BALLE

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) is one of my favorite organizations. Their goal is to transform communities for the better by strengthening and connecting networks of locally owned independent businesses, which can then work cooperatively toward a shared vision.

On their website, they speak of cities and towns of every size and political stripe engaged in shared learning. They speak of building community assets like sustainable agriculture, green building, renewable energy, community capital, zero-waste manufacturing and independent retail - what they call the building blocks of Living Economies.

BALLE envisions a time when local economies not only generate community wealth, but also are catalysts for civic action, social diversity and ecological health -- for sustainable communities. It is particularly exciting when they cite success stories like the 3,000-person community of Hardwick, Vermont, which has prospered by creating a new "economic cluster" around local food.

Call me an idealist but isn't this the way it should be? We've got work to do and we can't very well do it alone!