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Local Future Action
Join, Learn, and Connect
Are you ready to work towards a local future by
joining the Local Future Network?
There are many different ways an
individual can take action, ranging from simply educating oneself, all the way
to facilitating sustainability education
efforts. Where are you on this continuum?
- Are you in
the learning stage, just figuring out the big picture, understanding
that you have more to learn?
- Are you ready, or have you begun, to prepare
for a local future?
- Are you interested in or beginning to share what you have
learned and done with others?
- Are you ready to begin to connect with
others, to work together towards a local future?
- Are you ready to start
facilitating within your own community to help move things forward?
No matter where you are along this continuum, there is a place for you
in the Local Future Network.
We are all at different points in our
personal journeys. We all know that we are headed forward, to a new and amazing
future. Yet as we travel, we are all on different roads. Each of us
will come up against different roadblocks and hazards. Indeed, most of us
will have a different understandings of our ultimate destination. The
essential common thread is that we all share a belief that humanity can live
sustainably as an integral part of the world, and we are all working to make this
belief become reality.
JOIN
The Local Future Network is email announcement list of
interested in learning or working towards a future of
sustainability. Network members receive periodic announcements and news about state, national, and
international events and initiatives.
Local Future International
- Articles and links that would interest
anyone in the world
- Articles and links of interest to those in
the USA
- Updates on the International Conference
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Subscribe to Local Future International |
Local Future also maintains several focused email lists.
Local Future Michigan
Local Future Middleville
Local Future Grand Rapids
Sustainability Conference
Subscribe to as many lists as you wish. You
may unsubscribe at any time. You may also adjust email frequency settings.
LEARN
There is much to learn about the world we live
in, the illusions that we hold about the world, and what we need to do to
survive and prosper as not only a species but also as one member of the
community of life.
Below are a list of a few web sites, videos,
books, and magazines that may help you to gain a deeper and fuller understanding
of the place we find ourselves, and the direction we need to head.
This is
not a complete list, and it does not cover all of the issues, but these
resources should provide the a good glimpse of what is really going on in the
world.
Web Sites
Videos
Books
Magazines
There are other good sources for information, but
these should provide a solid starting point on the way to understanding what is
going on in the world. If you have other suggestions for excellent source
reading material, please send us an email
CONNECT
Are you ready to connect in person with others for a Local
Future?
You may find that there is already an effort in
your area that you could join. Alternately, start a new group and invite
others to join.
Finding others can be challenging, but the list
below provides some excellent starting points.
The organizations listed closer to the top are
headed more or less in the same direction as the Local Future movement. At
the moment, the Relocalization Network and Transition Towns are somewhat similar
and well worth investigating.
Those organizations listed closer to the bottom
of the page may simply provide good places to find like minded individuals.
These are listed in the order that they are most
likely on target, so start at the top.
The Relocalization
Network
This organization has been around since 2004 and
consists of over 100 local groups working toward a sustainable future. A
related effort is called Post Carbon
Cities. The groups are located primarily in the USA, Canada, Australia
and the UK, with a few groups in various other countries.
These groups are very similar in structure and
function to what Local Future group would be. If there were a difference,
it would be in the area of the various visions, mission, and value system of the
local groups and members.
The Relocalization groups were the original Post
Carbon Outposts which were offshoots of the Post Carbon Institute, which in turn was an offshoot of
Global Public Media, which was in
turn created by Julian Darley and Celine Rich.
Transition Towns
Transition towns are efforts for individuals to
work together in their communities to prepare for a sustainable future.
This is similar to the Post Carbon Cities
initiative. Transition Town efforts are taking place primarily in the UK.
A related web site to explore is
Transition Culture by
Rob Hopkins.
Meetup.org
The Meetup groups began several years ago, and
provide a way for individuals to get together with like minded folks.
Here's a good place to start, with the
peak oil meetups.
Some of these meetups are extremely well organized, with monthly programs
featuring films and guest speakers.
These groups are worldwide and searchable by
country. In the USA, there are about forty meetups for
peak oil, fifty on
climate change, fifty on
environment, thirty on
global warming, ten on
permaculture, and a handful on
simplicity.
Meetup groups are easy to create and based on
holding an open meeting at a set location each month. Individuals can RSVP
to attend.
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club in a USA nonprofit organization
that consists of many individuals who are peak oil and global warming aware.
In some locales, Sierra Club chapters work towards sustainability.
For the most part, the Sierra Club peruses techno
fixes to the issues of the world, but many of the individual members have a
broader awareness of the issues.
The Sierra Club would be a good place to start if
looking for like minded individuals.
Green Party
Many countries have a political party named the
Green Party. For the most part, the beliefs and vision of the Greens is
very similar to those of the Local Future movement.
Individual Green Party members of the party are
very likely to be knowledgeable about peak oil, climate change, and the other
important issues birthed by our civilization.
The Community
Solution
This organization hosts an
annual conference
focused on peak oil. This is a good way to meet other like minded folks.
Many are aware of other environmental issues, social issues, animal cruelty
issues and the like.
The Community Solutions maintains a
list of books and
reports that help to explain and highlight both peak oil and community.
Ishmael Community
Daniel Quinn wrote
several books regarding the
concepts of community, society, and civilization.
Those who have read the books are likely to be
global warming and peak oil aware. Several have
formed groups
which would be good places to meet like minded individuals. There are book
lists provided by both Quinn and
his
readers.
Ecovillages
Ecovillages are communities of people that
attempt to move together towards a vision of balance and sustainability.
People involved in ecovillages are also very likely to understand the various
issues. One well known ecovillage is
Dancing Rabbit.
A related site is for
Intentional Communities, which undoubtedly
consists of many people who are very aware of a broad array of the issues.
These can be searched within an
extensive directory. Another organization that might be interesting is
Idealist which also has
groups.
Online Groups
Online groups will occasionally meet, or be
organized by city or region. This is another possible way to meet
others. These groups can be free to create, which is helpful when
attempting to find others.
Religions
Various religions have various beliefs and values
in common with the Local Future vision.
Of all the world religions, a few stand out
for their similarity to the value system of the Local Future Network.
The following list is not meant by any means
to be exhaustive.
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Buddhism - beliefs
in right action, right living, right speech vie eightfold path
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The
Religious Society of Friends (The Quakers) - beliefs in peace,
simplicity, equality, etc.
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Church of the
Brethren - beliefs in peace and simplicity
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Mennonite - beliefs in
social justice, peace, service, etc.
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Amish - beliefs and actions
in peace and simplicity
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Jainism - beliefs in
non-violence, truth, separation from material goods, etc.
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Simple living movement
- also known as voluntary simplicity
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Non-violence /
Ahimsa movement
Other
The
Bioneers - "It's
All Alive, It's All Intelligent, It's All Connected."
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