Recently, while in Grand Rapids, I had the occasion to meet Judy Wicks, the founder of the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia, and the woman who, ten years ago, brought the Business Alliance for Living Local Economies (BALLE) into being. Since the meeting, we’ve been chatting by way of email… Here’s the interview. MARK: Having […]
Tag Archives: re-localization
BALLE founder Judy Wicks on the origins of Urban Outfitters, the birth of the Localist movement, and the necessity of local ownership
Posted in Economics, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Sustainability Also tagged 1983, American Sustainable Business Council, Amy Goodman, ASBC, BALLE, Ben and Jerry's, Ben Cohen, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, buy local, Chelsea Green, Chiapas, corporations, corporatocracy, democracy, Eskimo, factory farming, Fair Food, fair trade, fast food, Free People’s Store, George McGovern, Going Local, Good Morning Beautiful Business, Guy Bazzanni, Helen Caldicott, Honest Tea, human scale, Jim Hightower, Jim Slama, Joel Soloman, Judy Wicks, Lester Brown, local economy, local food, local food production, Localist, Michael Shuman, national chains, Odawalla Juice, ownership, Philadelphia, Richard Hayne, sense of place, single-payer system, social change, Social Venture Network, socially responsible business, Starbucks, Stoneyfield Farms, Ted Rouse, The Body Shop, Tom’s of Maine, universal health care, Urban Outfitters, White Dog Cafe, Wicky Wacky Woods, Zapatistas 13 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”
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, cool local initiatives, 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, 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 22 Comments
Local Transition Town visioning session scheduled for February 1
I’ve written quite a bit here over the last few years on the Transition Town movement. For those not familiar with the initiative, it involves the preparation and certification of towns attempting to address the duel challenges of climate change and peak oil proactively. It basically involves analyzing local food production, energy use, etc, and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternative Energy, Ann Arbor, energy, Food, Sustainability, Ypsilanti Also tagged bee keeping, canning and preserving, carpentry, Climate Change, composting, darning, Depletion and Abundance, fixing & re-use, gardening, Lisa Bashert, native landscaping, peak oil, permaculture, salves, sewing, Transition Town, Transition Town Handbook, urban chickens 4 Comments