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| Economic Localisation |
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Click on the red text to follow link Presenters/Moderators DEIRDRE KENT: Deirdre Kent has worked as a maths teacher, a Tauranga City Councillor, and was Director of ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) during the 1980’s. She became interested in the money system through Green politics — she was a Values Party candidate in 1975. After reading widely she concluded that the way we create money in the form of interest-bearing bank debt makes our economy dependent on continual economic growth — without it the economy collapses, but with it the earth and the ordinary citizen suffer while the rich get richer. In her book Healthy Money Healthy Planet (Craig Potton Publishing, 2005) Deirdre argues that we can get out of the vicious cycle of exponential economic growth and environmental degradation, and into an era of sustainable living, by creating local currencies. Deirdre and her husband live on the land in Otaki. She has thirteen grandchildren. Introduction Economic localisation is a response to declining availability of transport fuels. It entails changing where we live, work and go to school, thereby reducing the need for vehicle transport. E.g. Services that have become highly centralised (EG Nelson's milk is carried to Christchurch, bottled and returned to Nelson) will become more local. Localisation means growing and distributing food locally, while long-distance transport of foodstuffs will be limited to luxury items. Economically local communities regain control over food, water, energy, culture, governance, media, land and business ownership, transport, money creation and banking. Deirdre Kent’s session on Economic Localisation will start with an overview of the key drivers of growth in Nelson and Tasman. The workshop will feature presentations, discussion groups, games and film. .Recommended Reading Click on the red text to follow link
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