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