On this page I set out a proposal for integrating the principles of the green economy into a wider project – provisionally named the Hitchhiker Fellowship and affiliated efforts, including the sustainable business model and the constitution of the emerging Hitchhiker's Federation.
> How can the green economy reshape collaborative futures? Dive into Hitchhikers' bold plans to blend deliberative democracy, innovative workshops, & progressive economics—melding the ideas of Donut Economics, citizen assemblies, and green innovation. Find out how these efforts could help co-design tomorrow's sustainable economies!
The overall goal is to both pilot and codify green economic practices alongside broader efforts to build a more deliberative, participatory model of governance and economic management for the future.
> Exploring the Green Economy in the Hitchhikers Project: Workshops, Partnerships, and Future Vision.
# Positioning Hitchhikers within the Green Economy The Hitchhikers project distinguishes itself by being ‘apolitical’ in the traditional sense—not because it lacks a perspective, but because it foregrounds itself as a deliberative platform, originating from a vision of the future and working to create space for inclusive, positive debate about new forms of governance. Rather than adhering to existing political binaries, the Hitchhikers project opens up its structures to input from a variety of political movements and schools of thought to co-create its economic and governance frameworks.
# Bringing Political Parties into the Deliberative Process A new development in this process is the decision to actively engage with formal political parties, inviting them to propose, tender, or develop alternative approaches for structuring the project’s affairs. This could take the form of hosting conventions, workshops, and events—‘deliberative gardens’—each with themes such as the green economy.
# The Green Party and Legislative Theatre A specific opportunity has arisen to collaborate with Zack Polanski from the Green Party (UK). Polanski brings a unique background through his work with the Boal Theatre (often known as legislative theatre), a participatory method that was developed by Augusto Boal. This method provides structured ways for people to use theatre as a tool for policy development and democratic deliberation, which aligns well with the facilitative ethos of Hitchhikers. Polanski’s engagement with major economic thinkers—such as his interviews with Yanis Varoufakis—shows a commitment to exploring progressive economics, despite some critiques of the level of expertise. The partnership would aim to concretise these ideas through a series of collaborative workshops, informed by both his and the collective’s experiences.
# Programme Outline: Workshops and Manifesto Development To formalise and disseminate the outcomes of this engagement, the plan incorporates a sequence of green economy workshops—each running for 42 days (six weeks). These workshops would include: - **Structured collaboration with members of the Green Party and other global counterparts** - **Integration of the donut economics framework developed by Kate Raworth** as a foundation for thinking about sustainability, planetary boundaries, and social needs - **Deliberations on how economic structures, AI, and advanced governance concepts can be woven into the ongoing evolution of the Hitchhiker’s Constitution** - **Development of a published ‘Guide to the Economy’**, supervised by a nominated Economics Fellow, offering insights and recommendations for green economic practices across all Hitchhiker-affiliated organisations - **Creation of technical resources (including software code and legal frameworks)** for embedding green practices into member constitutions—particularly around finance, energy use, assessing environmental impact, and tracking carbon neutrality - **Targeted efforts to ensure the federation’s activities become increasingly carbon neutral or function with net-zero carbon emissions** - **Participatory decision-making models** to ensure distribution of funds, taxation, and public money align with green and more socially just principles
# Community Tools and Participatory Design An anticipated outcome of these workshops is the release of bespoke community financial tools, designed around green principles. These tools would be made available internally to Hitchhiker-aligned groups, but also offered to external co-operatives and organisations looking to adopt similar methods.
# Democratic Co-Design in the 'Green Pill' Workshop Format Taking inspiration from the ‘red pill vs. blue pill’ metaphor popularised by The Matrix, the project explores a playful ‘green pill’ identity for its unique blend of workshops—focusing on system change through sustainability and democratic engagement. Workshops will facilitate: - Joint design and publication of collective economic plans - Citizen assemblies and deliberative platforms modelled after successful applications worldwide - Ongoing documentation and open-source sharing of learning, methods, and outcomes
# Global Alliances and Forward Planning Beyond internal use, the processes and methodologies refined here could be adapted or extended for international use—potentially contributing to initiatives like DiEM25 or being showcased at forums such as the next Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The intent, however, is to keep the core of this work firmly rooted in the Hitchhikers’ own conventions, ensuring authenticity while promoting possible models for wider adoption.
# Alignment with Sustainable Development and Future-Proofing The green economy initiatives tie directly into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), establishing a research-backed, participatory, and adaptable blueprint for economic sustainability. By integrating advanced concepts around AI, collective intelligence, and participatory governance, the federation aims to remain flexible and pragmatic—addressing both immediate concerns and long-term visions for genuinely sustainable economic practices.
In summary, this audio note outlines a bold experiment to embed green economic values deeply within project governance, foster interdisciplinary and international collaboration, apply creative participatory methods, and openly share the resulting tools and knowledge for broader benefit.