Local Living Economies are about:

• Maximizing RELATIONSHIPS, not maximizing profits
• Growth of CONSCIOUSNESS and CREATIVITY, not brands and market-share
• Democracy and decentralized OWNERSHIP, not concentrated wealth
• A LIVING return, not the highest return
• A FAIR price, not the lowest price
• SHARING, not hoarding, Life SERVING, not self-serving.
• PARTNERSHIP, not domination
• COOPERATION based, not competition based
• WIN-WIN exchange, not win-loose exploitation
• FAMILY farms, not factory farms
• Bio-DIVERSITY, not monocrops
• Cultural DIVERSITY, not monoculture
• CREATIVITY, not conformity
• SLOW food, not fast food
• OUR bucks, not Starbucks
• OUR mart, not Wal-Mart
• LOVE OF LIFE, not love of money

By Judy Wicks, White Dog Café, National Co-Chair of Business Alliance for Local Living Economies