I am super excited for the growing local festival, organized by B.A.L.E., Building a Local Economy, tomorrow, on the South Royalton green. In addition to the farmer’s market, the festival includes workshops on topics like composting, keeping chickens, community radio, and solar power. There will be music and the keynote speaker is Tim Stevenson. There are many important reasons why we need to build a more self-reliant, local economy, and it is great that an organization has arisen to address this issue. For more information, visit BALE’s website for specifics about the event and the organization.
The library’s environmental collection has a plethora of books related to local economies, rural communities, and agriculture. Below are a few:
The Economic Renewal Guide by Michael Kinsley is for “people seeking a more sustainable local economy.”Kinsley says that average folks can make a difference and this book is a guide for them. Comprised of three parts, the book offers guidance on the nuts-and-bolts of how to run an organization, as well as the economic renewal process. The book is easy to read, and also inspirational. What more could you want in a guide to make your community more sustainable? ENV COLL HN 90.C6k55 1997
Civic Agriculture: Reconnecting Farm, Food, and Community by Thomas A. Lyson provides the historical underpinning of our globalized food system and how we can move toward “civic agriculture” which Lyson defines as “locally based agriculture and food production.” Included in the book are examples of successful civic agriculture systems like CSA’s, roadside stands, and restaurants. ENV COLL HN1761.L972004
And finally, Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered , by E.F. Schumacher is a critique of traditional laissez-faire economics and call for a “human-scale,” decentralized economy. Originally published in 1973, the message of an economy where nature and [wo]man are in harmony is still powerful today and perfectly complements the work of BALE. ENV COLL HB171.S384 1999
Julien & Virginia Cornell Library 