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.)
We’re All In This Together
Why cooperation and service create more sustainable prosperity than competition and profit Having lived the harrowing tale of a fallen industrial giant, Bethlehem should know better than anywhere that the current “system” doesn’t work, economically or environmentally. Bethlehem Steel is … more
Social Research | Social Justice Conference
A unique and excellent addition to the Lehigh Valley’s offerings, the Social Research Social Justice Conference began in 2003 as a collaboration between faculty and students in the Department of Media and Communication at Muhlenberg College, with the goal to … more
Sustainability Questions for Students & Educators
To make good decisions about sustainability, people need to know the facts. Here are some questions that have arisen and might be suitable for class projects or independent study: What steps can local & county government take to produce immediate reductions in … more
Farm-To-School
Bearing Fruit An overview of the Farm To School movement Among a multitude of grassroots responses to the problems of our modern industrialized food system is the Farm to School (FTS) movement — a national effort to reorganize the school … more
What Part Is Labor Playing in the Transition?
Working class. Ahhh. To someone steeped in the leftist lingo freely expressed in the New York City of the 1960s, with its peace, civil rights, labor, and leftist activism, it’s refreshing to hear such culturally repressed language out in the … more
Sustainability Is Good Business
Forward thinking companies realize value in providing sustainable, renewable, organic, cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, sweatshop free, biodegradable, and locally-produced products and services. In the long run, our steadfast demand for such ethical products will yield greater profits to ethical suppliers. I believe … more
A Local Food Economy
Obtaining more of our food from local sources is a great way to strengthen the local economy and obtain fresh, healthful food at the same time. If we’re going to increase local food production, of course, it’s essential to make … more
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