Last month I attended the fifth annual BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) conference in Berkeley. I felt unexpectedly inspired throughout the entire conference. I met business owners (most also run BALLE chapters) from around the country who are working to improve their local economies and communities. By expanding the bottom line to include people, planet, and profit, they are changing their business practices to meet the greater needs of the community.

From the BALLE website: "We envision a sustainable global economy made up of Local Living Economies that build long-term economic empowerment and prosperity through local business ownership, economic justice, and environmental stewardship."

No fluff here. The people I met are serious and dedicated. And they have good ideas too.

I learned of BALLE by stumbling upon a Michael Shuman interview when searching YouTube for local business related videos. Shuman attracted my attention when he squashed the myth that big-box and corporate chains dominate the economy. It turns out 58% of our economy is rooted in local businesses. And over the past 10 years, local businesses have lost only 3% of their market share to non-local business. Author of The Small-Mart Revolution and Going Local, Michael Shuman is an ultra-entrepreneur himself. He promotes the concept of 'going local' by directly helping communities and business owners establish sustainable relationships.

I caught up with him at the conference and recorded his keynote speech for the LBB blog. Shuman shares his insights and stories from a year-long book tour, meeting people and visiting communities across the country. He gives examples of how local ownership makes a positive impact on communities by increasing jobs and improving quality of life.

 

Want more? Conference Recordings is selling CDs and DVDs from the conference.