Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) to Address Economic Self-Reliance and Local Change at National Conference

CHARLESTON, SC – May 20th to 23rd, 2010 – Economic stimulus need not come only from theFeds. This May, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) is bringing together a national community of socially responsiblebusiness owners and thought leaders to create meaningful economic change at the grassroots level. Hundreds of entrepreneurs, business networkleaders, economic developers, sustainability experts, and localgovernment and community leaders will gather at the 8th Annual BALLEBusiness Conference to explore new practices in growing community health and wealth and share tested models for social entrepreneurship andlocal economic development. The conference, themed “Lighting the Way to a New Economy,” will include 100 speakers, 10 plenaries, 24 breakoutsessions, an intensive pre-workshop, 3 ‘living economy’ tours, and avariety of networking and social events. It runs Thursday, May 20 toSunday, May 23 in Charleston, SC.

The underlying message to attendees is to ‘Be Your Own Bailout’ throughself-reliance and increased opportunities for locally owned, sociallyresponsible businesses. The conference program will give participantsthe inspiration, guidance and tools needed to address issues facingcommunities and to encourage local economic development. “BALLE helpsbusinesses, whatever their field, learn how to be sustainable in the new economy — and this conference will harness and focus those efforts,”said executive director Michelle Long. “The conference is led bybusinesses – the entrepreneurs and innovators that are building ourhomes, growing and distributing our food, and powering our lives.”

“Every month, we hear from dozens of communities looking to replicatethe economic and community-building successes of local businessalliances throughout North America. Local entrepreneurs are the bedrockof our economy, and as local businesses work together, they areempowering communities to build lasting community health and wealth –from the bottom up, said Michael Shuman, research and economicdevelopment director and author of The Small-Mart Revolution and GoingLocal.

PlenarySpeakers include:

◊       Michael Shuman, BALLE and author of The Small-MartRevolution

◊       JeffreyHollender, Founder,Seventh Generation

◊       LyleEstill, Piedmont Biofuelsand author of Small is Possible

◊       EricHenry, TS Designs andCotton of theCarolinas

◊       WoodyTasch, Slow MoneyAlliance

◊       AnnieLeonard, filmmaker of The Story ofStuff

◊       MarjorieKelley, Tellus Instituteand author of The Divine Right ofCapital

◊       LilyYeh, The Village of Arts and Humanitiesand Barefoot Artists

◊       DavidOrr, Oberlin College andauthor of TheNature of Design

◊       JudyWicks, co-founder ofBALLE and founder of WhiteDog Café

◊       LeslieChristian, Upstream21 andPortfolio21

◊       JosephRiley, Mayor of Charleston

 

ProgramTopics include:

◊       Increasingthe Performanceof your Triple Bottom Line Business

◊       Local Living EconomyBusiness Models

◊       Sustainable EconomicDevelopment

◊       Building a ThrivingLocal Business Network

◊       Resources for a LocalLiving Economy

◊       Harnessing CommunityCapital

◊       Supply Chain Models forLocal LivingEconomy Manufacturing

 

Regularconference rates are: general registrants: $515 through April 15, $565throughMay 13; BALLE Network Leaders: $465 through April 15, $515 through May13.Detailed information regarding specific events, speakers, dates andtimes canbe found on the conference website: http://livingeconomies.org/conference/2010-conference.     

 

ABOUT BALLE

The Business Alliance forLocal Living Economies (BALLE) is North America’s fastest growingnetwork ofsocially responsible businesses, comprised of over 80 community networksrepresenting 22,000 independent business members across 30 U.S. statesandCanadian provinces. BALLE networks create local living economies throughthebuilding blocks of independent retail, sustainable agriculture,renewableenergy, green building, local zero-waste manufacturing, communitycapital,independent media, and local arts and culture. Founded in 2001, BALLE works tofoster vibrant communities, a healthy natural environment, andprosperity forall.