Economic Sustainability/Green Economy
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This action team is focused on strengthening economics for all members of the community and the community as a whole. If you would like to be a part of this action team contact Eric Souders.

Five Key Strategies for Sustainable Economic Developement:
  • Redefining prosperity by weighing quality of life, community character, and the natural environment alongside economic considerations
  • Seeking true development— getting better instead of getting bigger as a means of growing our community economics
  • Advocating for the long-term stewardship of community resources, ensuring that present action doesn’t erode the basis for future prosperity
  • Pursuing self reliance and a more democratic approach to decision making, representing community wide interests over those of an elite few
  • Stressing diversity, resilience, and a conviction that many small efforts work better than a single one-size-fits-all solution
Four Principals of Economic Sustainability:
  • Plug the Leaks: Keep the money in the community longer by producing more locally and using resources that must be brought in more efficiently. A typical community spends 20% of its gross income on energy and 80% of those dollars immediately leave the local area. Encourage local food production, energy efficient construction and retrofitting, and water conservation.
  • Support Existing Businesses: Small locally owned businesses are the economic heart of our community.
  • Encourage New Local Enterprise: What products and services do businesses and citizens need that are most often outsourced? Are there business opportunities here to fill those needs? If the standard practice is to make concessions in taxes, land and other means to a large business to relocate to a community with prospect of providing jobs, what concessions can a community offer to existing and start-up businesses to expand and fill certain gaps that are currently outsourced?
  • Recruit Compatible New Business: Taking care of the first three principals puts a community in stronger place to bring in desirable businesses rather than being desperate for any business.
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