I was recently referred to a new organization called Slow Money that is taking a different approach than some of the more grass-roots efforts to the de-industrialization of our food system by focusing on eating locally/regionally- the economic approach. Their aim is to restore local economies based on a financial system that relies on sustainable principles to direct spending. Basically, we need to invest our money in systems and practices that create positive environmental and human health results instead of negative results (aka pollution, overfishing, obesity, etc.) Check out the video at the bottom of this page for a overview of their mission. Here is also a good article about the founder, Woody Tasch.

You've heard the phrase "Money makes the world go 'round?" Well, imagine if all of the money in our economy (or even just a good chunk of it) was spent on the things that can actually make the world a sustainable place, such as harnessing natural resources for energy and small-scale organic farming with rotating, seasonal crops sold directly to consumers...instead of on things like the importation of cheap goods from overseas that support sweat shops and child labor, or the continuing manufacturing of "disposable" products and materials utilizing toxic chemicals that take up physical space in countless landfills and find their way into our water supply.

The list is endless on the ways that mankind has invented to make our lives easier while chipping away at our own well being as well as the well being of our planet. And yet there are just as many solutions and methods that can be employed to counteract and reverse these negative results...if only the funds were routed to the right places. It's not that there isn't any money to do the right thing, it's that the money is currently being spent the wrong way. A conceptual relation to Slow Food, Slow Money is aimed at raising the awareness, the participation, and the financial resources to combat these core issues by redirecting spending to create the positive results we need to be a successful and healthy society again. An insightful quote from one of their press articles states "the very things that make a business attractive from an environmental standpoint make it unattractive to conventional funding sources." And so their primary focus is on creating the funding necessary to invest in sustainably-minded businesses.

Sign their manifesto to show them your support. Better yet, start spending your money in the right places to encourage the outcome we need. Every dollar is a vote for what you want the world to be like!