There’s lots of ways to get involved and active in your community and with causes you care about. I have found it helpful to consider my values and how those align with existing movements.

We highly recommend looking at the 7 Principles of Zapatismo to Consider in Community Building to get yourself started.

Remember, hope is an action. Here are some suggestions of things you can do to make an impact:

Starting Actions:

1. Learn about your local ecosystem and bioregion
2. Shop from local farms and markets near you
3. Join a local club, organization, and/or labour union
4. Vote in local, state/provincial, and federal elections

Taking Your Actions to the Next Level:

1. Support causes doing good work (monthly and ongoing if you can!)
2. Phone your elected officials. Phone calls and in person meetings have an outsized impact in putting pressure on politicians
3. Invest in local businesses, co-ops, and initiatives instead of Wall Street

Actions for Engaged Citizens + Activists:

1. Start or join community co-ops, food security projects, community supported agriculture (CSA), and/or biodiversity conservation organizations
2. Join a board of directors for an organization or club in your area
3. Support local activists and grassroots organizations with your time, money, resources, and expertise
4. Run for office (resources coming soon)

Resources for Activism + Organizing

▪️ ActivistHandbook.org
▪️ The Commons Social Change Library
▪️ Amnesty International Activism Guide

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The Last Ditch Reading List

There are many great books out there about organizing, activism, food security, Indigenous sovereignty, lands rights, and liberation. The Last Ditch Reading List list is a great way to pick a starting point or your next quest.

1. Land Justice: Re-imagining Land, Food, and the Commons – Justine M Williams, Eric Holt-Gimenez
2. Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement – Monica M White, LaDonna Redmond
3. Braiding Sweetgrass – Robin Wall Kimmerer
4. Teaching to Transgress – bell hooks

Open Source + Digital Privacy

Internet Archive
Open Library
Proton Mail
The Anarchist Library

Combatting Misinformation

Permaculture and gardening sources are unfortunately awash in misinformation and attempts to lure people to the far right. I make every effort to vet resources and information before adding them to Last Ditch.

Learn more about Evaluating Sources and how to spot misinformation.
Take this quiz on spotting fake news from the University of Akron (you might be surprised at the results!)

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