Episode
Caring for People and the Environment: An Introduction to the Ithaca Local Economy Lab
March 23, 2026 · 1:00
There’s one question behind everything on this podcast: what would an economy look like if it was designed to take care of people?
Better tools help: a currency that works, a co-op that’s fairly owned, financing that doesn’t run through a bank. But host Dia has come to think tools aren’t the whole story. The economy runs as much on relationships and culture as it does on structure. Whether we build something better together comes down to whether we still have the skills, and the trust, to do it.
What You’ll Hear
The Ithaca Local Economy Lab looks at real experiments in doing business differently: local currencies, worker-owned businesses, community finance, gift economies, mutual aid. Each episode talks with the neighbors who built them and still run them today.
These are Ithaca stories first. But they’re meant to work as a map for anyone, anywhere, asking the same underlying question about what an economy could look like if people came first.
How to Follow Along
New episodes publish every first and third Thursday. Free subscribers and paid supporters on Patreon get early access to new conversations.
Resources & Links
The Practically Real Team
- Ithaca Local Economy Lab
- Jake Gribschaw — Technical Advisor — LinkedIn
- Stacey Cornelius — Associate Producer — Agency of Words
- Sonia Simone — Content Strategist — Remarkable Communication
- Erin O’Shaughnessy — Creative Consultant
- Yen Ospina — Artist — yenospina.com
- Carsie Blanton — Musician — carsieblanton.com
- Photography by Forest Floor Creatives — forestfloorcreatives.com
Read the Full Transcript
There's one question behind everything we do on this podcast. What would an economy look like if it was designed to take care of people? It's common knowledge that if we build better structures, have better currencies, better ownership models, better finance tools, that better outcomes will follow. But I think there's more to the story. Because the economy is a relationship issue, a cultural issue, and we have to question what it takes to make the necessary shifts whether we have the skills and actually trust each other enough to build something together, or whether we've forgotten how. I'm Dia, and the Ithaca Local Economy Lab is my attempt to answer those questions. We'll explore the ideas and realities behind some of the most radical economic experiments ever attempted in Ithaca, including local currencies, cooperative ownership, community finance, gifting, mutual aid, and more And we'll meet the people building, operating, and thriving in these new economies every day. These are Ithaca stories, but they're a map for anyone, anywhere, asking the same questions. New episodes every first and third Thursday. Free subscribers and paid supporters on Patreon get early access. We launch march twenty seventh at Ithaca Local Economy Lab dot com. I hope you'll join us.
The Ithaca Local Economy Lab is produced by Practically Real LLC and brought to life by an amazing team including technical advisor Jake Gribschaw, Associate Producer Stacey Cornelius. content strategist Sonia Simone, and creative advisor Erin O'Shaughnessy. Yen Ospina is our artist, and the music is by Carsie Blanton.
Until next time, take good care
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