Facilitator: Peter Hackbert,
Chair and Co-director for the EPG (Entrepreneurship for the Public Good)

Minute taker: someone to volunteer for this task?

Why have a ‘Think Local, Buy Local, Be Local’ Strategy in Berea?

• To strengthen the local economy and community through the support of the independent business sector

The concept of ‘Think Local First’ is a term developed by members of the Business Alliance for Local Living
Economies (BALLE) Networks to refer to our commitment to our communities. By thinking “local first” we can
make choices that have dramatic impact on our local communities, economies, and environment.

Additionally, we recognize that we will rarely be able to buy everything we need or use from local, independent
businesses. Many products we use daily are not made locally.

What we advocate is for people to first think local in order to maximize the impact of our daily actions and
purchasing decisions. (From the BALLE handbook for designing a Think Local First campaign)

• A community’s success in attracting customers is in large part determined by its personality and character.
Downtowns with vibrant unique local businesses are more attractive to in-town customers and out-of-town
visitors.

• Locally owned businesses keep more money in the community. Compared to their national competitors, local
independent businesses recycle more dollars back into the local economy and give greater support to a
community’s non-profits and civic needs.

• A think local, buy local, be local strategy teaches consumers about the economic and social advantages that
independent and local businesses bring to the community. Local residents often don’t realize the economic
impact of their buying habits on their downtowns and communities.

• In addition to economic benefits, locally –owned businesses provide a number of community and individual
benefits. They:
o Give back to the community
o Create great places to work
o Offer unique goods, services and atmosphere
o Create community increasing safety and quality of life
o Give great service
o Improve our community’s environment

Peter will discuss examples of cities who have embraced the think local campaign

Do Berea businesses want to pursue gathering information on what it would mean to focus on our local economy?
If so, how can Sustainable Berea play a role?
• Help facilitate guest lecturers and speakers who are experts in this area
• Help facilitate webinars
• Put webinars on our website for viewing at any time
• Help organize special events for buy local, be local events
• Help organize re-skilling workshops
• Help design strategies to educate consumers

Feedback and Discussion

Identify persons to take the next steps

Establish time for next gathering and/or action steps – OR NOT!

Many thanks to those who attended the workshop on Planning and Creating Successful Backyard and Community Gardens.

Danny Mayer and Michael Benton, professors at Bluegrass Community & Technical College, Lexington, KY, presented many ideas on creating community gardens. They also discussed ways to strengthen community ties and resilience by growing and sharing food.

A few of the ideas included:
* Members of the community working together to create small community gardens in areas that are un-used and/or neglected and make the produce available to the public

* Collecting food wastes from local restaurants, composting it, and sharing the compost with the community

* Sharing garden foods with others by having small local potlucks

* Holding seed swaps and plant swaps with others in the community

* Bartering with local restaurants by trading garden produce with other restaurant goods

* Growing food and sharing with local schools to give healthy alternatives to school children

Special thanks to Danny and Michael for sharing these ideas and many others with us.

If you have any questions for Danny or Michael, you may email them at: danny.mayer@kctcs.edu or michael.benton@kctcs.edu

Special thanks to Cheyenne Olson and Bruce and Aggie Gregg for providing participants with packets of seeds to use in their gardens.

Please join us on May 12, 2010 at 6:30pm for our next Re-Skilling Workshop. Details will be posted at a later date.

Dean and Nina Cornett, who live in Alaska and Eastern Kentucky, have worked tirelessly for the past 20 years on issues related to education, the environment, and conservation. In Alaska they focus on projects related to Salmon restoration, forest preservation, and grizzly bear protection. In Letcher County, they are working for the enforcement of laws against timber theft and they are promoting ecotourism as an alternative to an economy based on resource extraction.

Dean and Nina have promoted clean water, supported recycling programs, created city parks, and laid out forest trails designed for children and adult education. They also produce films and support educational projects that educate people about the mountains, the bear population, and the American Chestnut project. The Cornetts also work diligently to change legislation and influence public policy.

Extraordinary philanthropists, devoted to improving the quality of life and protecting the environment, the Cornetts both attended Berea College and support environmental programs at schools and colleges in Kentucky, including Berea College. “We are happy to help Sustainable Berea,” Dean said. “Your work brings townspeople to the sustainability efforts which enhances the environmental studies being taught at the college.”

New Data Base for SB membership
Sustainable Berea has purchased a new data base to help us better stay in touch with our members.

All gifts to Sustainable Berea are fully tax deductible as SB is a 501(c)3 non-profit.

Join us at the 1st annual membership meeting – the PERC Brunch

Thank you for your time, talent and financial support. We invite you to join us for another year. If your membership is not yet due, you can still renew now and we will credit your membership for 12 months from the upcoming renewal date. You may renew your membership at the PERC Brunch.

Most Berea households receive their water from Berea Municipal Utilities (BMU), a city-owned utility overseen by the city council. On an average day, BMU treats more than two million gallons of water, pumped mainly from Owsley Fork reservoir, which is located six miles southeast of Berea.

The average Kentucky household receiving municipal water service uses about 70 gallons per person per day for indoor use. This is almost identical to use by the average U.S. household, which can be broken down as follows:

Water is absolutely essential to household well-being. The strategy for ensuring adequate flows of water and increasing the ability of the household to function during periods of disruption of the municipal water supply includes: 1. Modifying fixtures, appliances and behaviors to reduce the amount of water necessary to run the household, 2. Capturing rainwater to replace the need for some municipal water, and 3. Storing emergency water supplies for use during short-term cut-offs of the municipal supply. Actions in these three areas can reduce household water use by 50% with no decrease in comfort, while reducing demand on the municipal system (and reducing the need for a costly new reservoir), while greatly increasing the resilience of the household.

If you are eager to get started, rain barrels are available through Sustainable Berea along with instructions on their installation and use. Low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators can be purchased at local hardware stores. If you are considering low-flush toilets, look for the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense label. The labeling associated with Energy Star qualified clothes washers will include a Water Factor (gallons of water used per cubic foot of capacity).

For more details on home water conservation, see the Resilient Household Project Water Page and Sources of Additional Information.