Individualism and consumerism

Grassroots participation, economic democracy, collective self-determination

Domination by corporations, bosses, landlords, police, the state

Justice & equity across all dimensions

Oppression by race, gender, class, disability; "inclusive" exploitation

Sustainability, rights of Mother Earth

Extraction and pollution

Pluralism: A world in which many worlds fit; humble, grounded in lived experience, evolving. Many pathways to liberation.

There is no alternative to capitalism, polarization, the status quo

Your Values

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Another way to think about it is a movement of movements working for economic democracy, putting the economy in the hands of the community. Here's Coalition for Economic Democracy’s framework and equation for community power:

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Solidarity Economy

Solidarity Economy Real-Life Examples!

Solidarity Economy Real-Life Examples!

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solidarity economy examples

Artists' Cooperative

Timebank

Repair Cafe

Community Land Trust

Community-Supported Agriculture

Lending Library / Tool Library

Worker Cooperative

Real Estate Cooperative

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solidarity economy examples

Housing Cooperative vs. Co-housing

Childcare Cooperative

Independent Media

Community Garden

Community Clinic / Wellness Coop

Mutual Aid Network

Food Cooperative

Platform Cooperative

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Go Deeper:

Link to Solidarity Economy Examples Doc

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Historic Context

Since Colonization: Racism & Land Ownership

Pre-Colonization Collective Land Stewardship

Collective Land Stewardship as Resistance

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Historic Context

Chapter Three Check

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Orientation to the Community Stewardship Trust

Index - Course Chapters

Technology Intro

6. Overview of the CST Investment Portal

1. Objectives

7. CST and Land Development

2. Why Now? The Present Context

3. Introducing Solidarity Economy

8. CST and Governance

4. What is the Community Stewardship Trust (CST)?

9. Challenges & Opportunities

10. Next Moves to Get Involved

5. Investing in the CST

Back to CST Investment Portal

(Re)Start Chapter 3

Course Guide

CST FAQ

© 2025 by David Ferris and The Guild CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Lending Library / Tool Library

A lending or tool library allows community members to borrow tools, equipment, and more instead of buying them individually. This saves money and reduces waste. Members support the library by paying small fees and volunteering. Many tool libraries, like ones in Louisville, Kentucky, and Denver, Colorado, regularly host classes, maker skills workshops, and other community meetups. West Philadelphia’s Community Boat House is a lending library for boats!

Familiar examples: Atlanta Tool Bank (orgs only, Atlanta, GA); West Philly Tool Library (Philadelphia, PA); Louisville Tool Library (Louisville, KY); West Philadelphia’s Community Boat House (Philadelphia, PA) Resource: Map of Tool Libraries

Since Colonization: Racism & Land Ownership

Since the colonization of the United States, property ownership has been defined by a history of racist practices. Land theft, forced migration, chattel slavery, redlining, and undervaluing Black assets, leading to deep-rooted inequalities. These practices have created a racial wealth gap, higher poverty rates for people of color, and limited access to credit and economic mobility.

Artists' Cooperative

Artists form shared studio space, galleries, and more to reduce overhead costs and collectively market their work. Members manage the cooperative together through agreed structures. This makes independent art careers more viable.

The Gee's Bend Quilters Collective in Alabama is a powerful example of the solidarity economy in action. What began as a tradition of quilting recycled clothing and fabric scraps for household use evolved into an artistic practice that binds this remote Black community together. The quilts are not just functional objects, but also expressions of each woman's creativity and a celebration of their shared identity, culture, and community ties. By teaching quilting across generations, the Gee's Bend quilters sustain this folk art tradition as an economic livelihood deeply rooted in their place, history and solidarity as a marginalized community. Their internationally-renowned quilts provide income while upholding textile craftsmanship, resourcefulness and an ethos of cooperatively producing beautiful yet functional goods that directly meet the needs of their community.

Familiar examples: Gee’s Bend Quilting Collective (pictured, Boykin, AL); Civic Studio (New Orleans, LA); Sperryville ARTist Cooperative (Speryville, VA); Qualla Arts and Crafts (Cherokee, NC)

Community Land Trust

Land trusts take land off the speculative market to be stewarded for community benefit. Homes remain affordable for future residents. Commercial spaces prioritize local businesses over big chains. The community governs the trust.

