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Going Local in an Age of Globalization

By Michael Shuman, originally published by Climate One

April 13, 2012

NOTE: Images in this archived article have been removed.

Image RemovedWhile the past few decades have focused on global integration, a growing number of innovative entrepreneurs are shaping a new economic model, which directs capital to local communities. The payoffs are huge—regional resilience, local investment options, and decreased use of fossil fuels among them. The obstacles are huge as well. But so is the passion for change.   

Featured speakers: 
• Dan Rosen, founder and CEO of Solar Mosaic, based in Oakland
• Michael Shuman, a leading expert on community economics and author of such books as Local Dollars, Local Sense and Going Local
• Andrew Swallow, founder of Mixt Greens, a restaurant group in San Francisco, and author of Mixt Salads

Michael Shuman

Michael Shuman is director of research for Cutting Edge Capital, director of research and economic development at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), and a Fellow of Post Carbon Institute. He holds an AB with distinction in economics and international relations from Stanford University and a JD from Stanford Law School. He has led community-based economic-development efforts across the country and has authored or edited seven previous books, including The Small Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition (2006) and Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in the Global Age (1998).

In recent years, Michael has led community-based economic-development efforts in St. Lawrence County (NY), Hudson Valley (NY), Katahdin Region (ME), Martha’s Vineyard (MA), and Carbondale (CO), and served as a senior editor for the recently published Encyclopedia of Community. He has given an average of more than one invited talk per week for 25 years throughout the United States and the world.

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Tags: building resilient economies, relocalization

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