The Ithaca Local Economy Lab Podcast is a conversation with local businesses and community programs that are doing things just a little bit differently. The old economy, based on the idea that more is better, isn’t working for us regular folks. But the New Economy is already here – it’s just camouflaged.
Ithaca, NY is an amazing place, filled with innovative people and ideas. The Ithaca Local Economy Lab exists to shine a light on local businesses and community projects that are building or already functioning in an envisioned economic ecosystem where all of the things a community needs, like housing, schools, farms and food production, local governance structures, art and culture, healthcare and healing, and transportation, are controlled and governed by everyday people.
We need an economy designed to serve people and the planet, an economy that puts our human and planetary needs at the centre of its activities, ensuring that these needs are all equally met. The foundations of this kind of economy, sometimes called a solidarity, regenerative, or well-being economy, are laid, we just need to learn to see them so we can lean into them help them thrive.
The end stage of capitalism doesn’t mean the end of money, or even profit, it means the rebalancing and redefining of wealth to include intangibles we all need like health care, attention, time, clean air and water, education, and healthy food. This kind of economy might mean less money, but it delivers more wealth in the form of what we want money for, and it’s already here.
If you know a business or project serving this vision that deserves a bit more attention, and would like to be on the show, please reach out to Dia.
Episodes can be found here: https://ithacalocaleconomylab.com/
