Category: Sustainable Local Economy

This is the Blog section where you will find articles related to Local Economy. This Transition project was initiated at Summary Sustainable Economics forum – Tuesday, 4th Septemeber, 2012. Feel free to comment on posts.

Please join the broader discussion at the Local Economy Forum

12-year old Victoria Grant explains why her homeland, Canada, and most of the world, is in debt

12-year old Victoria Grant explains why her homeland, Canada, and most of the world, is in debt. April 27, 2012 at the Public Banking in America Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Support a public bank for YOUR state. Donate and make it happen!

https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1003915&a…

For more information see http://www.publicbankinginstitute.org. It is also posted at https://vimeo.com/41954094

Video – What the Economic Crisis Really Means – and what we can do about it

Doing It Ourselves aims to broaden understanding of the debt crisis and peak resources and encourage action for the sake of personal preparedness, happiness and ethical living. This animation sums up the key challenges facing our global society of credit crisis and resource scarcity and describes a path we can take to a happier life, now and in the future!

Find out more at http://www.doingitourselves.org

Summary Sustainable Economics forum – Tuesday, 4th Septemeber, 2012

Hi all you wonderful people who care…

We had an energetic gathering for our Sustainable Economics forum on Tuesday night, 4th September, 2012.  Thanks to our three wonderful speakers who managed to cover huge topics in about 10 minutes each!!  For those of you interested here is a little run down of the evening.

Liz Elliott explained the history of how the banks got so much control over our lives through deregulation after the Glass Stagall act was repealed in 1998. This act had separated the money of mums’ and dads’ mortgages and the speculative money market and it’s loss meant that the private banks could use the mortgages as ‘guarantees’,  selling fictitious financial products which has resulted in the bankruptcy and unemployment of millions.  Liz believes that when private banks create money they get to determine social priorities.  Thus, we get housing bubbles, war and speculation not affordable houses, water and education.

Pierre Bresh shared the history and workings of LETS (Local Energy Trading Scheme) and it’s current digitally based evolution as the BSCE (Byron Shire Community Exchange System)  If you’d like to broaden your ability and range of giving and receiving without cash and meet more wonderful people this is a great way to do it – go to www.bsce.com.au

Helena Norberg-Hodge encouraged us to focus on localisation as a way of strengthening our community fabric, including the economic… especially the localisation of our food supply through community gardens, farmers’ markets and edible school gardens. She also suggested supporting the local economy by shopping at local businesses rather than at chain stores.  Community education is an important element of this change so that people understand the health benefits of eating fresh, local food over food that comes from far away.  Larger issues include: raising awareness of the need to change and circumvent regulations which make it hard for small, local businesses; creating a revolving fund for infrastructure like warehouses and trucks that link local farmers  to the community and organisations like BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies). Check out www.judywicks.com and www.livingeconomies.org (see links below).  Helena also recommended Michael Shuman (see calendar of events)

A lively conversation followed with Paul Spooner stressing the importance of priority being given to local people when issues of tenders come up (eg local markets); Richard suggesting we put our money where our mouths are and contribute $1 a day towards a community fund; and an invitation to visit Bunya and Anaheke at Brunswick Heads Primary School on Thursdays 10-3 where you can buy produce from the school garden…

Jason Lasky volunteered to coordinate a Sustainable Local Economics group and if you’d like to be involved you can contact him here and please comment below and subscribe to comments.

Thanks for all your sharings and also to Peter and Sapoty for your dedication to Transition and to Wayne who washed the cups – such a welcome contribution..
love Liane xxx

Here are some articles and links to LETS (Community Exchange System) and Timebank:

Local Living Economies: The New Movement for Responsible Business by Judy Wicks
http://www.judywicks.com/Articles_files/Local%20Living%20Economies%20-%20The%20New%20Movement%20for%20Responsible%20Business%20.pdf

The Local Living Economies Movement is about:

  • Maximizing relationships, not maximizing profits
  • Broad-based ownership and democracy, not concentrated wealth and power
  • Sharing, not hoarding
  • Life serving, not self-serving
  • Partnership, not domination
  • Cooperation based, not competition based
  • Win-win exchange, not win-loose exploitation
  • Creativity, not conformity
  • A living return, not the highest return
  • A living wage, not the minimum wage
  • A fair price, not the lowest price
  • “Being more, not having more” (from the Earth Charter)
  • Interconnectedness, not separation
  • Inclusion, not exclusiveness
  • Community and collective joy, not isolation and unhapppiness
  • Cultural diversity, not monoculture
  • Bio-diversity, not mono-crops
  • Family farms, not factory farms
  • Slow food, not fast food
  • Our bucks, not Starbucks
  • Our mart, not Wal-Mart
  • Love of life, not love of money
Byron Shire Community Exchange
Byron Shire Community Exchange

Byron Shire Community Exchange:
Website: http://bsce.com.au/
Mobile format: mobi.community-exchange.org
Postal: 39 Main Arm Rd, Mullumbimby, 2482
Phone: 02 6684 3704
General Queries/Feedback: admin@bsce.com.au
Membership Queries: bevnorton@sjogrens.org.au
www.facebook.com/ByronCES/

Spain’s crisis spawns alternative economy that doesn’t rely on the euro:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/04/spain-euro-free-economy

http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-to-share-time-through-timebanking

http://www.timebanks.org/

If you’d like to be involved in this Sustainable Local Economics group contact Jason Lasky.

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