Familiar examples: The People’s Community Land Trust (PCLT) & Atlanta Land Trust (Atlanta, GA); New Communities Land Trust (Albany, GA); Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition (WA, OR, ID, MT, AK); Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust (Loleta, CA) Resource: Map of CLTs in North America

Food Cooperative

A food co-op is a grocery store owned and governed by members. By pooling resources, members get access to healthy, affordable food. Most focus on sourcing locally, supporting area growers and food businesses. Decisions about product selection, hiring, and programs are made together. Local food co-ops build community wealth. Success looks like maintaining democratic member control, commitment to local and ethical sourcing, and providing affordable healthy food access, as well as expanding membership and operations while maintaining cooperative principles.

Familiar examples: Sevananda Food Co-op (pictured, Atlanta, GA) Three Rivers Market* (Knoxville, TN) Mariposa Food Co-op* (West Philadelphia, PA) Weaver Street Market (Raleigh, NC) Mandela Grocery Co-op (Oakland, CA) * = unionized Resource: Food Cooperative Directory

Independent Media

Media outlets like radio, print, and TV can be cooperatively or nonprofit owned. This allows creation of media by and for the community, outside big conglomerates. Content can build consciousness on local issues. Appalshop (pictured) started as a film workshop in Kentucky. As national media poured into the region to cover the War on Poverty, local participants in that 1969 film workshop founded Appalshop to lift up the voices of people who actually lived there. They approach the stories we tell and the projects we undertake from the perspective of people who do call this place home.

Familiar examples: Mainline, Canopy (Atlanta, GA); Appalshop (Whitesburg, KY)

Community Clinic / Wellness Coop

A community clinic provides quality healthcare on sliding scale fees to the uninsured. Often run as a cooperative or nonprofit, many rely heavily on volunteer providers. Meeting basic needs builds community health. Living Hope Wheelchair Association (pictured) started in Houston to give poor, disabled paraplegic immigrants access to wheelchairs and other healthcare equipment.

Familiar examples: Grant Park Clinic (Atlanta, GA); Living Hope Wheelchair Association (Houston, TX); Detroit Heals Detroit (Detroit, MI); Mama Sana Vibrant Woman (Austin, TX) Resource: Map of BIPOC-centered Birthing Centers

Pre-Colonization Collective Land Stewardship

Indigenous and African communities historically practiced collective land stewardship, viewing land as a shared resource to be maintained for future generations, in contrast to European concepts of individual property ownership.

Mutual Aid Network

Informal networks of neighbors band together to meet urgent needs like food, housing, and more. This rapid solidarity and pooling of resources fills gaps left by systems and provides direct support.

Familiar examples: Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund (pictured) Black Mamas Bail Out Action (Atlanta, GA) Resource: Searchable map of mutual aid networks Mutual Aid Hub

Community-Supported Agriculture

CSA farms provide members weekly produce boxes during harvest season. Members pay ahead of time and share in bounty and risk. Farms gain financial stability while feeding the local community. ACORN in Vermont updates their easy local food and farm guide and farmstand map every year.

Familiar examples: Fresh Harvest, Global Growers, Truly Living Well (Atlanta, GA); ACORN (Bristol, VT); River Queen Greens (New Orleans, LA) Resource: Tool to find a CSA near you

Childcare Cooperative

A childcare cooperative provides affordable, quality care. Rather than a private company, parents band together to start the center, share overhead costs, and govern collectively. Teachers may co-own the business as worker-owners. Play Cousins Collective (pictured) is an Afrocentric organization in Louisville, Kentucky that provides holistic support for Black families through community building, education, and healing. Rooted in ancestral methods, PCC nurtures a care network of parents, relatives, and engaged community members working collectively to address generational trauma, systemic oppression, and racism. PCC mobilizes resources and programs focused on sharing knowledge, advocacy, financial literacy, mental health, maternal health, childcare, child development, and parental guidance. By nurturing this communal support system, PCC strives to create pathways for diverse Black families to experience collective healing, resilience, and liberation.

Familiar examples: Play Cousins Cooperative (Louisville, KY); La Mujer Obrera (El Paso, TX)

Worker Cooperative

Worker co-ops are businesses owned and governed by employees. Sharing profits and control builds equity. Decisions are democratic. Worker cooperatives empower people through livelihoods. Co-op Dayton (pictured) works to develop cooperative businesses that meet community needs, whether that’s access to fresh groceries or to quality job opportunities. They use the cooperative model of community and worker ownership to transform Dayton, Ohio’s Black and working class neighborhoods by rooting jobs and businesses locally.

