The International Society for Ecology & Culture (ISEC) is pleased to announce the launch of Local Bites, our new podcast series featuring leading voices and inspiring examples from the worldwide movement for localization (listen to one of our first two episodes below).Across the world, millions of people are challenging corporate power and rebuilding more just, democratic, ecological and human-scale economies – from the ground up. Literally hundreds of thousands of pro-local initiatives are sprouting out between the cracks of a destructive, consumerist and corporate-controlled global economy. Localist initiatives are emerging both in response to escalating social and environmental crises, and out of a simple yearning that many people have for a better, simpler way of life, and a deep need to reconnect to community and the natural world.
For instance, the local food movement is cultivating equitable, healthy and ecological alternatives to the corporate food economy through closer links between local producers and consumers, such as CSAs, food cooperatives, urban farms, farmers’ markets and food hubs. The local power movement is creating decentralized community-owned renewable energy systems that are successfully displacing large fossil fuel corporations. Transition Town groups are making their communities more resilient and convivial, while the grassroots new economy and cooperative movements are advancing a diverse array of democratic, community wealth-building initiatives. Perhaps most impressive of all, the 200 million strong small farmers movement, La Via Campesina, is leading the global struggle against corporate “free” trade deals, and calling for local food sovereignty. This list could go on and on, but the bottom line is this: although much more movement-building is needed to dismantle the corporate juggernaut, the rise of the localist movements offers tangible hope that a better world is possible.
The worldwide localization movement is growing so quickly that it’s nearly impossible to keep abreast of its splendid diversity of ideas and initiatives.
This is why ISEC has launched the Local Bites podcast, to track the rise of localist movements around the world. Each episode features visionary scholars and activists from this global “movement of movements.” Local Bites delivers both hard-hitting analysis and cutting-edge localist solutions to the most challenging crises of our time. The podcast also seeks to foster cross-pollination by highlighting initiatives in the global South and North.
Listen to our first two episodes by clicking here or below. You can also subscribe to Local Bites here, through iTunes, or by joining our emailing list for monthly updates.