CHAPTER 3
Buy Local, Eat Local . . . Invest Local
Reconnecting Investors and Businesses
For many Americans, the lesson of the financial crisis is that neither Wall Street nor the government can be trusted to look out for the interests of Main Street. The system is just too entrenched and self-reinforcing. If we are concerned about the direction of the economy and our country, it is up to each and every one of us to be part of the solution, even if on a small scale.
This book is about alternatives. Alternatives to the Wall Street casino. Alternatives where investors can put their money to productive, profitable use. Alternatives for small business owners who are begging for capital so they can expand and hire. And alternatives for a country desperate for solutions that will create jobs and help us regain our economic prosperity.
Across the country, people are figuring out ways to invest in their local businesses and communities. In the process, they are rebuilding economies, revitalizing downtowns and rural Main Streets, and establishing a sense of shared purpose and wealth. It’s capitalism writ small. Or as I call it, locavesting. Just as locavores eat food grown or produced in their region, locavestors invest in enterprises that are rooted in their areas. In doing so, they earn profits while supporting their communities.
The locavore metaphor is an apt one. As consumers and eaters, we have become disconnected from our food sources, to the point where some children grow up believing ...
