BALLE: Ruminations on themes of "local" and "sustainable."

The stock of human knowledge advances from a willingness to continue thinking about "it", whatever "it" happens to be. This willingness to continue thinking must come with an eye on the terrain existing outside the box, because self-imposed limitations don't constitute thinking. Rather, they constitute reactions, like when your cat bats at the yarn.

Wait -- I didn't intend to write about economic development non-strategies in New Albany. Instead, read this piece and ponder ideas. It may not seem like it, but ideas really do matter.

Featured Fellow Series: An Interview with Amy Robinson (bealocalist.org)

BALLE Fellow Amy Robinson shares new definitions of “local” and “sustainable,” the entrepreneurial spirit that distinguishes Vancouver, BC from the rest of Canada, and the four areas of work that have her most energized.

... I’m pretty done with the word “sustainability.” Sustainability is so often equated with green initiatives, and what inspires me is the people behind a business. The social and economic aspects – and the aspirations of sustainability – get lost in our current understanding of it. Right now it’s all about managing risk and doing less bad rather than creating more of what we want to see in the world ...

... We’ve thought our main challenge was to educate consumers about why to buy local, but we realized we’re also teaching businesses how they are local ...