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Common Sense Solutions - Starting Now

Sustainability At Occupy New Haven

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Self Sufficiency = Big Theme in Occupy Movement

One of the most exciting aspects of the Occupy movement is an explosion in the dialogue about how to do things differently.

Here's Ben Aubin from Occupy New Haven who tells us they have a Sustainability Committee that intends to use the Occupy movement to stimulate the local economy -- and provide a template for doing so for all other cities.

A "free store" and a community garden are planned on the grounds of an old factory.

Goods will come into the free store through donations. At first it may sound like a utopian anarchist fantasy, but don't write it off yet: the idea is to stimulate the local economy through helping people learn new skills they can turn into jobs. The free store plans to earn money through third party revenue streams, like advertising on the messenger bikes traveling to people with goods.

The idea is to combat unemployment by promoting self employment, and to grow a strong local economy from a new paradigm.

The model they are putting into action makes use of existing resources in any given area. Their idea is to take unemployed people, vacant lots, empty commercial space -- and create something thriving and extraordinary.

--Bibi Farber