Mark Maynard | cool local initiatives

Accelerating Community Capital (part one)… at the BALLE 2012 conference

By Mark | May 17, 2012

I spent the day in Grand Rapids, participating in a workshop on new models that are evolving for local businesses to raise capital from lenders, investors and donors, at the 10th annual conference of the Business Alliance for Living Local Economies (BALLE). What follow are my rough notes, for those of you who care about [...]

Posted in Economics, entrepreneurism, Uncategorized | Also tagged Awaken Café, BALLE, big box retail, biomimicry, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, Capital Institute, Capitalism, Catskills, Co-op Power, co-ops, Common Market, Coop Power, credit unions, crowdfunding, CSA, Cutting Edge Capital, Direct Public Offerings, Don Shaffer, Equal Exchange, Erin Kilmer Neel, financial reform, financing local companies, general store, Harlem, investing, investing in the future, Jenny Kassan, Jobs Act, John Fullerton, JPMorgan Chase, liquidity, Little City Gardens, Local Economies Project, local economy, local investing, Localvesting, Lynn Benander, Marty Gay, Michael Shuman, Michelle Long, micro-financing, Move Your Money Project, move your money to a credit union, New World Foundation, Oakland, off-grid, personal finances, Port Townsend, Port Townsend LION, Quimper Mercantile Company, regenerative capitalism, resilience, resiliency, RSF Social Finance, SCOR, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Slow Money, Small Company Offering Registration, South Bronx, startup investing, Sustainability, unaccredited investors, Washington State, what is wealth, White Dog Cafe | 12 Comments

Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw on the importance of robust local business ecosystems, the upcoming BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, and the meaning of “real prosperity”

By Mark | April 22, 2012

For the first time ever, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) will be holding its national, annual conference for independently owned, socially responsible businesses, here, in Michigan. The meeting, which is being called Real Prosperity Starts Here, is scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids this May, and, as of right now, I’m [...]

Posted in Corporate Crime, Detroit, Economics, entrepreneurism, Environment, Food, Ideas, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Michigan, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged American Expres, Appalachian Harvest Network, BALLE, Burlington, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, buy local, Community Food Enterprise, crowdfunding, farming, food hubs, Grand Rapids, healthy food access, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Intervale Food Hub, Kellogg Foundation, local, local economy, Local First, Localist, localwashing, Michael Shuman, national chains, Paul Saginaw, prosperity, re-localization, Rodger Bowser, Rust Belt, Shift Your Shopping, Stacy Mitchell, tobacco, Vermont, Wal-Mart, Wallace Center at Winrock International, Water Street, Zingerman's, Zingerman's Community of Businesses | 17 Comments

Vanstructables

By Mark | March 8, 2011

I don’t know which one is Joel and which one is Nate, but I’m incredibly impressed by this first episode of their show, Vanstructables, which was shot here in Ypsi. I’m hoping that there will be more episodes in the future, but, as rumor has it that one of these guys will soon be moving [...]

Posted in Other, Ypsilanti | Also tagged automotive, cool kids and the cool shit that they do, creative shit, fucking Brooklyn, I Love Ypsi, Michigan film incentives, television pilot, television show idea, van repair, Vanstructables, VG Kids, what's right with Ypsi | 6 Comments

Ypsi Solar City Hall update

By Mark | April 18, 2010

I just received the following update from Ypsi Solar’s Dave Strenski and thought that I’d pass it along: Ypsilanti’s City Hall solar graphs are now online. You can find the graphs here. Many thanks to EMU student Nik Estep for doing a wonderful job on the SolarYpsi.org website… As expected, the solar panels are only [...]

Posted in Alternative Energy, energy, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Dave Strenski, DPW, DTE, energy usage, HDL, Nik Estep, River Street Bakery, solar, Solar City Hall, Solar Currents, Steve Pierce, Wireless Ypsi, Ypsi Food Co-op, Ypsi Solar, Ypsilanti CIty Hall | 3 Comments

Tag Archives: cool local initiatives

Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw on the importance of robust local business ecosystems, the upcoming BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, and the meaning of “real prosperity”

Vanstructables

Ypsi Solar City Hall update

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