Humanity and the planet are facing an unprecedented climate, ecological, social, economic and political crisis provoked by extractive and exploitative institutional systems and practices, a structural dependence on unconstrained economic growth and unsustainable lifestyles. We are in moments of deep transformation, urgency and opportunities, and we need to combine strategies of resistance with strategies of building new alternatives. In that context community-led movements have a pivotal role in fostering the transition towards more regenerative, resilient and just futures. But how do we connect, support and catalyse the existing diversity of initiatives?

In Europe, one organisation that stands out as a crucial network weaver among the climate action and community-led movements is ECOLISE, the European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability. ECOLISE, founded in 2014, emerged from a group of activists as a response to the need for a collaborative platform that could bring together the myriad community-led movements and climate action initiatives scattered across the European landscape. Recognizing the inherent strength within decentralised grassroots efforts, it aims to create a metanetwork to harness this collective power: building an enabling environment, connecting, inspiring and leveraging the potential for social innovation by community-led initiatives (CLIs), ultimately catalysing eco-social change.

In order to weave European CLIs together, ECOLISE created the action programme Communities for Future, which focuses on 4 distinct and interwoven areas. These areas or categories could be used and adapted to different contexts, and may be useful or inspiring to foster network weaving:

1) Building Bridges and fostering collaboration

ECOLISE is an evolving meta-network of 66 members and partners in 23 European countries. Most of them are focused on building alternatives to our capitalist socioeconomically based model, and among them we can find Transition towns, Permaculture, Ecovillages, Social and Solidarity Economy, and many other sister movements, collectively reaching out to over 1 million people who participate in community-led initiatives.

One of its primary roles as a network weaver is to facilitate connections between these diverse networks and organisations. By facilitating spaces for collaboration, learning, networking, co-creation, exchange and mutual support, ECOLISE helps create a robust tapestry of sustainability efforts. Through regional and thematic networks, it brings together local communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders to share knowledge, best practices, and resources.

Some examples of collaborative projects are:

• Funding Fair Futures: the beginning of the Regeneratives Communities Fund, which aims to support financially CLIs, and also do capacity building;
• Communities for Climate: bringing expert thematic and facilitation support for CLIs;
• ClimACT: empowering citizens to advocate for climate change and development policies;
• Campaigners: developing a lifestyle change app for cities;
• FLIARA: catalysing female-led innovation in agriculture; and
• Community Climate Coaches: building capacity of future climate leaders.

2) Knowledge Sharing, Research and Capacity Building

ECOLISE Policy workshop

ECOLISE aims to serve as a knowledge hub, offering a platform for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and expertise. Through conferences, workshops, and online resources, it empowers community-led movements with the tools and knowledge necessary for effective climate action. By acting as a conduit for information, ECOLISE enhances the capacity of local initiatives to address challenges, implement solutions, and adapt to changing circumstances.

How much do Community-Led Initiatives contribute to climate action? From ecovillages to transition movements, are we moving the needle? This is what ECOLISE’s research work aims to explore - to validate and guide CLIs to be more effective. This data enables CLIs to gain institutional recognition by academics and policy makers. A good example of that work is the first version of the Status Report.

In addition, ECOLISE takes part in innovation projects to develop new methodologies and approaches with and for CLIs, helping to spread and validate the findings with mainstream actors.

3) Advocacy and Policy Influence

Recognizing the need for systemic change, ECOLISE actively engages in advocacy work at various levels. By representing the collective voice of community-led initiatives, it contributes to policy discussions and decision-making processes at regional, national, and international levels, ensuring that the valuable insights and perspectives of grassroots movements are considered in the development of policies and frameworks related to climate action and sustainability.

Within the European Green Deal, ECOLISE pushes for civic engagement, focusing on the improvement and localisation of opportunities that have potential to spur community-led initiatives (e.g. food systems, housing, or energy - with biodiversity, climate and pollution as cross-cutting topics).

Three good examples of ECOLISE’s policy work are: The 10 thesis campaign / Time for Collective Action Manifesto and Policy campaign for the next EU elections in June 2024.

