My First BALLE Conference

By Elisa Miller-Out, Singlebrook Technology, Inc.

When I attended the recent BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) Conference, I didn't really know what I was getting into. I knew a little about our BALLE Chapter: Local First Ithaca, co-founded by my aunt, Jan Norman, owner of Silk Oak and Leslie Ackerman at Alternatives Federal Credit Union (where we do our banking locally). I knew it was important to eat local foods and support local independent businesses and I had already integrated those things into my daily life. However, the conference gave me a really eye-opening sense of the larger vision of BALLE. Supporting local businesses is really just one part of a much bigger movement and mission.

The concept is that by creating the building blocks of a local living economy in our community, we provide a concrete, manageable way to start tackling some of the big overwhelming world problems, such as climate change, war, hunger and poverty for a start. It's not that one local living economy can solve these big problems, but if there are many worldwide thriving local living economies collaborating with each other respectfully, then these problems will become less severe, because the root causes of them will be alleviated. Furthermore, solving these problems through the BALLE method of local, grassroots efforts is not painful--it's actually fun! Thriving local communities create joy in people and putting some work and energy into building a strong community will allow everyone to reap big rewards. I was so inspired by the conference that I joined the steering committee of Local First Ithaca, so that I could get more involved in strengthening my own community.

So, what are the building blocks of a local living economy and what do we need to do to get there?

The building blocks can vary slightly from community to community, but here are a few that our group (Local First Ithaca) has identified:
  • Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Renewable Energy
  • Community Capital
  • Independent Media
  • Green Building
  • Arts and Culture
  • Health and Wellness
  • Independent Retail and Services
  • Zero Waste Manufacturing
  • Education
  • Reuse and Waste Management
  • Sustainable Transportation
Our community is already doing a great job in many of these areas, but there's definitely more work to do. There are some simple steps that we can all take to build our own local living economy:

  1. The 10% Shift: Think about shifting 10% of your spending to local independent sources. That means different things for different people: Maybe you buy some of your groceries at the local farmer's market or choose some local, seasonal vegetables and fruits at your grocery store. Maybe you start banking at a local or regional bank. You could buy that birthday gift from a local, independent store rather than a big, chain store. Once you start doing it, you'll find that it's easy and fun and maybe you can even shift a bit more than 10%! Remember that money that you spend at local independent vendors stays in your community and creates jobs and a thriving local economy. And here's the slogan that BALLE folks use to remind you of the 10% Shift next time you're making a purchasing decision: Shift Happens!
  2. Think Local First: This is a related concept to the 10% shift. If you need a product or service, try to find a local independent vendor first. If the product or service isn't available locally, try to find it somewhere nearby and try to buy it from someone who's treating their community with the same respect that you would show yours. For instance, instead of buying that shirt from someone who's manufacturing it in a sweatshop somewhere overseas, buy it from someone who's creating manufacturing jobs in your community and paying their workers a living wage. Choose the organic, fair trade coffee or chocolate, so that you know that it was grown with respect for the workers and the environment. Or buy from a certified B Corp that you know is upholding high standards of community and environmental stewardship.
  3. Get involved: Join your local BALLE chapter or start one of your own! Volunteer for some local BALLE initiatives and start creating a more sustainable, prosperous, connected and joyful community!