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Marches and rallies can be powerful, not only as a signal to political leaders, but also as a way for everyday citizens to mobilize a “strength-in-numbers” energy which can be channeled into continued action.

During the week of September 20-27, people all over the world will participating in a Global Climate Strike, calling for an end to a fossil-fuel-dominated way of life.

As I say in my book DEEP GREEN, it’s really on us, everyday people, to make this shift by our daily choices. Consumers are really the ones with the power! (In my book, and in this blog, I go into detail about how your everyday choices can help make a better world, while also greatly boosting your own quality of life.) But governments can help by changing policies that act as artificial incentives for fossil-fuel dominance.

Visit this link to find the Global Climate Strike for your city or a nearby city, or to organize one if there is none nearby.

In my book Deep Green, I touch on financial footprint as one category of a person’s eco-footprint. I divide financial footprint into three subcategories: debt, overhead, and investment. Getting out of debt, and minimizing one’s financial overhead, are both good ways to lead a more peaceful, low-footprint life, and I offer tips in my book and in this blog about how to reduce debt and overhead.

As for the third category, investing, I didn’t have much in my book to say about that, other than to point out that where we park our money has deep consequences for the planet, and for fellow beings. I also raised the question of how much healthier our hometowns might be if more people were to invest locally rather than keeping big nest-eggs tied to Wall Street. “Main Street, Not Wall Street!” became one of my pet slogans.

But that slogan, however passionate, was only theoretical, since at that time I did not actually have any money to put where my mouth was! For some years, including the time period when I was writing Deep Green, I literally had no money. (No debt, and very low overhead, but no money to spare.)

But that situation changed, and I had to start thinking about where I could invest money in line with my beliefs. I aspire to put most of my money into direct local investments that benefit people and the planet, and I’m currently in a research-and-exploration phase. Below are some resources I’m finding helpful, and I hope you’ll like them too.

This financial post has been in the works for awhile, and I will be posting more about money and investment in the near future.

Further Exploration:

Of Two Minds: Labor Day Reflections on Retirement. Charles Hugh Smith explains how the conventional notion of “retirement” is flawed. Amass a giant nest-egg over the course of your working life, then retire and be able to live off that money for the rest of your life, never working again … This scenario is out of reach for most people, as it is dependent on 1) the kind of job that pays well enough to let you save that kind of money; and 2) a steady stream of high-return but stable vehicles for you to invest that money. Smith, one of my favorite sustainability bloggers, offers possibly the most sensible advice I’ve ever heard on this topic: “focus not on retiring comfortably, but on working comfortably. Line up work you enjoy that can be performed in old age.” (I myself came to a similar conclusion awhile back, as have many other people I know.)

“Investing for the World We Want,” by Marco Vangelisti (keynote address at the (U.S.) National Slow Money Conference 2014). In this 15-minute talk, Vangelisti sums up how our conventional approach to investment is trashing the environment and endangering human life on this planet. And he offers a wholesome alternative, rooted in biophilia and empathy rather than fear and greed. By the way, Mr. Vangelisti is offering a 10-week webinar starting September 9, and I hear there are still a few spots open. Although aimed at financial professionals, it is open to the general public. Vangelisti, a founding member of Slow Money, describes himself as a “100% impact investor with a longstanding commitment to direct local investing.” We need more of those! Even if you’re not ready to invest the $500 to take the webinar, do listen to the talk linked above; it’s a real gem. (Update: I just noticed he also offers a day-long in-person workshop, “Align Your Investments with Your Values.” Definitely want to look into bringing that to my city!)

An organization to check out: BALLE local economy framework. Be a localist! “Local business owners and community entrepreneurs struggle to access the funds they need to launch or expand their businesses. At the same time, most of our financial investments go to unfamiliar, opaque investments in far away places and have impacts from which we are disconnected. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can divest from Wall Street and invest in community businesses and social enterprise.”

And last but not least, I encourage you to bookmark this blog: Triple Bottom Line Financial Independence, by Laura Oldanie. (She’s also permalinked in my sidebar.) A fellow Floridian and fellow permaculturist, Laura (who I’ve had the pleasure of talking with on occasion since I met her at the 2018 Florida Permaculture Convergence) delves deep into personal finance for green-minded, compassionate, everyday people. “You’ve arrived at the home of the 3pfi lifestyle where we focus on achieving financial independence, while simultaneously pursuing a triple bottom line, which equally values the 3Ps — people, planet, and profit,” she says on her welcome page. (Also on her site, Laura has a link to her Etsy shop of upcycled dumpster treasures!)

