Remaining examples
The most important message is that collective ownership is a useful and widely applicable model. From housing to agriculture, shops, transport, education, communication, healthcare, energy, workplaces, printing companies, and so on. It concerns the basic principles that there is no individual ownership, that there are no commercial motives that enrich only a few, that it is a communal democratic project and mostly with a long-term intention.
Collective ownership should not be an exception
Ever since we collectively purchased the OT301 in Amsterdam, I have been involved in and very aware of collective ownership as an ownership structure. Over the years, my interest in collective ownership has only increased, initially because I thought the OT301 was such a nice place and because I was happy that we had secured the building in this way. Later on, my interest in collective ownership increased as I became more and more aware of the systems on which our society is built and the dominant role that ownership plays in them.
I think that collective ownership should not be an exception. It should not be a special or brave act that is only used by a few stubborn characters to realize projects/dreams. Collective ownership should be the most normal thing in the world. It should be applied everywhere in all sectors, as an alternative to the neoliberal idea that everything should work according to a market system. Collective ownership should be encouraged by governments and municipalities, because it perfectly connects to the tasks of the government and municipalities. Namely, ensuring that we live in a healthy, fair, affordable society that works well for everyone, not just for those with a lot of money. Not just a market-oriented society, but a society that is in balance with nature and with respect and care for future generations.
A tip of the iceberg
We have seen in previous chapters how collective ownership can work in the case of housing, ‘free spaces’, food production and nature conservation. Many beautiful examples in different constructions that all work according to the same principles.
In this chapter we add a number of other great examples. As mentioned earlier, this is just a small share of what already exists in cooperative form and everything else that is possible. Unfortunately, we have not had the time or resources to expand our already quite extensive project and include all the examples. That will happen in the coming years, so do reach out to us if you know about other great examples that fit well in this webdocu.
As a result of this privatization, there is an increase of intense price fluctuations, widespread dissatisfaction, shady contracts and employment conditions for employees are being stripped down.
Energy cooperatives
Everyone is probably aware that we live in a society in need of energy. From gas and electricity for our households and offices to immense data centers, crypto transactions, social media, digital communication, electric bicycles, smartphones, and so on. More and more of our tools, equipment and services guzzle energy. That energy must be generated in a 'green' way and that means abolishing fossil fuels. The effects of the fossil fuel industry are such that human and all non-human life is endangered. Our need for energy is so big that solar and wind power are not (yet) sufficient to accommodate all our needs and we know that nuclear energy leaves behind very dangerous waste that we cannot burden future generations with.
The simplest, cheapest and healthiest solution is to reduce our consumption. I am 100% convinced that with a few bright minds we can come up with a whole range of solutions that easily halve our consumption. Imagine the kinds of advantages that would bring in so many different aspects. Unfortunately, saving is not something popular and governments do not make restricting energy consumption a priority. People rather look through economic glasses at how more can be generated in order to continue to meet the growing needs.
Previously, the energy sector was mainly regulated by the government. Centrally organized and equal for every citizen. As with many other sectors, the energy sector has unfortunately been privatized, or liberalized as supporters of market forces prefer to call it. In 2004, this privatization was implemented in the Netherlands to promote competition between different suppliers, to admit new suppliers to the market and to give consumers more freedom of choice. As a result of this privatization, there is an increase of intense price fluctuations, widespread dissatisfaction, shady contracts and employment conditions for employees are being stripped down. Also energy companies are market participants that strive for profit maximization and do not focus on improving the sector for the benefit of the climate. In general, privatization usually results in increasing costs and decreasing performances.
Energy cooperatives are cooperatives that focus on an accessible, democratically controlled and sustainable energy supply for everyone. Profit is also made there, but that profit is reinvested in the objectives of the cooperative or flows back to the community. There is no profit paid out to shareholders. Energy cooperatives are not that new. In Germany and the United States, the first energy cooperatives already emerged around 1935 and in the Netherlands around 1980, but only after 2000 did several more emerge. This chapter highlights two energy cooperatives: Amsterdam Energie and Amsterdam Wind. The first focuses on solar panels, the other on wind energy. Both projects are collectively owned and are involved in generating green energy for both private individuals and companies. The cooperative sector in energy generation mainly arose out of dissatisfaction with the government and market players who do not take the energy transition and corresponding responsibilities seriously enough. This again shows that the collective ownership model is a perfect option for taking matters into your own hands and initiating with the right intentions.
Freezer cooperatives
From the energy sector to a freezer cooperative seems like quite a step, but they have more to do with each other than you might think.
While we were making this webdocu, I happened to hear on the youth news channel that the plug was pulled at the Freezercooperative Zijderveld after existing for a long time. I had never heard of a freezer cooperative, but naturally it caught my interest. After a few emails and phone calls, we were allowed to visit Zijderveld (near Utrecht). Here we heard about the origins and ending of this freezer cooperative. You can read/hear the details of this story on the regarding page, but I wanted to mention the example since I thought it was wonderful to hear that there used to be communal freezers in small villages on the countryside. They were small cabins with large drawers of approximately 100-250 liters for the residents of the village to store meat, vegetables and fruit.
