Individual Action

Marching and educating are critical components of the movement. And what better way to get some exercise and/or meet your neighbors. But beyond teach-ins and rallies, what can we do in our daily lives? Teach ourselves how to "OCCUPY THE ECONOMY".

Here are some ideas:

ECONOMIC VOTING (vote w/yo buck):

- buy local, whereever possible, including buying from locally owned stores. doing so keeps half of your money local, more if you focus on locally MADE products.

- move your money from big-bank to local credit union (credit unions are run by members who control the direction/policies)

- buy from "responsible companies", who support living wages for their employees and practice environmentally responsible sourcing.

-- want a more detailed definiton of a "responsible company?" get a defintion here

-- the ["Good Guide"] has great suggestions:

- support healthy food chains (buy local, eat as much organic as you can, try not to support toxic chemical companies, make new page w/details]

- join in on the other work going on in the [Sustainable Economy Working Group] The WG will be posting a list of what it thinks are "good rating groups" to decide where to put your money. Stay tuned! Better yet, join us!

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

- get involved in your local government. go to meetings and voice concerns about things like:

-- buying local (most governments do this, but check to be sure yours is doing so)

-- divesting government money from multi-national banks (investing in credit unions and local banks helps the local economy)

-- getting toxins out of government operations, weed killers, fertilizers, cleaning products, office products, etc etc.

-- getting things on line and reducing paper usage

-- increasing opportunities for low income housing by allowing rooming houses, etc (BEWARE of "affordable housing" scams in the suburbs promoted by developers, though! Conscientious developers have plenty of ways to develop affordable housing, if they want to...they don't need us to give out "corporate welfare" by destroying our communities with "zoning incentives". These work great in high density urban environments...but not where precious green space still exists.)

-- increase "access" to government, by putting more online, having evening hours, etc. government is controlled by the people who are lucky enough to be able to go to meetings. most working people can not go. so government ends up being run by elites. online access helps remove that barrier to the people.

- register to vote (yeah, a lot of us don't like "the system", but we're in it, so let's at least vote)

And...of course:

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL OCCUPATION

- Put a tent in your yard! A sign on your car! - Hand out flyers...poster your town... Meet with local community groups. - March! (it's great exercise and you get to meet interesting people! - Organize a meeting in your town - JOIN a [Working Group!] - START A WORKING GROUP! - volunteer@occupyboston.org - If there's an encampment, camp, Cook food, bring blankets, donate cash, come and help...

MARCH/PROTEST/HOLD A SIGN

- get involved with local activists who care about the same issues you do.

- MARCH! it's good exercise! and keeps the issues in the media

- make up a BIG SIGN out of cardboard and stand on any street corner. Check out the Sign Tent for inspiration on what to say on your sign. Or just say what you mean!

- contact us for dates of marches/rallies, or look at the calendar at www.occupyboston.org (on the right side)