Do you value a healthy, thriving, and robust local economy? Have you wondered about how you can do more, perhaps by investing some of your money in local businesses? You are not alone. Many folks in Ithaca and the surrounding area are asking, “Can I make a difference? …And how?”

Sustainable Tompkins has been hosting meetings on the topic of local green investing since last summer, and our working group is starting a local network of potential investors and emerging or established entrepreneurs working to create a more just and sustainable local economy. Many of us are tired of inadvertently funding the global casino through our retirement and investment portfolios. We want our savings and investments to be working in alignment with our values, and it seems the best way to make sure that happens is to invest locally.

Today’s SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) rules prevent people from investing privately in a business opportunity unless they are already in relationship with the owner of the enterprise. In several cities, supporters of the local economy movement have found a way to help people meet SEC rules by bringing them into relationship via fun social and educational gatherings called LIONs – Local Investing Opportunity Networks. Read the rest of this entry »