Ah, the power of location! The cardinal three-word principle of real estate is also a core tenet of permaculture design. A well-designed home, landscape, or community has things placed in optimum relative location to one another.

Nature is the master at this. Trees and other living things that need a steady supply of water naturally grow near streams and springs. Drought-tolerant flora and fauna live on drier land.

When we humans try to override nature too much (such as by trying to grow plants that aren’t suited to the climate where we live), we end up using a lot of resources, spending too much money, and doing unnecessary work. A prime example is how far most of us have to travel each day just to get our basic needs met. (Here, I am particularly talking about the USA.) Outside the major cities (or even inside some of them), everything is car-distance apart. Schools, workplaces, homes, food, other daily household necessities.

When I traveled around Europe and lived in Japan as a young adult, I was struck by how easy (and enjoyable) it was to get the tasks of daily life done because people and things were located in such close proximity to one another.

Here’s a “relative location” tip: If you’re going to have a gym membership, pick a gym that’s located very close to either your home or your workplace, to increase the likelihood that you’ll use it.

And a “relative location” tip related to food: Since fresh produce is heavy and energy-intensive to transport (compared with dry bulk items), growing some of our own greens and other fresh food (or buying from locals) is a good way to do our bit to address the location inefficiencies built into our food system.

I’ve heard some people say you should put your compost pile as far as possible from the house so you don’t have to smell it. My approach, rather, is to put the compost pile (or bin) as close to the kitchen door as possible. For convenience, and also to ensure you’ll manage it properly (and therefore it won’t smell)!

Here’s a story about the power of relative location. A major computer company was asked why it had chosen to manufacture in China rather than the U.S. What do you think the answer was? Cheaper wages? Less regulation? Cheaper raw materials? Nope, none of the above. It was the close physical proximity of suppliers! A good case study for a seminar on entrepreneurial ecosystems … or for a permaculture design course.

Where in your living environment, and in the world around you, do you notice the principle of relative location working well? Where do you notice room for improvement?

What would your ideal community layout look like? Would you be willing to sacrifice some personal space if it meant being able to walk or bicycle to all your daily needs? How much time and distance is an acceptable commute or errand to you? Each of us will have different answers to those questions.

Further Reading:

Check out anything written about the history of your local area. Local books at your public library; scholarly papers available as PDFs online. You are likely to find evidence of a rich social ecosystem; a landscape of dwellings and numerous small businesses located in very close proximity to one another. (Depending on where you live, you may be able to see the lingering traces of this layout by walking around your neighborhood.) I read a book about a Rust Belt community which, back in the early 1900s, had something like 88 different little shops in walking distance of one neighborhood.

The Mobility Trap: Why We’ll Never Fix Congestion By Speeding Up Traffic (article from StrongTowns). “So what do we achieve by building new highways and speeding up travel? We don’t actually shorten people’s trips; we just enable them to live and work farther away from each other. … The best transportation policy there is isn’t HOV express lanes, diverging diamond interchanges, or a new or wider freeway on the rapidly-expanding edge of your city. The best transportation policy there is just might be a new corner grocery store in your own neighborhood.”

Vanilla Beans and Brodo: Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany, book by Isabella Dusi. This book is breathtakingly beautiful in its descriptions of everyday life in an Italian town called Montalcino, population just under 6,000, where the architecture and many customs have been preserved intact since medieval times, yet the citizens have selectively brought in modern elements to their social and economic benefit. The residents get around mainly by walking, and stay fit and energetic into their 80s and beyond. They produce almost all their food locally.

One, As a tragedy, wrecking property and lives.

Two, As an economic boon (because all that rebuilding and recovery effort boosts the GDP – never mind the costs of evacuation and lost wages and such to everyday people).

Three, As an opportunity for people to transcend their personal concerns and work together in community. And remember what really makes us feel happy and alive: caring for each other.

Today I dug up some scooby-snacks on disaster and community for you.

From Demco Software, ideas on how to turn your public library into a true community hub. “After Hurricane Sandy, libraries in New York and New Jersey opened their doors for those needing computers to fill out federal forms and let their loved ones know they made it safely through the storm. While your community hopefully won’t be faced with a natural disaster of this scale, there are likely already many individuals in need within your community.”

