Richard Heinberg – Muse letter 265

http://richardheinberg.com/museletter-265-want-to-

change-the-world-read-this-first

Societies are deeply dependent on their environment

Our environment has been cheap fossil fuel

Our society is due for imminent change

What’s the problem?

REconomy

Local economy for local people

Most of the money spent by local people goes

to national and international companies

Local business leads to local prosperity

And is usually more energy efficient

Totnes and District

Herefordshire

Brixton

Food

Energy

Retrofit

Needs local stakeholders

Local economic blueprints

Economic Blueprints

Actions – Hereford

Write the Blueprint, then attract the stakeholders!Meeting in July 2013 took place as Hereford was

turning into a clone town!Meeting in mid May 2014 well received, but still no

stakeholder group

Actions – Totness and District

• Establish Reconomy CentreIncubator for 30 enterprises, new ventures, community projects

• Food for the Future – event to link local food businesses

• Health and Welfare Network• Energy and Retrofitting Network

Actions – Totness and District - ATMOS

M

Actions – Brixton

• Open meetingsFeedback, questions, ideas, omissions, needs,

etc• StrategyDevelop existing Food partnership, Brixton

Energy, TTB Draughtbusters,• FundingProject co-ordinator to maintain momentum

• Brixton Energy has three rooftop solar farms, generating ??, and contributing funds to CEEF (Community Energy Efficiency Fund) Young people have had training and work experience

• TTB Draughtbusters gained the contract to draught-proof Lambeth Town Hall

• Lambeth Food Partnership brings together residents, community organisations, businesses, local government and the NHS, to promote local healthy food

Achievements – Brixton

• Residents – spend and invest locally• Retailers and businesses – source locally• Landowners – don’t sell to house builders, work with

community and local developers• Commercial landlords – allow local small business to

‘try-out’ at low rent• Schools and colleges – identify local skill gaps and

train for those• Local government – support local business when

contracting

Meanwhile – Brixton

• Stakeholder group? Letchworth Sustainability Forum • Currently small group comprising• LGCHF, TTL, Letchworth Society, NHDC, independent

expertise• launch October 16th

• Very brief data set in Parsons Brinkhoff paper• No engagement with NHDC as yet• They have not been pro-active

Letchworth – Where are we?

• BizSpace Work Lounge – Pixmore Centre• For freelancers, start-ups, homeworkers and mobile

workers• Work alone, but as a part of a supportive community of

business people• Flexible premises and secretarial support

Letchworth – Work Lounge

• Local Dollars Local Sense – Michael Shuman• USA based but some read-across• Very easy to invest in multinationals (including oil

companies, miners, supermarkets)• Triodos invests in planet friendly enterprise• Very hard to invest in local business• Crowd funding, P2P, local currency• Bank of Dave -

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/bank-of-dave

Local pounds – local sense

• Some at LALG have a vision• Local enterprise – in town, locally funded• Who?

Local entrepreneurs

Comments, please