The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) is a network of socially responsible businesses, comprised of over 80 community networks throughout North America representing over 22,000 independent business members across the U.S. and Canada. Since 2001, BALLE business networks in large cities, small towns, rural areas, and regions of high unemployment have increased their communities' health and economic vitality through a focus on green jobs, sustainable industries, investing locally, and buying local first. These alliances of local entrepreneurs are focused not only on the single bottom line of individual enterprises, but also on the overall health of their cities and hometowns. Working systemically to build sustainable local economies, these networks are connecting the dots between the fast growing movements toward green building, energy efficiency and renewables, local and sustainable agriculture, community capital, independent retail, and local zero-waste manufacturing.