North America
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is a network of community organizations across North America, building a democratic and ecological society from the ground up. We are fighting for a better world by creating institutions of participatory democracy and the solidarity economy through community organizing, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.
Olympia Assembly
Olympia Assembly is a group in Olympia, Washington that seeks to transform their city, region and the world along horizontal and cooperative lines and to provide a practical and revolutionary structure for non-ruling class people to resist systems of domination and hierarchy. They work in solidarity with other regional and global efforts working towards a new politics of participatory democracy, ecology, freedom and socialism.
Olympia Assembly is a multi-tendency initiative, connecting people from a variety of backgrounds and political perspectives around 5 basic points of unity, including direct democracy, direct action, social justice & solidarity, cooperative economic & mutual aid, and social ecology.
SEEDS
The mission of SEEDS (Social Ecology Education and Demonstration School) is to develop and offer educational experiences that enhance people’s abilities to knowledgeably and creatively address the interwoven social and ecological crisis of our time. Through an intensive and interdisciplinary study, students gain a rounded and critical understanding of current approaches to social and ecological reconstruction. Students are provided opportunities to test various reconstructive strategies by means of individually designed practicums. SEEDS is located on Vashon Island, Washington, USA.
Europe
New Compass was established in 2011 by a Norwegian-based collective of activists in the environmental and social movements. The project has sprung out of the organization Democratic Alternative in Scandinavia and the international Communalism – A Social Ecology Journal. The main aim of New Compass is to present ideas that can help turn social and environmental movements into a force for change. We do not think that the dogmas of the 20th Century can help us in this endeavor, and that a new direction toward direct and participatory democracy, radical ecology and a libertarian form of socialism is needed. In addition we have established New Compass Press to publish books and pamphlets. In the future, we also wish to organize international encounters for people who share these views.
Institute for Political Ecology (Croatia)
European Social Ecology Institute
A European social ecology project that maintains a journal and Facebook page.
Social Ecology Vienna
Celebrating its 25th year. The Institute of Social Ecology Vienna focuses on interactions between social and natural systems, viewing them as structurally coupled, investigating changes triggered by their co-evolution. We seek to employ an interdisciplinary conceptual language and methodological tools from both social and natural science knowledge traditions.
Ecologie Sociale (Switzerland)
A French language web portal and library for social ecology. It provides basic information and gathers translations of articles, press materials, a global list of publications in French, and videos around the theme of social ecology. Its main aim is to improve the accessibility of French material on social ecology by transcribing existing translated texts and making new translations. It also announces activities (conferences, meetings) and seeks to offer a platform to gather French speaking people active around social ecological projects.
Eutopia Journal (Athens, Greece)
Eutopia is a Greek Journal devoted to libertarian and ecological theory. They are based in Thessaloniki and Athens. Eutopia is a journal aiming at spreading the principles and practices of libertarian municipalism. Libertarian municipalism is a theory based on the anti-authoritarian tradition and henceforce on the choice of autonomy. Eutopia endorses communities under confederation governed by the principles of direct democracy. Within the framework of such a theory these communities are self organized while their members maintain their individuality. Libertarian municipalism as envisioned by Eutopia is based on mutual aid, rejects racial, sex and color discrimination, and defends in parallel the rights of non human nature.
United Kingdom
Symbiotic Horizon
Cambridge Social Ecology
Middle East, Kurdistan, Turkey
Mesopotamian Ecology Movement
The Mesopotamian Ecology Movement (MEM) has been at the heart of Rojava’s democratic revolution since its inception. The Movement grew out of single-issue campaigns against dam construction, climate change, and deforestation, and in 2015 went from being a small collection of local ecological groups to a full-fledged network of “ecology councils” that are active in every canton of Rojava, and in neighboring Turkey as well. Its mission, as stated by spokesperson Ercan Ayboğa, is to “strengthen the ecological character of the Kurdish freedom movement [and] the Kurdish women’s movement.” Their statement is available in English here.
Toplumsal Ekoloji Grubu (Istanbul, Turkey)
The Social Ecology Group (Toplumsal Ekoloji Grubu) group was founded in 1995 by people experienced in civil initiatives and willing to think and act on both ecological and social issues. Toplumsal Ekoloji Grubu questions hegemonic relations at all levels of life and aims to create an eco-democratic society that doesn’t involve hierarchy, where all decisions are taken by direct democracy in collective participation. The group’s work includes ecological research and other activities criticizing the industrial over-consuming lifestyles that have a negative impact on natural, historical and cultural values, as well as defending the survival of biodiversity and all ecosystems. The group cooperates with other initiatives, independent groups, national and international networks.
Latin America & Caribbean
Red de Ecologia Social (Social Ecology Network)
The Latin American and Caribbean Social Ecology Network (RedLACES) is an initiative of the Latin American Center for Social Ecology (CLAES). Initiated in 1989, the network brought together institutions and individuals interested in Social Ecology and Human Ecology. In 2002, the network’s website was relaunched, empowering the structure of the network through electronic communications. Their objectives are to promote reflection and analysis, tied to praxis, as well as an ethical commitment to the defense of life.
Colectivo Ambiente de Tabanoy (Cristobol, Columbia)
El Colectivo Ambiente de Tabanoy (Tabanoy Environmental Collective) is a popular education project dedicated to sharing social ecological principles in Cristobol, Columbia. Cristobol is a suburb of the capital city of Bogota with many indigenous, peasant and worker communities. For over six years, this group of youth edukadores de kalle (street educators) have been organizing education and cultural programs which link social and ecological issues. They advocate a model of re – existencia; food cultivation which incorporates ancestral knowledges and expertise with clinical medicine and scientific methods. Through their education programs, the CAT addresses some of the most pressing social issues in Cristobal- poverty, the dispossession of land, and drugs.
REDES – Uruguay
An organization inspired by and acting with a social ecology approach mostly involved in campaigning against corporate power and the take over of our territories by corporations in the food, agriculture and plantations sectors, aided through free trade and investment agreements and policies. Please also visit a companion project, Real World Radio, a multi-lingual internet radio station.
Proyecto de Bioseguridad Puerto Rico/Puerto Rico Project on Biosafety
Project of longtime ISE associate, Carmelo Ruiz, who passed away in 2016. His blog features a variety of resources in both Spanish and English.
Socio-Ecolo-Evolutionists (Brazil)
A new network based in Canada and Brazil; website mostly in French, with some rough English translations.
Oceania/Australia/New Zealand/Aotearoa
Social Ecology Brisbane
Social Ecology Brisbane is an anti-capitalist organisation developing a radically reconstructive social project in Brisbane, Australia. There are a variety of ways to become involved in Social Ecology Brisbane. Join the facebook page, visit their social meetups, join the study group, produce media, art and music content, or help with projects. They can be contacted via Facebook and Meetup.
Communalism Aoteroa
Social Ecology Programs at the University of Western Sydney (Australia)
There are BA, MA degree programs and a graduate certificate available for students at the UWS. Please see Stuart Hill’s website for additional information.