Day 3 - Our local marketplace
Sunday, November 24
A needs-based economy, or localization, in accordance with the law of Nature is the only remedy to the problems we face.
The last day of the convergence will be all about creating meaningful connections with each other. We continue the conversations we had on the previous days, while scaling things down a little to our own permaculture journeys and our own communities.
We will then look at how we are (or can be) connected to our local market places. To guide us, we can draw inspiration from the localization movement. Below is a short introduction.
Localization in a nutshell
Localization is an economic movement.
Localization does not mean ending all trade.
Localization does not mean total isolation.
Localization is about bringing the economy back to a human scale.
Localization is a kind of big picture activism, but it does not necessarily depend on us convincing current political and economic leaders of the importance of change.
Instead,
it depends on communities working together – in villages, towns, and
cities across the globe – to form a critical mass of engaged and
concerned people who are willing to resist the corporate-driven economy
and create local alternatives.
Localization encourages us to:
Rethink
Why doesn’t endless economic growth make us happier? What can we learn from non-Western cultures? What do we mean by “progress” and “growth”?
Resist
Speak out against the global market that widens the gap between rich and poor, devastates ecosystems and separates us from each other and the Earth.
Renew
Celebrate a way of life that respects Nature, justice and real democracy. Rebuild local economies & communities, and restore cultural & biological diversity.
Localization aligns very much with the regenerative pathways that permaculture offers. Strengthening local economies automatically means growing food on a small scale, being able to save your own seeds, valuing health over profits and considering the needs of the entire community, human and non-human.