Imagining the Ideal World - Economics and Ecology: United for a Sustainable World - page 150

the enterprise less than they would some luxury item, which can be quickly
given up in a pinch. By way of encouragement, we note that much of this is
already happening with that most basic of necessities—food. Community
gardens, community-supported agriculture, Eat-Local movements, Saturday
markets, and a host of related efforts are springing up everywhere. Included
are restaurants committed to purchasing only locally grown products when-
ever possible.
Energy is another necessity whereby we are urged to do more locally. For
example, implement conservation measures and, if possible, adopt devices
with which to produce alternate energy that will serve to reduce one's own
energy use or to produce for oneself. Any dollar not spent on energy is a
dollar available to be spent and multiplied elsewhere in the local economy.
Second, it is feasible to produce small-scale, technological devices locally
that can reduce the use of energy.
What other products would offer opportunities? Clothing, shoes, and fur-
niture are all areas that suggest themselves. How would they be chosen? We
can imagine a very simple, straightforward process: Get together a small- to
medium-sized group of friends and neighbors and ask them to bring their
checkbooks for the last couple of years. (Assure them they will not be asked to
write you a check.) Collectively, figure out what you spend money on. As typi-
cal consumers, what did (and do) you buy? Ask the question, what would we
purchase that a group of talented, underemployed, local people might be able
to produce locally? Make the workshop a community get-together and social
event. Feed them something. Enjoy one another. We assure you, the ideas will
flow.
It will certainly come up that certain products will not be produced locally,
such as automobiles or electronics. This is true, and that is all right. The
goal is not complete self-sufficiency in any case. Start with the easier, simpler
products, and get the hang of it. Other ideas will come along. You cannot do
everything at once anyway. However, we remind you that even the likes of
General Electric, Microsoft, and Ford Motor Company started somewhere —
often in someone's garage. You never know what undeveloped technological
genius might be lurking out there in the intellectual-idea gene pool of your
community. Give an opportunity to flourish. And that brings us to another
issue, human requirements for resources.
Labor Force
From an economic viewpoint, requirements for the human engagement are
in two categories. The first is for the general workforce; the second is for
managerial and technical jobs. The first can be seen immediately as not a
problem. Even if some technical training is required, and we hope it would
be, the pool of talented people who are willing and able to work is exception-
ally deep, and probably will remain so permanently. One recent job open-
ing in state government immediately attracted 267 applicants, virtually all of