Slow Money: A Modest Proposal At Change.org
Ben Rattray, the CEO of Change.org, asked me to submit a proposal for the Ideas For Change In America that will be delivered to President-elect Obama is some fashion. My proposal is an outgrowth of something I wrote the other day at /Ground, the sister blog to /Message, about Slow Money (see The Slow Money Movement: Demassifying Retail). Here’s the proposal:
Many economists have researched the way that major chains impact local economies. When people buy local, they not only have the opportunity for a direct interaction with owners that live in their communities, but their dollars circulate in the local economy three or four times before being dispersed in the larger economic net: slow money. Local stores and services rely on other local businesses more than chains do, so this is a virtuous cycle that enriches the local economy, creating social capital as well as reinforcing economic and social relationships, and leading to stronger, resilient, and more diverse communities.
President-elect Obama should carefully structure his economic stimulus package so that it builds on slow money basics. Specifically, he should consider providing tens of thousands of small, kickstart grants to small businesses — to winterize homes, start local food initiatives, and repair infrastructure — and these grants should have added incentives to use other small businesses when needed. He should avoid large block projects handed to large multinationals, like GE or Bechtel. We need a bottom-up slow money revolution
- Stowe Boyd (Front Man for The /Messengers), San Francisco, CA Nov 24 @ 01:23PM PST
I thought the community at /Message would be interested in both the topic as well as the way that Change.org is handling the aggregation and filtering of the many proposals being offered up. They have incorporated a voting system, where people can — once they have registered with Change.org — vote on ideas in various categories.
They are planning multiple rounds, and at this moment, Slow Money is in the running to make it to the second round. Go take a look, and please vote for Slow Money“>Slow Money if you are inclined.
