"what encompasses local control --- if we are speaking of nature, how can nature be controlled?"

* local control meaning that the community is inputing and deciding what is best for the community. this would entail an examination of the inherent assumption about relationships between humans and humans and nature. i think discipleofmaat in his analysis of hierarchies gives us some vital clues as to what this is. nature functions in symbiotic fashion where the various elements work together to maintain the system and all elements of the whole benefit from it. what is considered for example "waste" in a current conception could be utilized as a vital component for another element of the community. this is one example of how nature works within an ecosystem and can be applied to an organization of community.

"the world "value" is tricky when used in the manner by which you approach this subject. Local "control" may involve, for example, placing a monetary "value" on local spring water. Upon the value being placed on the water - the water becomes a commodity to be bought and sold, in some cases locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Is placing a monetary "value" on water/natural resources wrong?"

* If you are looking at it in that way of control and value - then I don't think we have yet stepped into the kind of thinking that would be fundamentally changing the system. what you have just said reflects the way we think about resources - it is an example of what i was talking about how a man-made illusory device such as monetary value which has succeeded in trumping the value of essentials. Value in the way I was using it means to recognize the essential that is contained in nature - we need it to even exist on the planet and the relationships we have with one another in our communities. We are dependent on them for our existence and it is something which should be cherished, valued - we should view ourselves as part of it rather than above or separate. We are subject to the conditions of our local environment, just as we are subject to the conditions of our local community.

"that we need to depend on what is around us to supply us"
theoretically - i am in full agreement. however practically that is impossible, unless individuals are willing to "give-up" many of the things we have grown accustom

* communities have functioned for a very long time depending on their local resources to maintain themselves before this conception of globalization stepped in. and i think the idea isn't to cut oneself off - it is more an issue of managing just where inputs for a community are coming from. for example - what is the maximum amount of resource etc that we can get from our local area such as food, water - what skills do we have within the community that can supply what the local community needs. then after there is this assessment - we can supply xx% percentage of the community's needs just by relying on what we have within the community - now what can't we supply to ourselves. Then the next step would be to rely on a slightly broader area for these resources, etc. - outward like concentric rings. We could possible find that a good percentage of what we actually need for vital resources could be supplied to us by not needing to venture too far outside of a certain radius. This in itself would have many benefits. Since we are depending on the local community and maximizing what we can get from it - we encourage community involvement - we up employment since we are trying to utlilize as much resource/skill we can muster in our local area - we are lowering our environmental impact because we are not relying on transport/and moving as many goods as far to supply ourselves. In this whole process we are strengthening community and building a robust local economy. This can be facilitated through creation and usage of a local currency which keeps economic flows local - thus creating a more stable and self-sufficient economic base.

Now we can theorize how ready or not Americans are to changing world-views. It may very well prove to be impossible and we could debate that for a long time. But I don't think recognizing roadblocks has ever stopped people from trying to come up with solutions.