4) Inspiring and Amplifying Impact Through Collective Action

ECOLISE operates on the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By connecting and amplifying the impact of community-led initiatives, the organization catalyses collective action on a scale that individual efforts might struggle to achieve. Through collaborative projects, campaigns, and initiatives, ECOLISE helps mobilize resources and support for community-led movements, fostering a sense of solidarity and shared purpose.

It aims to give visibility to innovative community projects all over Europe, showcasing examples of success, inspiring communities and citizens to act, and create shared narratives of possibility. It does so by reaching out to citizens, advocacy groups, local governments, youth groups, the media and other actors, to increase awareness of and engagement in community-led action.

Two illustrative examples are the European Day of Sustainable Communities, a yearly event co-created with ECOLISE’s members and partners to inspire, make visible, and celebrate the power of CLI’s in Europe; and the documentary Alter Natives - Building possible futures, a movie about transition initiatives and ecosocial regeneration, that features CLIs from the ECOLISE network and beyond, and that aims to inspire and create narratives of possibility.

To face the current polycrisis and truly act at a global level, we need to foster strong Global South-Global North partnerships. Recognizing the diversity in worldviews, contexts, needs, impacts and privileges between the different regions is essential. We should learn from each other, heal wounds, and go hand in hand.

As ECOLISE continues to weave the fabric of community-led movements and climate action initiatives in Europe, the prospect of collaboration with the Global TapestryThe weaving of networks of Alternatives of AlternativesAre activities and initiatives, concepts, worldviews, or action proposals by collectives, groups, organizations, communities, or social movements challenging and replacing the dominant system that perpetuates inequality, exploitation, and unsustainabiity. In the GTA we focus primarily on what we call "radical or transformative alternatives", which we define as initiatives that are attempting to break with the dominant system and take paths towards direct and radical forms of political and economic democracy, localised self-reliance, social justice and equity, cultural and knowledge diversity, and ecological resilience. Their locus is neither the State nor the capitalist economy. They are advancing in the process of dismantling most forms of hierarchies, assuming the principles of sufficiency, autonomy, non-violence, justice and equality, solidarity, and the caring of life and the Earth. They do this in an integral way, not limited to a single aspect of life. Although such initiatives may have some kind of link with capitalist markets and the State, they prioritize their autonomy to avoid significant dependency on them and tend to reduce, as much as possible, any relationship with them. (GTAGlobal Tapestry of Alternatives), opens new doors for transformative change on a global scale. GTA, much like ECOLISE, seeks to foster radical alternatives and weave transformative movements that work for systemic change in different parts of the world. By establishing bridges between these two networks/processes, a powerful synergy can be forged, enabling the exchange of ideas, experiences, and strategies on a global scale. A first important step for that was to meet together at the first in-person GTA General assembly in 2023.

This collaboration could involve knowledge exchange, capacity-building initiatives, and joint projects that acknowledge and respect the diverse perspectives and contributions each partner brings to the table. Collaborative projects addressing shared challenges, such as climate change adaptation and community resilience, could further amplify the impact of community-led movements. Moreover, a united advocacy front at international forums could enhance the influence of grassroots voices in shaping global policies related to sustainability, climate action and social justice.

Through a shared vision, mutual support and collaborative endeavors, our networks can create a powerful force for transformation, emphasizing the importance of community-led solutions in addressing the pressing challenges of our time in a way that acknowledges and addresses global disparities and different cosmovisions.

“A lot of small people, in small places, doing small things, can change the world”
  - African proverb

Juan del Rio: WeaverA local, regional, or national network or organization that connects or consists of multiple Alternatives on different themes/spheres, in an inter-sectorial way. A global network cannot be a Waever, neither a thematic one. It should be a collective process of some kind, rather than only a single individual or single organization. By being a "weaver", they are committed to participate in the GTA, developing ways of dialogue, interconnection, collaboration and solidarity with other Weavers. GTA promotes the interconnection of the Weavers, identifying [[:weavers:criteria|a series common criteria for the weaving of Alternatives]]. Examples: Vikalp Sangam and Crianza Mutua. and catalyst. Team member of ECOLISE and co director of AlterNatives - Building possible futures. Contact: juan.delrio@ecolise.eu