Going Local
… focusing on the importance of going local to reap the advantages of local economic transactions. (For example, about 45¢ of every dollar spent at a locally-owned business circulates within the community, compared to only about 15¢ if spent elsewhere.) This Going Local category includes the thoughts of local business owners, community members, and students in the articles.
In Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age, Michael H. Shuman asserts (p. 50), “The key [to sustainable community] is to start with self-reliance and frame local business, labor, and environmental laws and policies around it.
Globalization, on the other hand, lacks all the positive qualities of going local!
(Is capitalism itself the problem? See Michael Carriere’s interview of Alex Knight.)
Sustainability for Events
Like most other areas of our lives, events are usually organized without a commitment to minimize their impact on our ecosystems, health, and sustainability. [Coming soon: Resources to help plan events that have minimal impact on global warming and sustainability, … more
Permaculture
Permaculture has considerable design promise but poses organizing difficulties. On the plus side, its principles provide a transformative pathway toward a sustainable way of living, one that is a real, doable alternative to the unsustainable, life-threatening practices of our current … more
Implementing Climate Protection Agreements
The Climate Protection Agreement pledges that ‘We will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking actions in our own operations and communities’, and lists 12 specific points. The following suggestions depict a … more
Local Currency for the Lehigh Valley?
LV Dough, a local currency for Lehigh & Northampton Counties is coming soon! Why do we need a local currency? Here are some suggested readings on why & how it strengthens community. Hometown Money: How to Enrich Your Community with … more
Alliance statement on casino gambling in the Lehigh Valley
Following is the statement prepared for the Gaming Commission hearing in Allentown on May 23, 2006: Statement from the Alliance for Sustainable Communities … We come before you today as an Alliance representing groups, businesses, and individuals in the Lehigh … more
Transportation Plans for the Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s 2007-2010 Transportation Improvement Program and Surface Transportation Plan 2010-2030) again favor expanded highway transportation at the expense of improved mass transit, light rail, and bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly planning. The plans are available on the LVPC … more
Local and Global Economies
The development of a self-sustaining regional economy is an Alliance imperative. (Michael H. Shuman presents an extended argument in his 2000 book Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age.) As we state in our Goal #4: “To create … more
Regional Thinking Must Rely on Broad Community Involvement
By Deana Zosky and Steven Bliss — Broad-based community participation is fundamental to Renew Lehigh Valley’s work. The organization seeks to draw on a range of perspectives in determining our overall direction and in developing our policy agenda. This collaborative … more
Local for the Future
by Christina Bianco — In a market economy, the main goal is to achieve efficiency. Given that this statement is true, why do businesses ship products across state and international borders when the local community is capable of supplying the … more