What is an Economy?
At its core, an economy is just the production and distribution of all the goods and services people need to survive and raise their families on a day-to-day basis.
A good economy should be able to meet the material needs of every member of a community at a high level of quality, while also providing the conditions for people to thrive, developing themselves to their full potential creatively, culturally and spiritually.
Our current economic system is failing millions of people at even the most basic level. Our communities have the means to provide nutritious food, safe and comfortable housing, durable goods, comprehensive medical care and a well-rounded education for everyone.
The fact that millions of our neighbors are undernourished, hungry, homeless or struggling to maintain housing, unable to afford basic medicine, and generally impoverished of opportunity and fulfillment is a problem of distribution, not capacity.
An Economy By the People, For the People
A movement is growing in cities across the world with the express purpose of strengthening and healing communities through directly democratic, local initiatives of support.
Worker co-operatives in Berlin, free stores and tool libraries in Seattle, a distributive mesh network in Chicago, and the community time bank in Detroit are examples of solidarity economies in action.
The Milwaukee Solidarity Economy is a series of programs and projects for building power in our communities, to democratize the way we live and work, through participatory cooperation.
Current Projects
Below is a list of all the currently active projects within the Milwaukee Solidarity Economy.
Milwaukee Time Bank
A way to support one another by using our time as currency.
Mesh Network Co-op
A sliding-scale, distributive Internet Service Provider.
Community Gardens
Communally-owned and cared for green spaces growing food, flowers and more!
Milwaukee Tool Library
Providing equipment and tools through a lending library model!
Food Not Lawns
Using our green spaces to better provide for our communities using equitable, regenerative practices.
Really Free Store
Utilize the full potential of the solidarity economy to meet the material needs of everyone in the community.
FLORA Contracting Co-op
A worker-owned cooperative building towards an ecologically sound world that is commonly maintained
RASA Cleaning Co-op
A worker-owned cooperative providing cleaning services for both residential and light commercial environments.
Shaky Hands printing Co-op
A worker-owned screen printing shop, focusing on printing high-quality garments and signage with environmentally conscious practices.
Coming Soon
Stay tuned for updates on these projects.