Relocalized and distributed business models for food, sustainable agriculture, energy efficiency, renewable energy, technology, ecotourism, water conservation/reclamation, waste and investment are increasingly common tools for local economic development and wealth-building strategies.
Images, developed by Energy Resources Management https://www.energyresourcesgroupinc.com/:
Figure 1: https://bit.ly/2RXag0t – Urban community energy economic development system development
Figure 2: https://bit.ly/3oga0Gf – Rural agriculture based energy economic development system development
Figure 3: https://bit.ly/3br9jVp – Representative sample of local green jobs
Potential businesses/projects:
- Connect rural and urban economies: Research, analyze community assets and issues; Establish/optimize communication, public/private collaboration, and increase local grass-roots organizing capacity
- Stimulate entrepreneurship: Establish plans and support for Illuminations/DHUD Envision Centers demonstration projects that provide opportunities for collaboration, resource-sharing, business incubator/accelerator, research/development, education, and training
- Train workers for jobs in sustainable careers: Identify, support, expand existing programs; Develop new programs to provide pathways for community economic development systems (Fig 1-2), help people find their niche, funnel them toward available jobs (Fig 3)
- Optimize policies/programs to support CLEANetwork: Investigate, facilitate, implement municipal policies that reinforce green/sustainable community economic development. Develop master plans to sustain and grow local businesses utilizing the local workforce and create generational wealth within communities