This week, Alex Lopez writes about Ekhilur, a citizen cooperative focused on recirculating euros within communities by creating local circular economies in the Basque region of Spain.
Then, Erika Sato of the Sustainable Economies Law Center shares some of the pros and cons of formal and informal structures for mutual aid groups; and Elijah Baucom and Sarah Philips discuss the some things that mutual aid groups need to be aware of when it comes to security, surveillance, and privacy.
Finally, if you can spare a few dollars to support GEO's coverage of the worker cooperative and the solidarity economy consider making a one-time or recurring contribution through our Give Butter page. Thank you!
Beyond Community Currencies
Strengthening Your Local Economy
by Alex Lopez
Ekhilur, a nonprofit citizen cooperative, is pioneering an innovative approach to strengthening the local economy. Instead of creating a new currency, it operates its own payment system — regulated by the Bank of Spain — to maximize the circulation of the existing euro within the community for as long as possible...In just over two years, the initiative has reached a sales volume of 5 million euros and more than 200,000 transactions in a community of 20,000 inhabitants, with over 1,400 users and 125 professionals.
Surveillance, Cybersecurity, and Financial Tech for Mutual Aid
by Shareable
Elijah Baucom of Everyday Security & UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic discusses security for mutual aid groups before Sarah Philips of Fight for the Future shares the current state of mutual aid financial surveillance and privacy tech. The third speaker from Session 3, Erika Sato from Sustainable Economies Law Center, opened with a 30 minute overview of legal basics and the benefits and limitations of formal structures for mutual aid groups.
2025 Twin Oaks Communities Conference
Twin Oaks Communities Conference — Join us from August 29 – September 1, 2025 to network and learn about communities of all kinds — co-housing, co-ops, communes, ecovillages, and more — at one of the best-known intentional communities in North America. You’ll get something out of the conference whether you’re brand new to communities and cooperatives, or have been living and working in them for decades...
Challenge late-stage capitalism with these alt economies
Boulder Weekly — In communities across Boulder County, a quiet revolution is taking shape — one rooted in democratic approaches to economic life that challenge the assumptions of late-stage capitalism. From cooperative housing initiatives to community-supported agriculture and local credit unions, residents are coming together to support systems that prioritize people over profit. These efforts aren’t just experiments on the fringes: They’re practical, resilient responses to the growing economic instability...
The Practice and Promise of Social Cooperatives
RMEOC — After a year of hard work, we're excited to release our new research report, "The Practice and Promise of Social Cooperatives", the first such comparative study of social co-ops for a U.S. audience. Friends of the RMEOC are already somewhat familiar with this topic because of our launch of the Driver's Co-op--CO, which is in fact a social co-op, as we describe in this report...
Broad Agriculture Coalition Urges Congress to Permanently Extend Section 199A Tax Provisions
DRG News — Nearly 270 farm groups, agribusiness associations, and farmer cooperatives are calling on Congress to permanently extend the expiring provisions of Section 199A as lawmakers advance the federal budget process. In a joint letter to Congress, the coalition emphasized the critical role Section 199A plays in maintaining the competitiveness of farmer co-ops and their members against corporations that benefited from the permanently reduced corporate tax rate under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
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