March 20, 2008 - Greenbiz.com's assistant editor Jonathan Bardelline spoke recently with Mary Rick, the program director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies or BALLE.

Their radio interview about the present and future of local living economies is available online or for download as a podcast on the Greenbiz.com website.

BALLE, a group of 56 local business networks encompassing 15,000 entrepreneurs across the United States and Canada, works to catalyze, strengthen, and connect local business networks dedicated to building strong Local Living Economies. According to BALLE, a Living Economy ensures that economic power resides locally, sustaining healthy community life and natural life as well as long-term economic viability.

When asked how business practices and sustainability fit into the goals of BALLE and its networks, Rick answered: "We are really trying to take a systems approach to green business, and starting at the local community level is a very effective way to do that."

Bardelline noted that small businesses make up more than 99 percent of all businesses in the United States and represent a huge economy that can help make green business practices common and widespread as well as benefit from them.