Get involved in the Local Living Economies movement

Invest in BALLE.

Invest in a new economic future for North America and the world through our website or by check, made out to BALLE, 1715 Ellis St, #103, Bellingham, WA 98225. Thank you!

Sign up for our mailing list.

Attend a BALLE conference.

Our 9th Annual BALLE Business Conference will be held in Bellingham, Washington June 15-17, 2011. Join hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners, BALLE network leaders, economic developers, local government representatives and community connectors, as we explore innovative best practices in growing community wealth and advancing the new economy. You'll find more information on our conference website.

The 8th annual BALLE conference, May 21-23, 2010, was held in Charleston, South Carolina. It was informative, inspiring and fun! Many attendees reported this conference was the best conference they have ever attended. Sessions and keynotes from our 8th annual conference are available from Hungry Mind Recordings.

Sessions and keynotes from our 6th annual conference, held June 5-7, 2008 in Boston, are available on CDs and DVDs from Fleetwood Multimedia.

Sessions and keynotes from our 5th annual conference, held May 31 - June 2, 2007 at the University of California, Berkeley, are available on CDs and DVDs from Conference Recording.com.

Find a network.

Join a network.

An individual or business does not become a member of BALLE itself but of a local BALLE network. Join a local network already established in your region, and work with others to build a sustainable and prosperous community. To find out whether your area already has a BALLE network, check out our Networks page.

Start a network.

No local network in your area? Collaborate with other business leaders to form one! First review our Start a Network page and then e-mail us to order a copy of our free New Network Information Kit describing BALLE network, and to receive an invitation to join our free BALLE Basics orientation conference call for people interested in starting new BALLE networks.

Start a Local First campaign.

Check out our Local First campaign overview, and then e-mail us to order our comprehensive 90-page manual on how to put on an effective Local First campaign. All BALLE networks receive this manual for free, but it is also available for purchase by non-members for $100 (including shipping & handling).

Request a speaker.

Contact us for information about BALLE's professional speakers.

Work for a network.

Local BALLE networks occasionally have positions open for people who are passionate about building Local Living Economies. Contact us if you would like to get connected with a network near you.

Volunteer for a network.

Local BALLE networks always need good volunteer help, and really appreciate it. Check with your local network or contact BALLE for volunteer slots.

Buy locally.

Here are ten good reasons to shop at locally owned businesses.

Bank locally.

Stashing your cash in a locally owned bank is one more great way to keep money circulating in your local economy and to support your local businesses and community endeavors.

Eat locally.

The average bite of food in the United States travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate. Learn from the locavores how you can cut your "food miles" to save energy, eat seasonally, and support local farmers.

Source locally.

Your business, too, can get in on the act. What does your business buy that you could be sourcing from other independent, locally owned businesses in your community?

Invest locally.

You don't have to invest only in the mega-macro roller-coaster. More and more ways to make solid investments in locally owned independent businesses are emerging with the growth of the local economies movement, from Upstream 21 to Slow Money to RSF Social Finance to the Philadelphia Reinvestment Fund - and more are on the way.

Travel locally.

Wherever you go, you can patronize locally owned and independent businesses - including hotels and resorts - to support your destination's local economy.