Local

Posts listed as local deal with local living economies, buying local, sustainable communities, most anything green and Western, Massachusetts including Northampton, Springfield, Florence, the Hill towns, Chicopee, Holyoke, Greenfield, Amherst, Hadley, Sunderland, Deerfield, and all the other places in Frankling, Hapshire and Hampden counties.

SVN Spring Conference: Small is Beautiful vs. Scale Matters

June 6, 2010 in Ecomomies, Local, Sustainability, Sustainable Communities by admin | No comments

Friday night ended with a bang as Michelle Long of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and Jay Coen Gilbert of B Lab engaged in a dialog on the issue of whether going to scale or staying local is more effective in building a sustainable economy.

Jay began with a humorous, but earnest, argument that ‘Bigger is Better’. He used examples to illustrate how scale can effect the whole on a greater level. He cited how employees of Wal-Mart, who had been discriminated against, came together to sue the company. He pointed out how as China invests in scaling solar the price per kilowatt will come under $1. And he pointed to one of the biggest challenges, and opportunities, for effecting change at scale – finding innovations that can help the 3 billion people living on less than $2 a day. He argued that these are solutions and challenges of such scale, that small, local initiatives could not effectively address them. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sustainable Village Life

March 13, 2010 in Ecomomies, Education, Food, Sustainability, Sustainable Communities, Travel by admin | No comments

A two hour drive from Wote in the Makueni district of Kenya lies the village of Ngomano.  The last 9 miles of the trip to the village center takes a four-wheel drive vehicle and nerves of steel.  Not only are you sharing the single lane road with goats, sheep, cattle and people heading to get water, but what is used as a road is often deeply rutted and washed out.  Hold on to your stomach for this bumpy ride.

Just before you arrive at the village center of Ngomano a small side road to the left takes you a hundred yards to The Clay International School.  This school was developed by PEI Kenya as an innovative way to teach, and in order to create a sustainable community. Read the rest of this entry »

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Exposé: DEM Collective

February 25, 2010 in Business Expose, Ecomomies, Green, Products and Services, Sustainable Communities by admin | No comments

What’s behind DEM Collective? What’s the scoop?
This women-owned clothing store in Gothenburg, Sweden is definitely more than meets the eye.  While their hot style of simple t-shirts and beautiful dark blue jeans may be appealing, it is the business practices which caught my attention and ultimately earned this business of being worthy of Exposé! Read the rest of this entry »

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In the Maasai Mara

February 16, 2010 in Ecomomies, Education, Local, Sustainable Communities, Travel by admin | No comments

Spending time in the Maasai Mara is amazing. You find yourself surrounded by lions, giraffe, zebra, and vast open stretches of land in a way not possible in the United States.

Despite the remote nature of this beautiful place, the Maasai people have made contact with the rest of the technological world. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why the purge?

January 29, 2010 in Food, Personal, Sustainability by admin | No comments

So I am creating a new blog to talk about the process of purging the pantry.  There is a need to get through all the food that is in there.  I’m not even sure how it ended up being so much in the first place.  Well I guess I do know…  I mean, so I’m a foodie.  I love to eat.  I love to try new things.  I love to have different varieties of the same thing around for the subtle difference in flavor and also because what if I am craving green olives flavored with garlic and lemon and I only have pitted kalamata?!  It would be a crisis.  Or would it?

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Ghosttowns in the Hills of Italy and Tourism

January 21, 2010 in Ecomomies, Local, Sustainability, Sustainable Communities, Travel by Kirsten | No comments

I’m referring not to the haunting of the hills but the abandonment of villages.

Empty buildings.  Why?  They have the food they need.  The homes are beautiful.  Why would they leave?  I expect that these typically family-centric communities of 5+ houses become nonviable as the younger generation moves away and the older one dies.  Driving around, we passed two of these housing clusters that were  empty and another that was at half its potential occupancy.

Another challenge evident exists in housing prices.  According to one local, after the release of the book Under the Tuscan Sun and then the movie, prices of Tuscan villas shot sky high.  It makes me wonder if those detritus filled decaying homes might be bought and inhabited if the locals weren’t priced out.  I wonder if this same effect happened after the release of the book Eat, Pray, Love in the countries it referred to.

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Italian Food Part 2: Tuscany

December 18, 2009 in Food, Local, Sustainability, Sustainable Communities, Travel by admin | No comments

The market at Monterci in Tuscany introduced me to a new gastronomic passion, porchetta.  Porchetta is a whole sucking pig, de-boned and stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel and liver.  This juicy and delicious meat is a regional favorite which makes for a delicious and inexpensive lunch at the market when topped with a crunchy piece of skin and stuffed in a crispy roll, its exact flavors varying based on the chef.

It was here in Tuscany that I was made aware that not only were the restaurant menu items, and market items locally grown, but that they are also seasonally available.  What this means is that should I go back to Tuscany in July the foods available would be what is ripe at that time.  Fortunately for me ‘in season’ during December is cingale (wild boar), black truffles, chestnuts, porchini mushrooms and persimmon.

In the Caprese Michelangelo area, locals who harvest the mushrooms, truffles, and chestnuts from the forest are able to bring the fruits of their labor to market with the assistance of a local Co-op.  Sounds like an easy and exotic way to get those truffles that you love?  It isn’t.  Each of the trees in the forest is ‘owned’ by someone and you would very literally be taking their livelihood.