In 2023, the idea of a shared freezer is quite exceptional. Nowadays, everyone with enough money and space has their own freezer or refrigerator with a freezer compartment at home. Unusual for our time, but a wonderful example of a collective facility. It immediately made me think about the fact that we consider it normal for every household to own everything or as much as possible, in order to share or borrow as little as possible. Consider for example ladders, high-pressure sprayers, drills, printers, washing machines, juicers, blenders and so on. Our entire house is full of devices that we rarely use and could therefore easily share. It may be a little less comfortable and luxurious than owning everything yourself, but in the bigger picture it is much smarter, more social, cheaper and more sustainable.
To return to the link with the energy sector, freezer cooperative Zijderveld ended at the end of 2022 because energy costs became so high that the project became unaffordable. You would expect that the reason for this would be that people nowadays have a freezer at home, but that was not the case. It was because of energy costs that caused one of the last remaining freezer cooperatives in the Netherlands to collapse. An eternal shame, because not only the freezer as a collective facility, but also a socially binding element in the village has been lost.
Campsites
Another great example that I came across by chance while working on this webdocu is the organization of campsites under collective ownership. The first tip I got was NTKC (Dutch Tourist Camping Club). This is a project that has existed since 1912 and has since grown into an association with almost 20 sites and more than 10,000 members. The sites, which are spread throughout all of the Netherlands, are partly owned by the association and other parts are rented. All of them are all small-scale, special places in nature. No campsites with restaurants, entertainment, shops, mini golf and other facilities, but quiet places in greenery where camping is preferably done with small tents. When I contacted NTKC to arrange an interview, one of the board members told me 'I don't know if we have that much to say about collective ownership. We are not occupied with ownership at all. We just want to camp quietly.' 'That is exactly what our webdocu is about,' I answer enthusiastically. When I told him that the webdocu is about neutralizing ownership through collective ownership constructions, so that you can focus on what you really want to do instead of thinking about the value, its increase or decrease and other financial motives, he was convinced and motivated to tell the inspiring story of the NTKC.
In addition to the NTKC, there is also the example of the Anarchist Campsite Appelscha. This is also a collectively owned project, but it is organized very differently from the NTKC. Appelscha is an association with a political slant, an anarchist archive and an annual anarchist festival.
The nice thing about these two examples is that it shows that you can organize camping in different collective ways. If camping holidays can be organized in a collective way, with a little imagination you can similarly think about and initiate other holidays or leisure activities.
Other examples
In addition to these few examples, you can find many more forms of collective ownership in our society. This chapter focuses among others on a neighborhood cooperative, a healthcare cooperative and collective ownership in the digital domain. The latter is important because the examples we have seen so far mainly concern the physical world of land and real estate. Of course these are very important, but we certainly did not want to forget the ever-growing digital domain. We increasingly spend more time behind a screen and more and more devices are so-called 'smart' or integrated with Artificial Intelligence. Everything is connected to the internet, which, just like in 'normal' offline life, has been captured by large companies. Tech giants with their so-called 'social' platforms or algorithms are, however, interested in nothing more than keeping people on their platforms and services for as long as possible so they can make as much money as possible. These companies are crude money machines. Some of the functions of the services they provide could be very valuable if they were not misused to maximize profits and enrich shareholders. In this chapter we delve into the digital domain to investigate whether there are digital examples of collective ownership. Joint projects with the right intentions that could serve as examples for the development of new technologies and the reclamation or redevelopment of the Internet.
The main purpose of this webdocu and this chapter is to show that actually everything can be organized under collective ownership.
Everything is possible under collective ownership
The main purpose of this webdocu and this chapter is to show that actually everything can be organized under collective ownership. There are plenty of examples and hopefully this collection of stories will inspire creativity and new developments.
Collective ownership is a neutral construction that can be used by anyone, regardless of color, age, class, gender and/or political preference. The most important thing is the will to organize something collectively without wanting to get personally rich from it. Communally, for the long term and with a view to nature and future generations. Democratizing instead of creating more monopolies and old-fashioned hierarchical structures.
This documentary is intended as a source of inspiration, but also as a source of knowledge. We believe that knowledge and experience should be shared. Just as outcomes of university research, the development of vaccines and other knowledge and technology financed with public funds should be made accessible. By sharing knowledge, others can set up their own new projects and the cooperative movement can continue to grow.
We look forward to a future in which not only housing, sanctuary, agriculture, nature conservation, camping sites and energy generation are collectively organized, but a future where also ideas are realized for sectors such as communication, transport, education, healthcare, and so on. The first initiatives have already started in some sectors, so let's ensure that they receive the attention and appreciation they deserve. The knowledge and experience that they gain is shared here so that others can get started as well.