Community Catalysts for Transformative Economies

European Union Erasmus + Strategic Partnership

September 2020 - August 2022

For many years, the economy and the environment have been regarded as separate spheres. Success has equated to unending growth and measurements of prosperity have been solely based on GDP. By continuing on this isolated path, we fail to understand the full picture: omitting critical information about the environmental and social dimensions, which the economy not only impacts but also relies upon. Experts are clear that in reframing how we view the economy, we must take into account and prioritise its interdependence with the world around us.

In reality, there would be no economy without natural resources, often referred to by economists as ‘natural capital’. Healthy ecosystems provide us with the vital services and bio-productivity needed for life to thrive. They are intrinsic to all life, and are therefore also the basis of wealth.

Community Catalysts for Transformative Economies seeks to develop methodologies and tools to support small scale enterprises operating in both urban and rural settings, to design regenerative economic responses embedded in vital ecosystems.

The project will research, contribute and prototype emerging transformative economic theory and practice that is bio-regionally manifested and nested in global trends. Developing practical tools and a course curriculum, the project will engage rural and urban multi-stakeholders and enhance their knowledge of alternative economic practices. 

In doing so, the project aims to catalyse social entrepreneurs and other local actors in support of a transformative economy, ultimately ensuring the long term environmental, social and economic sustainability of their economic activities.

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