Institute for Community Sustainability

Jul 25, 20254 min read

Institute for Community Sustainability (ICS)

The Institute for Community Sustainability (ICS) is a federal not-for-profit organization based in London, Ontario in the Carolinian Canada bioregion.

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      • 1 - Project Impact on Equity-Denied Groups
      • 2 - Supporting Anti-Racism and Inclusion
      • 3 - Community Impact Story
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    • Web3 & Regenerative Finance

History and Background

Founded in 2018, ICS evolved from Reimagine Co, a package-free grocery store and community hub. The organization expanded beyond its origins to become a distinct entity with a broader mission focused on helping Londoners lead more sustainable and connected lives through community-driven initiatives that promote environmental stewardship, circular economies, and social cohesion.

Vision and Mission

ICS envisions resilient communities where sustainability practices are accessible to all and where local action connects meaningfully to global movements. The organization’s mission is to foster community-based sustainability through practical initiatives, knowledge sharing, and innovative governance models that empower local residents while contributing to broader ecological regeneration.

Core Programs

Repair Café

A community-based initiative that brings together skilled volunteers and community members to repair household items that would otherwise be discarded. Beyond waste reduction, the Repair Café creates a space for knowledge exchange, skill development, and community building. These events transform the act of repair from an individual chore into a collective, empowering experience.

Thing Library

A lending library for tools, equipment, and household items that community members can borrow rather than purchase. This resource-sharing model reduces consumption, makes useful items accessible regardless of economic means, and demonstrates practical alternatives to ownership-based consumption. The Thing Library exemplifies how community resources can be managed as commons rather than private property.

Community Workshops

Educational events covering a range of sustainability topics such as furniture repair, clothing mending, food preservation, and sustainable cooking. These workshops build practical skills while nurturing a culture of self-reliance, resource conservation, and community interdependence.

Role in the Reimagining Power Project (RPP)

ICS serves as a key implementation partner in the Reimagining Power Project, a two-year initiative exploring how web3 technologies can transform traditional power dynamics in philanthropy and social impact work. Within this collaboration:

  • ICS acts as a fiscal sponsor, facilitating the on-ramping of traditional funds into web3 ecosystems
  • The organization serves as a real-world testing ground for web3 governance frameworks
  • Local programs provide concrete contexts for implementing and evaluating decentralized coordination tools
  • Knowledge and insights from implementation are documented and shared through the SuperBenefit Knowledge Garden

Web3 and ReFi Initiatives

ICS is actively exploring the intersection of local sustainability work and decentralized technologies:

  • DAO Formation: Implementing decentralized governance models for community programs
  • Impact Verification: Developing hypercerts and other on-chain mechanisms for documenting outcomes
  • Funding Experiments: Testing quadratic funding and other participatory resource allocation mechanisms
  • Bridge Building: Connecting traditional philanthropic institutions with regenerative finance ecosystems

Connection to Ethereum Localism

ICS embodies principles of Ethereum Localism by:

  • Serving as a physical community hub where digital coordination meets place-based implementation
  • Implementing cosmolocal approaches (“what is heavy is local, what is light is global”)
  • Developing as a bioregional node within global decentralized networks
  • Creating and sharing open-source documentation of local web3 implementations
  • Building connections between on-chain governance and community-scale decision making

The organization’s work demonstrates how Ethereum and web3 tools can enhance local resilience while connecting community initiatives to global movements and resources.

Strategic Direction

ICS aims to evolve from a single local node into a bioregional hub that coordinates multiple stakeholders, mutualizes resources, and enables systemic, place-based solutions. This approach aligns with principles of coordi-nations – voluntary interwoven networks that emphasize mutualism, participatory governance, and sovereignty.

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