On the eve of the Southern Tier regional economic development forum, I’d just like to share a couple thoughts.

I’m not going to get into all the gruesome details about the destruction, corruption, exploitation and various other evils of the current economic engine, as I imagine most of you on this list are already aware of  flaws in the system.  Likewise, I suspect that many of you agree this needs to change, that it is changing, and that it needs to change a lot faster if we want to improve our present and protect our future. Instead, I’d like to focus my thoughts today on solutions.

Although the world probably is overpopulated, I believe that the majority of the problems we face are a result of poor design rather than scarcity of resources.  The design of our economy, of globalization, is in fact so poor that it is beyond adjustments; the whole system needs to be completely re-imagined from the ground up.  I believe that Tompkins County is in a unique position to design and implement this new economy, an economy that is sustainable, equitable, resilient, robust, spiritually fulfilling and all the other good things it has the opportunity to be, if only approached intelligently.  I would like to present some very specific ideas as to how we can do so.

 

As a result of my work with Ithaca Swidjit, I have spent much of the last nine months envisioning the economy of the future. In my head, I have painted a beautiful picture of a thriving community supported by its own means, and it is this vision motivates me each day as I work on Swidjit.  As far as I see it, here are the main points that we need to focus on, in no particular order:
  • increase access to resources for local businesses – more access to microcapital and more access to business, legal, technological and sustainability coaching
  • local green investing – better networks for matching local investors with locally run businesses, especially in markets that fill holes in the regional economy
  • worker coops – such businesses create better jobs, more opportunities, and stronger communities
  • shared resources – office space, cars, tools, electronics, land, books and many other such commodities are ripe for sharing
  • peer to peer commerce – creating more opportunities for people to do business directly with each other, whether it be selling goods, exchanging services, outsourcing tasks or whatever else will allow for more business and community and less reliance on outside corporations
  • microenterprises – along that same thread, facilitating and encouraging small neighborhood or community “businesses” that can diversify an individual’s access to money or other resources and serve to introduce more economic opportunities to traditionally residential areas
  • resiliency circles – people getting together learning how they can support each other and work together to meet their collective needs can only make this world a better place
  • neighborhood guilds – encouraging and facilitating groups to come together and pool their skills or resources way that benefits all involved will make our community more localized and more resilient
  • bartering – swapping goods and services should not be a fringe movement on the sidelines of the economy, it should one of the primary ways that we meet our needs.  the less we depend on the US dollar, the better
  • alternative currencies, time bank – on that note, supporting any and all local currencies such as Ithaca hours or the time bank on the horizon will go along way to making this community more independent
  • home upgrades – naturally, there is a huge economic opportunity in upgrading all the buildings to be more energy-efficient. This creates jobs and saves energy
  • renewable, local energy – one of our most important needs obviously is to reduce our dependence on oil, coal, and gas and to develop local, renewable energy sources.
The general goal of this new design is to phase out large multinational operations so that as much of the economic activity of this region stays in this region. If the untold millions that escapes our local economy each year to pad the pockets of the rich instead remained behind to give more opportunities to the people here that need it, we would be off to a really great start in making change. We have such a wealth of wonderful people, ideas and skills in this area, and if we can better learn to connect to these local resources, the whole community will benefit.

There is already so much great work being done here in this realm. In addition to Swidjit and Sustainable Tompkins, take some time to familiarize yourself with the SEEN, Ithaca Hours, Ithaca Freeskool, Ithaca Carshare, Ithaca Health Alliance, Ithaca Biodiesel, and Local First, just to name a few. Hopefully we can get the people on the economic council to make recommendations that will further these and other causes that will lay the groundwork for the next economy!