Water « Localise West Midlands

Does supporting local business build resilient local economies – and a more peaceful world?

By localise2, on April 16th, 2013%

Judy Wicks, a board member of the NEI – featured recently on this site – thinks that it does.

Looking around for more information, evidence of a very adventurous and constructive life – including living with the Eskimos and working with the Zapatistas – was easily found online.

Her unusual slant on localisation was . . . → Read More: Does supporting local business build resilient local economies – and a more peaceful world?

The Resilience imperative – Cooperative Transitions to a Steady State Economy

By localise2, on February 8th, 2013%

Localise West Midland’s co-founder, Patrick Conaty, has just published a book co-authored with Mike Lewis: The Resilience imperative – Cooperative Transitions to a Steady State Economy. It examines many elements of a resilient local economy, collating and critiquing many examples of how this has been achieved all over the world over the last 150 . . . → Read More: The Resilience imperative – Cooperative Transitions to a Steady State Economy

Achieving food security by relocalisation and building up the resilience of our agricultural resources – three voices

By localise2, on December 15th, 2012%

At a meeting of Hadlow College’s Rural Focus Group, their Sustainability Champion, Dr Howard Lee, noted that DEFRA is committed to food security in principle but not to food self-sufficiency.

The strategic contradiction is that succeeding governments have preferred to promote the export of agricultural and horticultural commodities.

Coventry University’s Dr Julia Wright recommends . . . → Read More: Achieving food security by relocalisation and building up the resilience of our agricultural resources – three voices

Update: Co-operative Energy, founded by Midcounties Co-operative

By localise2, on December 6th, 2012%

In June last year Localise West Midlands’ board member Phil Beardmore, an environmental consultant, circulated news of the launch of the Confederation of Co-operative Housing, which is forming a partnership with Co-op Energy.

LWM was set up in 2002 by a group of individuals who ‘recognise the need to propose positive models for . . . → Read More: Update: Co-operative Energy, founded by Midcounties Co-operative

It makes sense to grow more locally, not least for the 20,000 low-income city families

By localise2, on September 24th, 2012%

Admitting the limited capacity to grow food in cities, LWM’s co-ordinator recognises the potential for growing more locally and the food security benefits of doing so:

“The West Midland has a significant food-producing “regional hinterland” and there is a whole gamut of reasons why we should maximise production, ensuring we have some local food . . . → Read More: It makes sense to grow more locally, not least for the 20,000 low-income city families

Unhooking from transport & energy-intensive economy

By localise2, on July 2nd, 2012%

Some readers will have visited the late Robert Hart in his Forest Garden in Shropshire.

Zac Goldsmith, when reviewing Robert’s book about his life and work, focussed on his perception that growing and seemingly unconnected problems emerge as connected symptoms of something deeper:

“The shortening of links between farmers and ‘consumers’, for example, . . . → Read More: Unhooking from transport & energy-intensive economy

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