Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
Why We Chose BALLE
By: GoLocal Staff 04/28/2009
The Go Local Coop is a member of the national BALLE Network - a growing alliance of business people around the US and Canada,who join local BALLE networks dedicated to building local living economies. BALLE comprises 50 local business networks with more than 5,000 business members overall. BALLE’s mission is to catalyze, strengthen, and connect these local business networks. BALLE networks respond to the unique needs of their communities and share ideas throughout the alliance of networks. In community after community, BALLE networks are proving that a coordinated group of locally owned companies can stand up to some of the harmful effects of globalization and foster the health and vitality of a region. We define “local” by our county boundary. We support Independent, Locally Owned Businesses that have full autonomy and local decision making authority with respect to their business practices. In Bellingham, WA, business leaders created a "Local First" campaign to encourage citizens to buy from locally owned businesses whenever possible to keep money circulating within the community. In Utah the Vest Pocket Business Coalition is the local BALLE network. Vest Pocket started the first statewide Local First campaign. The campaign has signed up almost 500 businesses across the state. In Vermont, members of the BALLE network employ 8 percent of the state's workforce and lobby for increased support for renewable energy and healthcare. Through its Social Venture Institute, the Philadelphia network trains new social entrepreneurs in the business skills they need to be successful. Our efforts are county-wide, uniting all the communities in our area. GoLocal is comprised of “locally-owned” businesses where their money stays in our County, rather than businesses owned by large corporations where their money leaves our County. For more information go to: www.livingeconomies.org We are striving to build Sonoma County’s Local Living Economy. A Living Economy is guided by the following principles: Living economy communities produce and exchange locally as many products needed by their citizens as they reasonably can, while reaching out to other communities to trade in those products they cannot reasonably produce at home.These communities value their unique character and encourage cultural exchange and cooperation. They strive to: Here's how the Multiplier Effect works and why we need to think about it whenever and wherever we shop...
GoLocal is the BALLE network for Sonoma County. We chose this model for several reasons:
What is a BALLE Network?
How Do You Define Local?
Go Local Examples
How is this different from the Chamber of Commerce?
What are we up to?

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