Overall I have really enjoyed the regional flavors and the lessons that are evident when a locale seems to have  a more sustainable food system.

Learn more about the foods of Tuscany from our hostess.

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Italian Food Part 1: Sorrento

December 17, 2009 in Food, Local, Sustainability, Sustainable Communities, Travel by admin | No comments

I’m sitting in a kitchen in Caprese Michelangelo in the hills of Tuscany with a glass of a local white wine.  There s a fire going to keep the room toasty warm.  Jay is busy in our hostess’ kitchen preparing a tomato and fennel fish stew with ingredients that we picked up from the market that day, all of which were locally grown or brought in from the coast.

Is ‘local’ a theme here?  So far, it is and not just because it is a passion of mine.

Let’s start from the beginning:

In Sorrento, where I spent my first few days, the streets are lined with orange trees.  Small orchards of a few trees, herbs, and grape vines seemed to occupy all available space in backyards and on balconies.

Limoncello, a lemon based liquor, is not only regionally unique but also varies by producer.  One variety I tasted on a whim was far better, in my opinion, than others to the point that I might have though it was a different drink all together.

At night while enjoying a stroll down Sorrento’s small side streets, I caught a glimpses of the day’s catch – frutta di mare – in display cases visible from the outside of the restaurants.  No doubt this is meant to entice you in, and also to let you know what the fresh catch is for the day.  Fresh meaning that it was caught that day and brought up from the harbour.

Once seated at the restaurant for the evening I was pleasantly surprised with a local and superior in quality bottle of vino rosso – red wine.  This left no need to spend money on the otherwise pricey wine list, a pleasant occurrence which repeated itself throughout the trip until Rome.

Sorrento’s ability to not only feed me, but to do so locally and with great flavor was definitely appreciated.  I appreciated knowing that the locally produced and harvested foods comprised the entire menu.

Would this be repeated?  Find out about Tuscany in Italian Food Part 2: Tuscany.

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Slow Money

November 20, 2009 in Ecomomies, Food, Green, Local by admin | No comments

Slow Money by Woody TaschFriends of Slow Money recently challenged themselves to raise $25,000 in increments of $5.  This means that a mere  5000 people needed to make a donation.

While it would be great if 1 person donated $5000, and I doubt they would turn it down, I think there is another point to the exercise.  The challenge gave the group an opportunity to show a few things.

1) That there are at least 5000 people invested in the idea of Slow Money.
2) Just a little bit of money when combined with others in the community can accomplish great things.
3) With a 7 day time limit, this has the urgency and potential to build momentum.  Something which can be a struggle.

While they did not achieve their goal in terms of numbers I think that the push for members and outreach was positive because for very little effort and resources on the part of the organization they got the word out to more people about Slow Money.

For those who are not familiar with the concepts championed by the Slow Money Alliance, the most complete description can be found in Woody Tasch’s book Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money.  (Follow this link to find a locally owned bookseller in your community if you are interested in picking up the book.)

For those who are interested in the short version I think this sentence from the principles sums it up the best

“In order to enhance food safety and food security; promote cultural and ecological health and diversity; and, accelerate the transition from an economy based on extraction and consumption to an economy based on preservation and restoration…”  For more, you should certainly check out the Slow Money Alliance website.

While I like the idea of Slow Money, have donated and become a member, the one thing I wish were more clear on the website and in the presentation of the concepts is how to do this and what it really means.  Is my membership money going to eventually go to giving out loans or just general support of the organization?  I get most of it, and like what I see so far, but the nerd in me want to see more information on the website in a digestible form before I buy the book or run around wall street with a cardboard sign.

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Tips from the Top on Social Finance

November 6, 2009 in Ecomomies by admin | No comments

Jason Graham-Nye of gDiapers, Shaula Massena an Angel Investor, and Don Shaffer of RSF Social Finance gathered with a room full of attendees to discuss the big picture on social finance. While there was a great amount of interaction and numerous ideas that got discussed, the big take-aways from each speaker can be distilled down to three elements each.

Jason Graham Nye’s tips for business owners looking to bring in money:

1) Know what your motivation is for taking outside money.
2) Make sure that money is in alignment with your mission.
3) Nothing (no package) is standard.

Shaula Massena’s suggestions when looking to Angel or VC funding:

1) Understand dilution. The pie gets bigger the more money you take in.
2) Have a full path to become cash flow positive.
3) Don’t be addicted to control.

Don Shaffer shares questions that RSF uses in its decision making process:

1) What is the management like? Do they invest in people? What are their intentions?
2) If it a business that has raised funds – Who are their other owners and are they also committed to the triple bottom line focus?
3) Why are they coming to RSF for financing? – RSF prefers to work with those that are not just looking for the best rate, they are looking for unconventional funding?

Overall these guidelines provide a good perspective to a business owner who is looking to bring in money. Understanding the mindset of all the parties and how and why they make their decisions is an important factor to deciding which route to use.

But even “traditional funding” sources are trying to get more creative. Three Twins Ice Cream self-described ‘indirect direct public offering’ in which they company raised $610,000 out of a needed $675,000 from its customers by using a small sign in their stores. Another novel route to funding involves employing alternative legal structure, something Criterion Ventures Structure Labs is promoting.

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