CRY 2013
About CRY 2013 (Community Reinvestment Year 2013)
Some of us have been feeling a bit like the picture above for a while, so we decided to put our heads (and hearts) together. Some of us started with ideas about moving our money from the big banks to local cooperative banks and credit unions. Some of us had been working for months on finding local businesses with whom we really wanted to be doing business. Some of us wanted to do more work on developing "The Commons." Someone came up with the CRY acronym; someone else with the idea of making a calendar for 2013; someone knew about a good picture for the cover; someone suggested we use the wiki, and here we are with the Community Reinvestment Year 2013 on the OccupyBoston.org/wiki. Please participate by reading, editing, discussing, sharing, researching, adding new ideas, coming up with new ways to participate, and most of all doing what it is that you want to do to reinvest in your community in 2013. Below are the main sections of CRY 2013. Explore!
2013 CALENDAR
THE COMMONS
RESOURCES
January 2013 Plan and organize for long term changes.
Take time this first month of 2013 to look at the year ahead and get organized. What are you going to do to reinvest in your community this year, with whom and when?
February 2013 Invent and come up with original ideas.
How about starting with the basics of moving your money, which may include any or all of the following?
- Moving your checking account to a better bank (coop, credit unions, etc.)
- Moving your savings account to a better bank (coop, credit unions, etc.)
- Finding a greener credit card and/or sending your mega bank cards back to the bank with a note of explanation
- Investing in more responsible/sustainable/community oriented mutual funds, bonds, or microloan organizations, RSF Social Finance or Community Investment Notes from nonprofit Calvert fund or kiva.org, for example.
- Buying shares in local coop utility, food stores or a direct offering.
- Moving your debt from the big banks (car, house, credit card) to better banks, credit unions etc.
- Shortening your debts as much as possible.
March 2013 Indulge in Music Art, Dance, Painting, Poetry, Meditation, Yoga, or just read a good book.
- Sharing these on the wiki to get everyone's right brain etc. really involved in the creative process.
April 2013 Hoarding Hall of Shame Month!
- Publicly expose banks and corporations that are the worst hoarders.
- Encourage enforcement of IRS regulations against hoarding.
- Develop legislation to encourage more investment in local communities.
- Clean-out your closets, cupboards, bookshelves, garage, and donate to your local food bank, thrift store, friends 7 neighbors.
- Have an exchange or gift party (cloths, books, jewelry, white elephant.)
- Commons ... (Please see comments in last section on "commons.")
May 2013 Start a long term project that will have a big effect in the long run
- Develop a public bank on the state level.
- Develop other models for local credit unions, community interdependence funds etc.
- Start a community garden, yearly (or more often) seed exchange, book swap, canned food swap.
- Other examples:
- cascadia,
- Invest Local Ohio,
- The NH community Loan Fund,
- MtBizworks NC,
- Calvert Fund,
- kiva.org
- local coop utility,
- food stores
- direct offering
June 2013 Sponsor Lectures and/or workshops teaching folks how to help guide any organization they are in contact to invest its money more responsibly. Don't forget to do it yourself with any of the following:
- Your place of worship
- Your town, state or federal government
- Your Alma Mater and local schools
- Your union
- Your pension fund
- Your state government
- Any other organization you are in contact with
July 2013 - Reinvest your Home
- Pay off your mortgage or remortgage with a better bank
- Buy a second property and rent it out
- Buy a home for your children
- Invest in energy efficiency and /or alternative energy
- Start or upgrade your vegetable/herb garden
- Make better use of your land and any other resources associated with your home.
August 2013 Organize Festivities, Celebrations, Banquets, fiestas....
- Have a big party and invite everyone you know who is doing anything connected to community reinvestment to come and share/network/celebrate!
- Serve local food, include information about your farmers, chefs and farmers market or coop.
- Host a celebratory book, clothes, tool, or toys swap.
September 2013 Attend to details - tidy up.
Think about all the changes you want to make toward community reinvestment this year and finish up what you can this month.
October 2013 This is a good month to begin new relationships
- Have a yard sale and meet your neighbors. Tell them you are engaging in an alternative economy, handout info.
- Shop local with folks you get to know and tell your friends about it.
- Shop second hand.
- Engage in alternate exchange (livelihood or trade) systems: time-share, local notes, gift economy. (time trade circle.org, Charles Eisenstein)
- Find a green, socially responsible and 'outside the box' thinking financial adviser.
November 2013 Trust Your Intuition - Do what you are drawn to this month
December 2013 It's time to summarize what you have done and present your ideas to others, reach out internationally and collaborate in a bigger way.
Ideas for Making Use of This Calendar
- Structure this as a class, discussion, support or accountability group.
- Urge solo practitioners to journal their experience, join a chat, or blog.
- Overlay each month with a weekly gathering, for instance 4x/month meet and
- 1st week - Strategic Planning, create a to do list.
- 2nd week - Research & Network.
- 3rd week - Take Action on anything from your to do list that you haven't started, continue or discard all others.
- 4th week - Celebrate, share successes, recap.