The following are proceedings from a breakout group at the Community Created Humboldt event on January 23rd, 2010.
Local Self-Reliance Proceedings
Economic self-sufficiency & disaster planning
- economic resilience; increasing energy prices
- how to develop enterprises that provide higher wages and standard of living
- how to improve standard of living without higher wages
- community supported ag—promote
- need parkland; foodscapes
- land bank: state sets up bank and loans and runs on interest
- mortgage foreclosures: promote counseling
- promote credit unions
- financial education in schools
- consumer credit association free workshops
- local credit cards/credit exchange;
- Ithaca dollar is labor-based
- gift economy; community functions as extended family; generalized reciprocity
CONCEPT
Given the current economic crisis and deflating dollar, how to protect ourselves as a community and as individuals from current and anticipated financial/economic problems.
NATURE OF PROBLEM
- Deflating dollar
- Rising foreclosures
- Job loss and government funding cutbacks
- Declining credit availability to small business and individuals
POSSIBLE FIXES
- Promote banking with local credit unions to keep capital local
- Investigate extent of community foreclosure problem and how to alleviate locally
- Set up/promote local credit exchange or currency that is silver-backed.
- Promote neighborhood/community investment groups to provide private capital via personal (non-bank) loans
- Set up programs to teach students the basics of managing money, checkbooks, investing, etc.
- Investigate setting up local credit cards to keep capital local
- Set up neighborhood groups to plan for providing basic needs in case of local disaster (e.g., earthquake, tsunami)
- Promote investment in hard/tangible assets (food, emergency medical kits, precious metals, equipment, etc.) that will inflate in value over time
- Investigate “gifting” programs as way of helping neighbors and changing community ethic (e.g. where community members contribute their expertise freely to others in need, such as the old house-raising concept)………extended volunteering
