We Americans are self-help obsessed.  Just look at the self-help book section in your local bookstore (if you still have one in your neighborhood), or check the headlines and callouts on women’s magazines in the supermarket, if you don’t believe that’s true.  The problem with self-help advice is that it’s nearly always offered to get you to buy something.  The implication is obvious: You can’t help yourself unless you purchase something—only buying has value.  That’s the hangover symptom from a 30+ year binge riding high on a consumer economy.

When I discussed the concept of this website with other people, more than one asked me what my revenue model would be.  Translation:  How are you going to make money on this thing.  As I thought about it, I realized that I do need a guiding philosophy for sustaining the content of the site.  It’s pretty simple:

The one and only rule:  There are no absolutes except for one.  You will respect life.

No absolutes when it comes to money.

No absolutes when it comes to food.

No absolutes when it comes to change.

Respecting life is, of course, a very broad rule open to interpretation. That’s fine. If it forces us to think about how our everyday decisions affect all life—and the lives of those closest to us— then so be it.

When I started reading a recent book called No Impact Man, I was turned off by the absurdity of what the author was trying to do.  And then it dawned on me that there really is no such thing as a no impact man (woman or child).  The point is, we all have an impact on each other’s lives in countless ways.  There’s no escaping that fact.  No living off the grid.  No easy way out. To live your life local means taking responsibility for the impacts you make on your family, neighbors and community. Impacts that are large and small and everything in between.