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Gary's Vision - The Big Picture - - The subtitle of this highly persuasive article, Caring Capacity versus Carrying Capacity Re-Designing Borderland Food Systems for the Health of the Land and the Health of Its Multicultural Communities, says it all and really, it applies everywhere, not just in the U.S. Southwest. The author, Gary Paul Nabhan, is Kellogg Chair in Food and Water Security for the Southwest Borderlands, University of Arizona.

Local Ownership Pays-Multiplier Effect - - Money acts very differently, depending on who owns the business where you spend it.

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A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams - - The author of Refuge and An Unspoken Hunger speaks about her writing, her sense of place and her belief that "the most radical act we can commit is to stay home."

Building With the Breath of Life - - The entire text of the book by Tom Bender. Here's a sample: " ...It started for me, I think, with a spruce root found on the beach years ago and made into the handles on our front door...What we realized finally is that through the contortions of their shapes, the root and the tree were still telling the story of their lives. Like the wrinkles and stoops of an old person, each told of a battle won or lost, a lesson learned, an impasse surmounted. We were feeling the history of their lives, and the stories were worth experiencing...". Or"...Any view, however spectacular, becomes boring after time. There is far more power in a variety of views that connect us in different ways with the world outside. It can be wonderful leaving some of the trees in a "view". How magic it is at sunset with the light causing the raindrops on the end of every pine needle to shimmer! "A view" is a uniquely modern concept, and one that misses the powerful value of being an integral part of a place..."

Conserving Communities - - An article by Wendell Berry. Why and how to go about developing a local, land-based economy.

Gary's Vision - The Big Picture - - The subtitle of this highly persuasive article, Caring Capacity versus Carrying Capacity Re-Designing Borderland Food Systems for the Health of the Land and the Health of Its Multicultural Communities, says it all and really, it applies everywhere, not just in the U.S. Southwest. The author, Gary Paul Nabhan, is Kellogg Chair in Food and Water Security for the Southwest Borderlands, University of Arizona.

Local Ownership Pays-Multiplier Effect - - Money acts very differently, depending on who owns the business where you spend it.

On The Benefits of SmaIl Farms - - We know how damaging large, corporate farms can be to the environment, compared to small farms. This article reports on compelling evidence to show how, contrary to conventional belief, small farms are also more efficient and much, much better for us economically as well. [13k]

Questions and Answers About the NEW LOCALISM - - Thoughtful answers to common questions about such issues as: how realistic the idea is, economies of scale, the threat to minorities, the environment and more. [12k]

Rural Renaissance - - by Paul Hawken, James Ogilvy, and Peter Schwartz Written back in the eighties, this article fantasized about one scenario for America in the nineties.

The Politics of Place: An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams - - The author of Refuge and An Unspoken Hunger speaks about her writing, her sense of place and her belief that "the most radical act we can commit is to stay home."

Village Homes - - An InContext article describing a highly successful community built 20 years ago using design principles that are only now becoming accepted.

Who Rules America- Power at the Local Level - - Greed is greed, but it changes its face depending on location. This article explains how greed works to ruin you life and your community locally.

Working With A Sense of the Whole - - Susan Campbell, Ph.D., traveled across the U.S. and Canada, visiting and studying 30 cooperative businesses. She reports on the values these companies shared that allowed them to create environments imbued with a sense of community. From the Community-Building Anthology.

buying local is worth 400 per cent more - - This study done in the UK in 2005, demonstrates the power of buying locally.