All posts in the topic The Geography of a Recession
Summary
- There are 2 posts — by 2 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Shylan Rose at Mar 04 03:57 UTC
Here is an interactive map that is a very good visual reminder of what is
happening to jobs in America. It is a tough thing to think about if you come
from a place of need or want.
"According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics,
there are nearly 30 million people unemployed."
Hang on everyone.this isn't over yet.
Suzi Rhae Ross
Thanks for the map, Suzi!
In the recent e-democracy conversation about climate change, I noticed that a
lot of the things we can do to address climate change, also address
unemployment by creating and maintaining local jobs. Jason Dahl made these
suggestions, among others:
Buy local goods and foods, as this really cuts down on the fuel used for
long distance transportation as well as "energy overhead" from packaging, etc.
(Added bonus: more money circulating for longer in the local economy - a local
"economic greenhouse effect").
Use local, renewable energy sources as much as possible.
And work locally to make these things easier and more profitable for others
around us.
If you find yourself unemployed, consider the needs of your neighbors. Can you
meet any
those needs in return for fair pay?
If your neighbor is unemployed, does your neighbor have skill that could help
meet your needs?
Could we learn skills that would help us create local economic security?
If I recall correctly, Will Allen, farmer and CEO of Growing Power, a 2-acre
urban farm in
Milwaukee, says that we need 10 million more small farmers growing food for
local
consumption. Hmmm, that would take care of a third of those thirty million
unemployed
people... And it would dramatically improve nutrition for a lot of urban (and
rural) people
who have inadequate access to fresh, nutritious food.
Yesterday I heard a story about a woman who started a business reknitting
people's old
sweaters into whatever the sweater-owner wants--socks, mittens, scarves, etc.
A great way
to keep good wool out of the incinerator, re-create beautiful clothing, and
reduce material
consumption--and she has a waiting list.
I'm sure I could make an endless list of examples of local, individual and
collaborative
solutions to unemployment.
As we reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we can also reduce our dependence
on large corporations for both employment and needed goods.
Even when some jobs disappear, we always have each other and our skills and
talents.
My friends in Cameroon have a saying: "We are together."
That about sums it up.
Thanks for reading!
~Shylan
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