Apr 19, 2011

Relocalize the Economy: Generate Alternatives from the Ground Up

By the International Society for Ecology and Culture / theeconomicsofhappiness.org
Relocalize the Economy: Generate Alternatives from the Ground Up

Across the world millions of people are actively resisting the process of corporate globalization while simultaneously creating viable local alternatives in the here and now. This powerful emerging movement represents a radical departure from ‘business as usual’. In place of the imposition of a single, global world economy, the new paradigm seeks ‘a world that embraces many worlds’ – an adapting biocultural mosaic rather than a global monoculture. Proponents of this approach call for ‘small scale on a large scale’ rather than one-size-fits-all, ‘too big to fail’ blueprints. In turn, the kind of solutions that are being generated flow from diversity, are attentive to the ecological particularities of place, are more responsive to social needs, and are often far more equitable, participatory and democratic.

What To Do

Support local independent businesses, cooperatives & social enterprises


Buy local first

Keeping money circulating locally will help reinvigorate the local economy and generate desperately needed jobs. If you are a business owner, source locally for your supplies and services whenever possible and engage in fair and sustainable (‘translocal’) trade for those goods that can’t be sourced locally.

The 3/50 Project

Local Multiplier Effect

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

Start or support a “Local First” campaign in your town or city

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies - Local First

The New Economic Foundation's Local Multiplier 3

Civic Economics

Crossroads Resource Center

Join, start or support a local worker cooperative

Help create more equitable and democratic local economies

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/the-new-economy/new-economy-new-ways-to-work

http://www.usworker.coop/education

http://www.go.coop/

http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/tools/coops.html

Join, start or support a local consumer cooperative  

http://www.cooperativegrocer.coop/coops/

http://www.foodcoopinitiative.coop/

http://iatp.typepad.com/thinkforward/2010/05/food-cooperatives-from-minnesota-to-china.html

http://www.go.coop/stories/community-food-co-op

http://www.go.coop/kinds-co-ops/consumer

http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/tools/coops.html

Start a local social enterprise

http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/tools/social.html

Join, start or support a local business alliance

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

Join, start or support a network of local cooperatives

Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (NoBAWC)

 

Support community banks & credit unions


Bank Local!

Move your money from Wall Street banks and giant financial corporations into a trusted local community bank or credit union.

http://moveyourmoney.info/

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/the-new-economy/small-banks-radical-vision

http://www.go.coop/kinds-co-ops/financial-services

http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/tools/cdfis.html

Start or support a local banking campaign

Resources for starting a local banking campaign in your community

http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/tools/cdfis.html

 

Support local currencies


Help start or participate in a local currency initiative in your community

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/the-new-economy/dollars-with-good-sense-diy-cash

http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/local_currencies.html

http://www.transaction.net/money/community/

http://www.complementarycurrency.org/

http://www.appropriate-economics.org/

 

Help rebuild local food systems


Find local food

http://www.foodroutes.org/buylocal.jsp (USA)

http://www.localharvest.org (USA)

http://www.farmersmarkets.net/ (UK)

Start a "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" chapter in your community

http://www.foodroutes.org/buy-fresh-buy-local.jsp

Join or start a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA)

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/csa.html

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml (USA)

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ (USA)

http://www.soilassociation.org/Takeaction/Getinvolvedlocally/Communitysupportedagriculture/tabid/201/Default.aspx (UK)

Join or start a farmers’ markets or a mini-farmers market

USDA Resources for starting a farmers' market

http://www.farmersmarkets.net/

http://www.iatp.org/localFoods/project_miniMarkets.cfm

http://www.vimeo.com/10036688

Find a community food co-op near you

http://www.cooperativegrocer.coop/coops/

Start a community food co-op 

http://www.foodcoopinitiative.coop/

http://iatp.typepad.com/thinkforward/2010/05/food-cooperatives-from-minnesota-to-china.html

http://www.go.coop/stories/community-food-co-op

http://www.cgin.coop/how_to_start

http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/tools/coops.html

Start a worker-owned local food co-op

http://www.usworker.coop/education

http://www.rainbowgrocery.org/index.html

Start a local food buying club

http://www.westonaprice.org/news/15-making-it-practical/1415-building-food-buying-club.html

Start a community food enterprise

http://www.communityfoodenterprise.org/about-cfe

Join the young farmers movement!

http://www.youngfarmers.org/

http://fieldguideforbeginningfarmers.wikispaces.com/

http://www.michiganyoungfarmercoalition.org/who-.php

http://www.thegreenhorns.net/

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/local_food/startup.html

Start a school garden

http://www.sustainabletable.org/schools/projects/

http://www.schoolgardenwizard.org/

http://csgn.org/page.php?id=25

Start a farm-to-institution campaign

Encourage local hospitals, universities and government institutions to source from sustainable local farms.

Farm to school

http://www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_school.html

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/farmtoschool.html

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/farmtoschool.html

Farm to college 

http://www.foodroutes.org/farmtocollege.jsp

http://farmtocollege.org/

http://www.sustainabletable.org/schools/dining/

Farm to hospital

http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/f2h.htm

http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2466

Join or start a community garden or allotment in your neighborhood

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/local_food/urban_ag.html

http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php

http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/garden/articles/startup_guide.html

http://wasatchgardens.org/resource/starting-community-garden

http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/farms-gardens

Start a community seed bank

http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/33-4script_en.asp

http://westcountyseedbank.blogspot.com/

Start a community farm or community land trust 

http://www.intervale.org/index.shtml

http://www.clandtrust.org/indian.html

http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/clts.html

http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/tools/clts.html

Start a homeless garden project

http://www.homelessgardenproject.org/

http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/node/17452

Start a food justice campaign 

http://justfood.org/food-justice

http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/index.htm

http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2988

http://www.seattleglobaljustice.org/food-justice/

 

Help rebuild local power


Support the development of clean decentralized energy

http://www.localenergy.org/

http://www.localpower.org/

Start a Community Choice campaign

Encouraging your local municipality to buy local clean energy.

http://www.localcleanenergy.org/local-clean-energy

 

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