Gregory Heming, a Municipal Councillor for Annapolis County, Nova Scotia made a presentation on growing local prosperity at the Transition Town Forum in Woodstock on April 28th.
Heming’s presentation was titled “A Local Conversation on the Future of Rural Communities.” The Forum was held in teaching theatre on the second floor of Woodstock Community College. A time for discussion followed the presentation.
Heming believes that small towns and rural communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are perfectly positioned to cultivate a new economy, one that thrives by creating local businesses that meet local needs.
And he should know; he has been helping rural communities grow their local prosperity potential for 40 years. In business, research, writing, teaching, and consulting, Heming has been working at the intersection of economics and ecology with leaders in the field.
Heming presented a clear vision of how small towns and rural communities can capitalize on their strengths and natural resources to create local prosperity – a new kind of economy that leaves behind the idea of waiting for outside investment, big new industries, or regional mega-projects.
“Our old economic model of unlimited growth is a myth,” he said. “You simply cannot grow infinitely on finite planet.” Heming is an advocate of “ecological economics.” This is a new model of economic development in which prosperity is cultivated in relation to sustainable community resources, both natural and human. This new kind of development is sometimes referred to as “economic gardening.”
The old practice of providing costly incentives to lure outside companies with no ties to the region has repeatedly failed. These companies promise jobs, but often leave or fail when the subsidies run out.
Extractive industries, such as mining, fossil fuels, and forest clear cutting run into the same problem. They are all short run, here today, gone tomorrow. They are not geared toward a sustainable, community-based economy. They create a temporary boom and then a bust when they pull out.
“If you want to attract business, then it should be a business that fills a need in the community, business that is motivated by more than profit,” Heming said. “And we always keep in mind that the preservation of the ecosystem is paramount.”
Heming’s presentation stressed that the new economy for small towns and rural communities means producing locally more and more items that were previously imported, such as food and energy. By working together, buying local, establishing cooperatives, increasing local investment, communities keep their buying power local. Local buying power flowing through local business is the key to local prosperity.
Heming was on a five-day speaking tour in New Brunswick and was eager to learn about how sustainable economies are developing in the communities he is visiting. He said, “There is no end to what communities can do. It just depends on what the local community wants, their skills, and their ability to invest.”
Progressive Credit Union co-sponsored this Forum presentation with a grant for travel expenses. Heming contributes his time and his presentation without charge.
Heming is currently a member of the international Club of Rome, which has become famous for its important studies on the limits to growth. He sits on the Board of the National Farmers Union, serves on the Socio-Economic Committee of the Fundy Energy Research Network, and is the chair of the Annapolis County Economic Development Committee. He recently helped organize and host a major conference in Annapolis Royal on “Growing Local Prosperity.”