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New England Made
October 9, 2009
Dear BerkShares Businesses
BerkShares turned three on September 29th. The occasion provides an
appropriate opportunity to reflect on the program's accomplishments and
contemplate its role in the greater movement to build sustainable local
economies. For one, BerkShares is not a fixed form; it is an evolving work
in progress. It is also one of many key tools for building a diverse and
resilient regional economy. We imagine an economy that supports and
prioritizes responsible production and consumption -- one in which community
members rely on the land and each other to fulfill the basic needs of food,
culture, clothing, shelter, and energy.
Stacey Mitchell, a senior researcher with the New Rules Project
(www.newrules.org), a program of the nonprofit Institute for Local
Self-Reliance (www.ilsr.org), is also thinking about programs and policies
that support strong local economies and vibrant communities. Ms. Mitchell is
the author of the 2006 book “Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of
Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses”
(www.bigboxswindle.com).
As part of The New England Local Business Forum, Ms. Mitchell is working to
gather data on how extensively New England's independent retailers currently
source inventory from regional or local producers, whether they would like
to carry more goods made or grown in New England, and what barriers to this
may exist. The Forum has developed a brief survey for independent retailers
to help answer some of these questions. You are invited to participate in
this important study here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mRfvKSL5bqf3aKmgkemqAA_3d_3d
The deadline is October 31. The data will be used to develop projects to
make it easier for independent retailers to find and source regionally
produced goods.
BerkShares is part of a broad and intricate network of organizations and
initiatives that share aims and values that support relocalization.
Collaboration of this kind helps fortify small communities around the world.
Thanks for your participation,
The BerkShares Team
P. O. Box 125
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413 528-1737
berkshares@berkshares.org
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