An action & media project

Theory of change

We don't manage the cost of living.
We take the problem away.

The most effective solutions to the affordability crisis and the climate crisis already exist. They are not being deployed fast enough โ€” not because they don't work, but because the institutions that should carry them are too slow, too extractive, or too siloed to move.

We find solutions that are ready today, prove them on the ground, and bring them to the communities and funders who can put them to work โ€” at extraction-free cost, with value kept in community hands.

Our vision: a world where the answer to the cost of living and the climate crisis is not a managed decline into austerity โ€” but a set of specific, replicable, community-owned moves that make the problem disappear.

The work, by solution area.

Each intervention solves an affordability crisis and an emissions crisis at once โ€” and stays extraction-free for the communities using it.

01Lower energy bills and carbonInsulation, solar thermal, and ERVs for $15K โ€” not $35K+ full electrification. 10ร— the ROI of solar panels. No new grid required.$15K vs. $35K+
same outcome
โ†’
02Lower food costsFarm-direct buying clubs and cooperative purchasing โ€” no retail markup, no middleman, no store required.68% of Americans
can't afford food
โ†’
03Lower transportation costsDriver-owned open-source rideshare operating with the largest driver org in DC, MD, and VA. Zero extraction. Mixed-use zoning to eliminate car dependency.30% extraction
eliminated per ride
โ†’
04Lower compute costsLocal-first software: Ask People (300ร— less compute), Visio (3โ€“9ร— less data than Zoom), Moonshine AI (on-device, no cloud). No data harvesting, no per-seat license.300ร— less compute
than Google
โ†’
05Lower housing costsADU rights, cooperative land trusts, and senior home conversion โ€” no new land required. One Texas home became four units at a fraction of market cost.$80K ADU vs.
$415K median home
โ†’
06Reduce sprawl and emissionsMixed-use zoning and hemp or straw insulation. 8,000 homes store more carbon than all global direct-air capture combined โ€” no new infrastructure.26% of global emissions
from sprawl
โ†’
Track 01 / Funders

Fund the work.

Mission-aligned capital for solutions with significant margin upside as we displace exploitative incumbents โ€” with commitments to keep ownership in community hands.

Read the investment brief โ†’
Track 02 / Activists & organizers

Use the work.

Open-source tools, field toolkits, policy templates, and on-the-ground partner introductions to bring any of the six solutions to your community.

Get the toolkits โ†’