My garden is growing fast these days. I sprouted beans this last week and every time I look at them, they have grown an inch or two. I’ll put them in the garden this weekend and by our next Relocalization newsletter, maybe I’ll be picking some.

As Relocalization Network manager, I’ve been contacting group coordinators and going to conferences. In this message to you, I want to share a few highlights of the last month: the fifth annual BALLE conference in Berkeley, local food and local diets, and local farmers owning biorefinery plants. Relocalization efforts to build strong local communities are popping up everywhere like mushrooms after a rainstorm.

One place I heard many such stories was at BALLE’s (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) fifth annual conference at the University of California in Berkeley on May 31-June 2. Julian Darley, founder and president of Post Carbon Institute, and I saw many Relocalization group members from Colorado and northern California there. BALLE members showed interest in our programs, and I felt right at home at workshops about community-building efforts to encourage local agricultural systems. The Relocalization Network and BALLE are natural partners. For an interview with BALLE cofounder Michael Schuman, go to Global Public Media.

One of my favorite speakers, Van Jones, founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, spoke stirringly about relocalization as a way to build green communities and social equity at the same time. He pointed out that Hurricane Katrina showed us what a “free market evacuation” looked like. He also challenged us to create local communities that include everyone and not to create a world of “eco-apartheid” where only the wealthy could protect themselves from climate change and energy scarcity. Making green strategies include everyone is not just the right thing to do; he stressed that it is the only way we can make the huge changes in our communities that are needed. Read more...

As I talk with many group coordinators, I often hear that you are looking for ways to include everyone. Social justice is a core value of our Relocalization Network. Some communities are looking to involve minority families through school garden programs. I invite you to share your stories of community diversity and inclusiveness on Relocalize.net.

Another BALLE speaker, Simran Sethi showed us her new TV show from the Green Sundance Channel. One sequence featured the local 30-day diet in a light-hearted satire of Supersize Me. A doctor prescribes 30 days of fresh, local, organic food three times a day for his overweight patient with dangerously high blood pressure. The patient is addicted to fast food, so his doctor takes him to a local fast food restaurant in Lawrence, Kansas that serves only local, fresh, organic food. After 30 days, the patient has lost 25 pounds and lowered his blood pressure, plus he is a lot happier and has more energy! Ms. Sethi’s talk was about how to educate your local media so they cover local community and business relocalization efforts. In watching her show it was clear that a light, intelligent, well-crafted story idea would appeal to media.

And finally, local agriculture becomes more sustainable when local farmers are intergrated into the local economy. David Morris co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance wrote a thought-provoking article about biofuels, showing local biofuels farmers that have benefited from jointly owning a local biorefinery in addition to producing the crops. Read more...

I will let you know how delicious my green beans are next time. In the meantime, enjoy some gardening and feasting with friends this summer solstice, enjoy some food for thought, and post some photos and notes on your summer’s activities on Relocalize.net.

Be in touch (janet (at) postcarbon (dot) org)

Regards,
Janet Beazlie
Relocalization Network Manager