Page 16 RAIN January/February 1985 EarthBank's mission is to create, communicate, and support the bits and pieces of an economy that is like Mondragon; with the incl~sion of behaviors that are friendly to the earth. (Mondragon has only recently begun to take its environment into account-the essential ingredient for economic systems that can sustain life.) Here are the elements of that mission: · ' D Members are important. We want to increase from 310 to 2000during1985. Each member receives the quarterly newsletter, EarthBank News, a review of sustainable economics, and a membership directory. Because relationship is the key, we expect groups to grow up around the two dozen EarthBank contact people sprinkled around North America. Id~as and practices about what makes sustainable economics tick are increasingly coming our way. We will be able to m'ake them more useful to our members as we build an information bank and focus on regular communication with the contact people. D Education is another link. We are planning events in Seattle and the Cascadia bioregion, and have speakers available for more distant travel. EC:J.rthBank chapt~rs that grow up elsewhere may develop their own educational,plans, which can be aided by EarthBank's resourc- . es or shared with others. Each issue of EarthBank News has a calendar of significant conferences and workshops in the U.S. and Ganada. · D The Guide to Sustainable Econ.omics.was compiled by Catherine Burton and Geralynn McPhee and serialized in the 1984 EarthBank News. This material, updated, is for sale·as a comprehensive booklet covering socially responsible investment and banning, economic democracy in the workplace, educational resources, alternative philanthropy, land trusting, and barter and regional · self-financing. D Cascadia Revolving Fund is an9ther piece in the userfriendly economic mosaic.' Right now charter investors are invited to make interest-bearing deposits in a special account in Seattle's Sound Savings Bank. As soon as the fund reaches $100,000 it will be used as collateral for loans made to co-ops and small businesses practicing EarthBank's ethics. D EarthBank Credit Union is another important piece that will come together during 1985. It will make available many banking services and offer a prototype that can create branches around the country. About 20% of the questionnaires needed to request a federal charter have been collected. Tw9 things are unique about this credit union: its commitment to EarthBank's principles of sustainable economi~s, and the fact that it's founded by an association rather than a union or employee group. EarthBank's mission is to create, communicate, and support the bits and pieces of an economy that is like Mondragon, with the inclusion of b~haviors that are friendly to the earth. EarthBank Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting an ethic of earth-care and people-care focusing on the consciousness of the whole living, interrelated, interdependent earth, and individual, community and regional selfreliance. The association also supports cooperative enterprises and other forms of humane, just, and ecologically conscious businesses serving human needs, and the sharing of surplus resources (fonds, goods, data) in a way that preserves regional sustainability while empowering others to become self reliant. Memberships cost $15/year. The first $5 confirms a life membership. For more information write: EarthBank Association, P.O. Box 87,,Clinton WA 98236. D 0 Ellen Ghilarducci is coordinator of EarthBank . .... -- - - - . ~--.... . . - --· - - ·· -, -..... - - ~ --~~~~~~~~~~;~i~~~=·-==-- -----·-·--=-=~- ~-~."=..--~.O:-
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