Does your neighborhood or community feel like one where everyone has each other’s back, or do you barely know anyone enough to say “hello?” Our guest today, Michael Wood-Lewis, is the co-founder of Front Porch Forum, a platform where 2/3rds of households in Vermont are choosing to come together with their neighbors. Whether it's finding lost pets, locating free building materials, volunteering to rebuild after disasters, or discovering a reliable plumber, the strength and bonds that are forming are a model for the future. Here’s inspiration and possibility at its best.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro & Welcome
03:54 Front Porch Forum
13:27 Social Capital
16:30 The Circular Economy
20:00 Break
22:45 Trust, Reciprocity, and Neighborliness
29:15 Beautifully Vulnerable Success Stories
33:06 Shared Struggles Build Bonds
35:28 Everything’s Local
37:46 Front Porch Forum Film
40:30 Social Contracts
46:31 What’s Next for Front Porch Forum
50:33 What Do You Wish People Knew?
52:04 Closing