Have you heard the line recently that grid-based battery storage is “coming”, but is not quite “commercial”, but might be in a few years time, or even a decade or two?
It’s a common misconception. But if you wondered about the overwhelming response to the recent tenders by South Australia and Victoria for the country’s largest battery storage installations, here’s why: The technology is already in the money.
‘In the spirit of ‘Because of Her, We Can’, we visualise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women honoured on national material.
When acclaimed artist Gordon Andrews designed Australia’s vibrant series of new decimal banknotes in 1959, he wanted to break traditions of stiff patriarchal Prime Ministers or Australiana cliches, and instead, focus on the arts, the environment and architecture. In doing so, he made sure to give prominence women and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
However, only one Indigenous woman exists on Australia’s banknotes.”
Worldwide, mayors are increasingly a progressive and fearless voice advancing bold agendas on climate change, welcoming refugees and trialling new forms of democratic participation. …
Can a group of cities really offer any fundamental solutions to a crisis created by the immense power of corporate capital?
To try and answer this question, the Transnational Institute in 2017 launched Transformative Cities, asking communities to share their stories of radical transformation, in particular in the areas of water, energy and housing. With hundreds of examples, these are now arrayed in an ‘Atlas of Utopias‘. http://transformativecities.org/atlas-of-utopias/
TNI also asks you to VOTE for your favorite of many examples, for an award to be announced June 06! More to come.
A reporting project from the Atlantic: “American Futures”, cites Civic Governance, Talent Dispersal, Schools, Libraries, Manufacturing, Downtowns, and Conservation as positive change in the USA. A book is in process.
America is becoming more like itself again. More Americans are trying to make it so, in more places, than most Americans are aware. Even as the country is becoming worse in obvious ways—angrier, more divided, less able to do the basic business of governing itself—it is becoming distinctly better on a range of other indicators that are harder to perceive. The pattern these efforts create also remains hidden. Americans don’t realize how fast the country is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
– James and Deborah Fallows, American Futures
Under Gillibrand’s proposal, Americans could cash paychecks and deposit money in accounts free of charge at each post office location. Deposits would be capped at the larger of two amounts ― $20,000, or the median balance in all American bank accounts.
The postal banks would be able to distribute loans to borrowers of up to $1,000 at an interest rate slightly higher than the yield on one-month Treasury bonds, currently about 2 percent.
A postal banking system would be an alternative to the for-profit payday lending system, in which people routinely pay triple-digit fees to borrow money for bills that come due before their next paycheck. The average payday loan of $375 typically costs a borrower an additional $520 in interest and fees, according to Pew Charitable Trusts.
…
More than one-quarter of Americans households (34 million homes) are either “unbanked” ― meaning they lack someone with a bank account altogether ― or “underbanked” ― relying on payday loans or other so-called alternative lenders to supplement the services of a traditional bank.
Their predicament shows how expensive it is to be poor in America. The average underbanked household has an annual income of $25,500, and spends nearly 10 percent on alternative financial products and associated fees, according to a 2011 KPMG study.
Meanwhile, France’s Banque Postale moves to expand its services in 2019:
💥Happening now💥 @reddit_AMA with UTOPIA FOR REALISTS author @rcbregman: https://t.co/PUkMFChwI8 pic.twitter.com/AoQ98m7n9x
— Little, Brown and Co (@littlebrown) April 19, 2018
Bubble readers may be familiar with Rutger Bregman, author of “Utopia For Realists” / economic policy wonk.
If you are, have a look at his recent “Ask Me Anything” Q&A on Reddit.
I am a historian who wrote a book about universal basic income (and other radical ideas). AMA! from IAmA
Catching up? Try this Ted Talk Video or Transcript.
Header photo by Niels Steeman on Unsplash
Adidas designed its shoes alongside Parley with the Oceans, an initiative that strives to bring awareness of the ocean plastic problem to stakeholders and collaborate on projects that can improve the situation. Writing for Triple Pundit last year, Leon Kaye explained Adidas’ goal:
“Adidas says its work with Parley rests on a three-point strategy: avoid the use of virgin plastic, gather plastic waste from the environment when possible, and redesign footwear and apparel so that it is both sustainable and performs better.”
The ‘Bristol Pound‘ is one of the most successful and visible examples of community currency and complementary currency, keeping money IN the local economy of Bristol, UK. It is a joint not-for-profit enterprise between Bristol Pound Community Interest Company and Bristol Credit Union.
But today let’s simply take a step back just to appreciate its vibrant local designs. Here are some prior notes,
“Graffiti Tiger” by Alex Lucas.
“Hannah Moore & Bristol Old Vic” by Anthea Page / Juraj Prodaj.
Kim Short
and NEW artists have just been announced.
“There are an array of viable stakeholder oriented financial institutions ready to take the deposits of many individuals and businesses. Things get a little bit more tricky when we think about a city, like Seattle, divesting and reinvesting. Cities have financial needs that are not easily accommodated by the existing ecosystem of stakeholder oriented financial institutions. Broadly speaking, there are three possible solutions to the puzzle:
(1) making creative use of the existing system;
(2) creating new private institutions;
or (3) creating a new public bank.
Future writings will outline the detail how to explore options (1) and (2), but this post will discuss the public bank option. The public bank movement has been working for years in Vermont, is picking up steam in Oakland, and seems to be garnering quite a bit of focus from divestment activists.
The Public Bank Option
A public bank is a bank owned by a state or municipality. The idea has considerable potential. Let’s walk it.”
http://lastrealindians.com/divestment-and-solidarity-part-2-the-public-bank-option/
And of course, France has a ubiquitous postal banking system. Not impossible to do.
https://www.french-property.com/guides/france/la-poste-mail/banque-postale-bank/
La Banque Postale is the retail banking arm of La Poste who operate alongside the normal post-office counters, or as part of the same counter service.
The banking services offered by La Banque Postale are enjoyed by many millions of French citizens because they are generally less expensive than the main retail banks, they have an extensive branch network, and they are open on a Saturday morning (although this advantage is fast disappearing as some banks start the practice).
Most importantly, until 2009 they had a monopoly of the popular tax free savings account called “Livret A.”
(This monopoly was removed in January 2009, since when all banks are able to offer the product.)
La Banque Postale also offer mortgage services, with rates that are often below those of the main banks.
Nevertheless, their procedures in relation to non-French citizens still leaves room for improvement, and only those who can offer a secure and clear source of income will be accepted for a mortgage.
The bank also offers unsecured loans and a range of insurance products for health cover, and car and house cover.
Financial co-operatives also spread, with a membership of 150,000 by the end of 1917, accelerated with the founding of a Co-operative Bank the following year. In rural villages, private traders declined, on one survey from 2,071 to 1,479, as co-operatives moved “to take the places vacated by private capital”.
The Co-operative Union, Tsekavschiri, created an education department in 1920, to spread the ideas of co-operation. In his 1922 book on the co-operative movement in Georgia, J. Tsagareli wrote that “the people have been taught by their own experience and practice what co-operation is capable of achieving, and what it was able to accomplish under the most trying conditions.”
From The Experiment: Georgia’s Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921, Eric Lee, Zed Books
More on the Georgian revolution: Democratic Republic of Georgia – Wikipedia
Image courtesy Wikipedia.