Familiar examples: Queer Hands, Pecan Milk Co-op, Southern Restorations Coop, Cooperatus, Peachy Green Clean, Sweet Sol Cooperative (Gangsters to Growers) (Atlanta, GA); Co-op Dayton (Dayton, OH) Resource: Map and Directory of USFWC Members; Map of Worker Coops

Housing Cooperative vs. Co-housing

In a housing co-op, residents own shares in and govern the property collectively. Units are kept perpetually affordable. Members make decisions about finances, maintenance, and more together. Co-ops build resident control and financial equity. Co-housing is a type of intentional community where residents actively participate in the design and operation of their neighborhood. Unlike housing cooperatives, individuals in co-housing typically own their private homes outright, while sharing common facilities and outdoor spaces. Co-housing emphasizes community interaction and shared resources. Case Study: The Dulce Lomita Mobile Home Cooperative in Emma, NC offers an innovative approach to the Asheville, NC area’s affordable housing problem. Co-op members formed a company three years ago to jointly purchase the property, which has six mobile homes owned by individual families. Each family owns an equal share; if someone moves out and sells their share, the cooperative agreement calls for the price to stay affordable. All of the families in Dulce Lomita are first-time homeowners.

Familiar examples: Co-housing: East Lake Commons (Atlanta, GA) Housing Coop: Dulce Lomita Mobile Home Co-op (Asheville, NC) Resources: Senior Housing Cooperatives; Co-housing Directory and Map

Repair Cafe

Volunteers host events where community members bring broken items to be fixed for free or barter by those with repair skills. This reduces waste through fixing rather than replacing. People share skills and get to know neighbors.

Familiar examples: Atlanta Repair Cafe @ CHARRS (Atlanta, GA), Repair Cafe Toronto

Community Garden

Community gardens allow neighbors to grow food together on shared land, often owned by a land trust. This makes organic produce accessible, builds skills, and provides a communal space. Members share in upkeep and decision-making for the common good. Fresh Future Farm created an urban farm and neighborhood greenspace on less than an acre in Charleston’s Chicora-Cherokee community and opened a grocery store on site. They are working with community members pushed to the margins to feed the body, mind, and soul, build people centered economy, and end food apartheid.

Familiar examples: Capital View Community Garden (Atlanta, GA), Fresh Future Farm (Charleston, SC) Resource: Map of Community Gardens in the US; Map of Seed Lending Libraries

Collective Land Stewardship as Resistance

Despite systemic racism in U.S. property ownership, Black communities have long pioneered collective ownership models, from maroon societies and post-Civil War Black utopias to cooperative unions and community land trusts, laying the groundwork for today’s solidarity economy movement. Pictured: The New Communities Farm, founded outside of Albany, Georgia as the first-ever CLT.

Real Estate Cooperative

A real estate development cooperative is a way for community members to pool their money and resources together. By forming a cooperative, neighbors can collectively buy properties and buildings in their area. Then the cooperative's member-owners get to decide together how to develop or redevelop those properties to benefit the community. This could mean creating affordable housing, attracting grocery stores, building spaces for local businesses, or developing community centers and parks. Rather than outside developers making decisions, the cooperative puts decision-making power in the hands of the people who actually live in the neighborhood. As properties increase in value over time, the cooperative members who invested their resources can receive returns and profits. This allows communities to control and share in the wealth created, instead of being displaced when development happens.

Familiar Examples: Community Stewardship Trust (Atlanta, GA), Poder Emma (Asheville, NC); East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative (Oakland, CA)

Platform Cooperative

Platform cooperatives are businesses that sell goods or services primarily through a website, mobile app, or protocol. They rely on democratic decision-making and shared platform ownership by workers and users.

Familiar examples: Artisans.coop MeansTV Drivers.coop / Co-op Ride Resonate.coop Resources: Platform Cooperative Directory (platform.coop)

Timebank

In a timebank, members trade services on an honor system using hours instead of dollars. For each hour contributed, members earn an hour to “spend” receiving services. This builds community connections.

Familiar examples: Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund (MAMA Fund, Atlanta, GA); Kola Nut Collaborative (pictured, Chicago, IL)Resources: Timebanks.org, Hourworld.org