Market model
Distributes resources through price. Has built-in layers – speculation, intermediation, accumulation – that cannot be removed from within.
Communities exist. They don't know each other yet.
In every European country there are cooperatives, associations, local groups. They work. They are real. But they don't know about each other. Mycelium is the protocol that makes connecting them possible – from the bottom up, without a center. Each green dot is the global core of a country. The smaller dots are regional and local cores. The protocol does not create communities – it connects the ones that already exist.
Three models – three different answers
There are three approaches to sustainable living. The market model – with its built-in flaws. Centralized programs like Horizon Europe – which depend on external funding and decisions. And Mycelium – a decentralized protocol that the community applies on its own.
Horizon Europe
A centralized EU program. Funds sustainable development, but decisions are made in Brussels. Communities apply and wait for approval.
Mycelium
A decentralized protocol. The community governs itself at every level. Does not depend on external funding. Does not expire with a program cycle.
Why Mycelium is the better alternative
The market model creates dependence on price. Horizon Europe creates dependence on budget. Mycelium creates no dependence – it gives the community a tool it applies on its own.
| Aspect | Market / Horizon Europe | Mycelium |
|---|---|---|
| Governance | External – through price or through Brussels | Internal – decisions are made by members at every level |
| Funding | Depends on the market or on a budget | Independent – the community sustains itself through SV |
| Sustainability | Tied to conditions outside the community | Permanent – the protocol does not expire |
| Role of the community | Applies or buys | Applies the protocol and decides on its own |
| Scale | Limited by budget or demand | Unlimited – any community can start on its own |
Mycelium does not reject Horizon Europe and does not reject the market. It
proposes a different approach – one in which the community does not depend on anyone outside
itself. See the detailed comparison.
What Mycelium is
Mycelium is a protocol for the creation and development of a sustainable community. It describes the principles, the structure and the practices through which people can live differently from the market model.
The community is not isolated. It exists in parallel with the market and needs it – for the internet, technologies, communications, for resources that cannot be produced internally. Mycelium is not an escape from the market. It is a parallel system that uses the market where necessary and replaces it where possible.
The protocol is public as a structure, but not as a methodology. This is not a secret – it is a boundary. Knowledge that has not been tested in practice does not work.
Internal exchange
Within the community, resources are exchanged through SV – the sovereign exchange unit. It measures value, not price.
Federal structure
Five levels – member, cell, local, regional and global core. Each level is autonomous and connects voluntarily.
The contribution for access restores the risk taken by the founders. The
founders invested their own resources – time, technology, infrastructure. They took a
risk: the community could grow, but it could
also fall apart. Every new member makes a contribution – financial (€50) or through a real
resource (50 SV) – that restores this risk. Both
paths lead to full membership with equal rights.
Who stands behind Mycelium
The next page presents the people behind the protocol – without revealing more than necessary.