From Springboard for the Arts, Recovering the Story: How Arts Contribute to Emergency Recovery and Resilience. “East Coast Hurricane Sandy survivors became storytellers through Sandy Storyline, a participatory documentary that collects and shares the impact of Hurricane Sandy on communities. In Chicago, Clemantine Wamariya became a storyteller and human rights advocate after she escaped from the Rwandan Genocide at the age of six. Storytelling can be a means to unite, heal, and educate after a disaster.”

Shareable readers share their stories about community-led disaster-relief efforts.

Also from Shareable, The Under-reported Story of Disasters: “[R]eporting routinely underplays how local communities come together to respond to the hardships they face while supporting each other during times of disruption. It’s a good thing that people gravitate together during a crisis rather than pushing each other away because all signs point towards an increase in climate change-fueled disasters in the coming years and decades.”

And yet another winner from Shareable! How to build thriving, resilient communities. From repair cafés to potlucks, tips on strengthening the social fabric that is even more essential to resiliency than are physical-preparedness aspects such as producing food locally. A resource-dense article offering links to other articles such as how to start a seed library; how to organize a permablitz.

Do you know the most effective ways to curb climate change? Some of the answers to this quiz from CNN might surprise you. The quiz is divided into categories such as homes & cities, food, transportation, land use, and electricity use. For each category, you get a chance to rank in order which solutions you think are most effective. And even if you find you’ve got the answers wrong (which I did quite often!), you’ll get a lot out of this quiz because each answer is accompanied by an explanation “This is similar to taking xx million cars off the road,” so you can really compare the power of each action (such as eating a plant-based diet, composting food scraps, etc.).

When I moved to Florida nine years ago, in August 2010, one of the first things I did was take a scenic 13-mile bicycle ride that passes through various parks in the area. This tree was one of the highlights. Located in Bulow Creek State Park, it is known as the Fairchild Oak, and according to some estimates, it is 2,000 years old. As far as I know, it is still standing. But a lot of other beautiful old trees that were here when I moved here, are no more. Mostly casualties of “development.”

There are parts of the world where it is customary to build roads and buildings around old trees, rather than cut them down.

Do you have a favorite tree? This is one of mine.

A green-frugal friend in New Mexico just texted me to ask about my hurricane preps.

“Just saw folks lining up to buy generators. Have you got yours and gallons of fuel? Seriously, am curious about any preparations you are making.”

Good question!

Here is my answer:

– Boarding up windows

– Have 15+ gallons of water on hand — a week’s worth, for cooking and drinking (always keep big jugs full of tapwater on hand for emergencies) — and my total is actually over 100 gal if i count the rainbarrels).

– Have matches & candles (always do).

– Have enough nonperishable food calories to get through a week (always do).

– Have pre-charged charger that gives a charge for my phone (always have that).

– Have a pair of rechargeable lamps my Florida brother CB gave me; they and my little inflatable solar-charged lamp are all charged up (as they always are).

– Have small radio powered by hand-crank.

– Asking neighbors if they need help; keeping a lookout for people that might need help.

I would have no use for a generator. Since we get several days’ warning for a hurricane, I simply eat up all the food in the fridge and unplug the fridge! I guess the other main thing most people buy generators for is to power the air conditioning, which is something I don’t use. (CB informed me just now that actually a generator is not enough to power A/C, unless it is a really huge generator.) Is there some other basic need that motivates people to go out and fight the crowds to purchase generator and gasoline?

Other than that, really the most important thing as far as I’m concerned is companionship. Since I have no housemates at the moment, and other people are hunkered down in their places, I may go to a friend’s house or a shelter just for company. Physically, my house is sturdy and secure, and I have made reasonable preparations, so I’m not too worried about my material stuff and physical needs. Companionship, though — that is REALLY important.

P.S. From a comment thread in one of the Florida permaculture groups I’m in, some advice for gardeners: Make sure nothing in your yard can become a projectile. And, fruit can become projectiles, so go ahead and take fruit off of trees. (Here in Florida, we have green papayas ripening on our trees. But they can be harvested while green, and cooked up as a vegetable. Papaya is the one fruit I’ve heard of that can also be a vegetable in this manner.) Tie supports to things. Lay potted plants on their side. (One person tucked her potted plants into a raised bed and they were fine.)

As always, I’d love to hear about your experiences. Have you ever had to prepare for a hurricane or other potential disaster? If so, how have you prepared? What worked and what didn’t? What, if anything, did you end up needing that you didn’t have? And what did you have on hand that you didn’t end up needing? What things ended up being most important or valuable (to you, or to your community)?