Towards a New Economy

Photo: Woods Pierce

The economy is the most talked about topic of this election. It should be. I grew up in Michigan right next to a GM plant and graduated from a high school across the street from another. By the time I graduated from college both of those plants were closed. The 7.8 percent unemployment rate is not a statistic for most of us, it is part of our daily existence.

“Economy,” comes from ancient Greek and literally means “management of the home.” The root word “oikos” is a broad definition of home, including our family, house, our household goods, and our entire private life. In its purest form an economy is how we manage our daily existence and meet our needs for food, shelter, love, and comfort.

The economy does not mean “how do I make more money?” but “how do I live?” To me that is a question that is far more interesting and useful. During this recession many of the people in our community are having trouble meeting basic needs and I don’t think we have to wait until the outcome of this election to start solving this problem.

I think it is time to create a new economy. One that is not measured and based on the creation of phantom wealth – the decimals and dollars moved around by Wall Street and the basis of the financial crisis. Instead I think we need to create an economy based on what we truly value: relationships.

If you ask people what is important to them, most will say their family, friends, partners, not their investment portfolio. We can build an economy that creates relationships, connect us with our neighbors, supports our community, and still lets us put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

How? Well that’s the subject of this blog column. We’ll look at time banks, community development initiatives, economic gardening, giving circles, and new business models that help Americans get back on their feet while building a sustainable, relationship based economy. Now that’s something I think we all can get behind.

What do you get when you combine cities in need of revitalization, efforts to encourage entrepreneurship, and people willing to redefine their community? Economic gardening is the idea that everything we need and everything we want is already here and involves the process of growing communities from within. Join us next time to discover how cities are rebuilding their economies with local talent.