The “tragedy of the commons” is an idea that has so thoroughly seeped into culture and law that it seems normal for people and corporations to own land, water, and even whole ecosystems. But there’s a BIG problem: the “tragedy” part of it has been debunked – it really should be the triumph of the commons. Learn the origin story of privatization and explore the true meaning of commons and how to manage them for sustainability and equity. Also check out our suggestions for championing the commons (beyond Robin Hood’s strategy of stabbing the aristocracy). Originally recorded on 2/10/22.

• The oddity of the queen’s ownership of swans
• More about the swans
• An Act Concerning Swans (1482)
• Simon Fairlie wrote the article “A Short History of Enclosure in Britain” in The Land (2009).
• Briony McDonagh and Carl Griffin wrote “Occupy! Historical geographies of property, protest and the commons, 1500-1850,” Journal of Historical Geography (2016).
• Stephen Knight of the University of Melbourne writes about Robin Hood and the Forest Laws.
• Stephen Quilley & Katharine Zywert wrote the article “Livelihood, Market and State: What Does a Political Economy Predicated on the ‘Individual-in-Group-in-Place’ Actually Look Like?,” Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-23, July 2019.
• Munro Fraser and Thomas Mande wrote a report called The Commons in a Wellbeing Economy, a briefing paper published by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.
• David Bollier wrote the outstanding and super-readable book The Commoner’s Catalog for Changemaking: Tools for the Transitions Ahead.
• On the Commons has been helping to build a commons movement since 2001.
• Peter Barnes has written many articles and books about property rights and the commons.
• “Elinor Ostrom’s 8 rules for managing the commons” based on Derek Wall’s book Elinor Ostrom’s Rules for Radicals

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As Trump’s tariffs kick in, the Republican party is suddenly spouting anti-consumerist rhetoric that would make the Lorax smile. Should we cheer on this accidental experiment in economic shrinkage, or will this ham-fisted set of trade policies cause a backlash against the proponents of degrowth? As political confusion reigns, we offer eco-localism as the no-regrets way to build community resilience in the face of unprecedented ineptitude that probably won’t go away anytime soon. Originally recorded on 6/16/25.

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Abundance, Avid Reader Press, March 2025.
• UN Alliance For Sustainable Fashion addresses the damage of ‘fast fashion’
• Kelsey Piper, "Trump’s bizarre new push to make us poorer," Vox, February 7, 2025.
• Kenneth Pucker, "Lessons From Trump’s Degrowth Experiment," Business of Fashion, May 9, 2025.
• Kenneth Bradsher, "China’s Chokehold on This Obscure Mineral Threatens the West’s Militaries," New York Times, June 9, 2025.
• Adam Tooze, "Trump's futurism: Elon's rockets and fewer dolls for "baby girl," Chartbook, May 6, 2025.
• "The End of Fast Fashion?," The Daily, May 15, 2025.
• Kurt Cobb, "Trade war vise grip: China is squeezing rare earth supply and it’s hurting," Resilience, June 8, 2025.
• "Derek Thompson: Trump's War on Dolls," The Bulwark, May 2, 2025.
• Richard Heinberg, "How Eco-Localism Differs from Tariff Terrorism," Resilience, April 17, 2025.

Related episode(s) of Crazy Town:

• Episode 86, "Escaping Growthism"
• Episode 94, “Breaking News: Crazy Town joins the newly formed Department of Entropy”

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Solar panels and other modern energy technologies can be really useful, but the belief that we can technologize our way to a bigger and better society powered by clean energy is tragically flawed. Asher, Rob, and Jason dig into the up-and-down story of the Ivanpah concentrated solar power plant, review the Harry Potteresque thinking behind complex, centralized power plants, and expose the truth of the energy transition. After they finish making fun of concentrated solar/golf course/outlet mall complexes in the desert, they discuss how to make real progress on energy and sustainability. Originally recorded on 6/5/25.

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• Michael R. Blood, “11 years after a celebrated opening, massive solar plant faces a bleak future in the Mojave Desert,” AP News, January 30, 2025.
• Laura Paddison, "This alien-like field of mirrors in the desert was once the future of solar energy. It’s closing after just 11 years," CNN, February 13, 2025.
• Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, More and More and More: An All-Consuming History of Energy, January 1, 2024.
• Rachel Donald, “The ‘Energy Transition’ is a Pipe Dream | Jean-Baptiste Fressoz,” Planet: Critical podcast, March 19, 2025.
• Drax Power Station
• U.S. Department of Energy, Facts about Ivanpah
• Energy Monitor report on the opening of Ivanpah
• Louis Sahagun, "This Mojave Desert solar plant kills 6,000 birds a year. Here’s why that won’t change any time soon," Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2016.
• Annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions worldwide from 1940 to 2024

Resources for conservation and local solar power:

• Solar United Neighbors
• 2,000-Watt Society
• Peter Kalmus, Being the Change, New Society Publishers, July 10, 2017.
• Kris De Decker, "How to Build a Low-Tech Solar Panel," Resilience, October 21, 2021.
• Coop Power
• Seeds for the Sol
• The Institute for Local Self-Resilience has a community solar program.

Related episode(s) of Crazy Town:

• Episode 45 on feedback loops
• Episode 60 on air conditioning

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