[Ccpg] The Reclaiming Economics Conference June 18-20th* 2004 at Earthaven Eco-Village in North Carolina
Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson
lakinroe at silcom.com
Sun Feb 1 10:39:17 PST 2004
Local Strategies For Promoting Community, Ecology and
Self-Reliance
www.reclaimingeconomics.org/
The Reclaiming Economics Conference will take
place on the weekend of June
18-20th* 2004 at Earthaven Eco-Village in
North Carolina. The conference will
look at economic strategies for promoting
community, ecology and self reliance in
our communities. Conference topics will
include things like local currency,
progressive credit institutions which invest
in their communities, community
partnerships that encourage people to buy
local, alternative economic indicators
which measure the health of communities, and
the sovereignty of communities over
corporations.
Reclaiming Economics will provide an
opportunity for organizers to network and
discuss recent developments in the areas that
they are working. It will also provide
a chance for newcomers to learn how to start
similar projects in their own
communities.
Reclaiming Economics: Conference
Topics
Local Strategies For Promoting Community,
Ecology and
Self-Reliance
Local Currency and Local Exchange: Local
currency programs are networks
of individuals and sometimes businesses that
exchange goods and services. Some
programs issue a local scrip while others
record transactions on a computer. Local
currencies can help create employment, build
community and promote
volunteerism.
Progressive Credit Institutions: The banking
industry is increasingly controlled
by multi-national corporations who are focused
on profit and speculation. They
make loans based on short term profit not on
the health of local communities and
ecology. When they do loan money to poor
people it is often at incredibly high
interest rates through a practice called
predatory lending. But there are some banks
who are genuinely concerned about the well
being of their local communities and
environment. There are also micro-credit
practitioners in North America who are
making small loans to poor people.
Community Partnerships For Self-Reliance: What
can communities do to
actively support locally owned independent
businesses. In some cases community
members are creating alliances between
producers, consumers and retailers to
stregnthen local self reliance. A good example
is community supported agriculture.
At CSA farms "shareholders" purchase a
subscription to a years worth of produce.
This up front capital helps make the farm
economically viable and provides a great
deal for the shareholders. Another example is
the Business Alliance For Local
Living Economies. BALLE is a network of
independent business owners that meet
to discuss ways to engage in socially
responsible business practices, and at the
same time promot their businesses.
Alternative Economic Indicators: Consumer
spending is up! New car sales are
up! The housing market is steady! But how are
the health of our communities. And
what about our natural systems. Many people
are beginning to realize that our
economic indicators which focus on consumption
do not neccessarily measure our
well being or the health of our communities.
Just because consumption is up
doesn't mean things are getting better. Its
clear that we need alternative indicators.
But what practical steps can we take to create
them and promote their widespread
use?
Sovereignty Over Corporations: Corporations
are a man-made creation but
they seem to have more and more power over our
lives. Corporate personhood
means that corporations have the same legal
rights as we do. But many people feel
that they have way too much power. How can
communities take steps to protect
the independent businesses on Main St., and
maintain the unique character and
flavor of their neighborhoods.
Contact to find out more info reclaimingeconomics at yahoo.com or visit
website www.reclaimingeconomics.org/
Reclaiming Economics: Submit a
Workshop
Local Strategies For Promoting Community,
Ecology and
Self-Reliance
We encourage you to consider offering a
workshop or presentation at the
conference. The goal of Reclaiming Economics
is to increase communication
among organizers in a wide range of areas, and
to encourage people to start similar
initiatives in their own communities. Your
workshop can be a case study about a
program that you are involved in, or a
strategic analysis of community economic
issues.
How To Submit a Proposal: You can submit a
workshop proposal online by
emailing us at reclaimingeconomics at yahoo.com -
Please include your name, your
organization (if applicable), complete contact
information, a short biography, and a
description of the workshop you would like to
offer.
You can also mail your proposal to
Reclaiming Economics Conference c/o Culture's
edge,
1025 Camp Elliott Rd,
Black Mountain, NC 28711.
We will notify you of the status of your
workshop by March 15th at the latest (but
probably sooner). Feel free to contact us if
you have any questions.
The cost of the conference is $30 per day before May 1st, 2004, and $35 after
May 1st. Meal passes will be available for $20
per day. On site camping will be
available for $5 per night. For information
about on site indoor accomodations and
other housing or transportation options, check
the logistics page.
To register in advance please print and fill
out this form and mail to Reclaiming
Economics Conference, c/o Culture's Edge, 1025
Camp Elliott Rd, Black
Mountain, NC 28711. Make checks payable to
Culture's Edge.
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