“From little things, big things grow” is a fitting theme for small town revitalisation efforts in the village of Tamworth in Ontario, Canada. This village of 750 people aims to become a best practice example in rural revitalisation, sustainability and economic self sufficiency. Leading the drive towards this goal are two remarkable individuals, Carolyn Butts and Hans Honegger of Bon Eco, who have worked since 2006 towards long-term rural community sustainability.

Tamworth is your typical mill town that once had a thriving resource based economy. As the community’s economy shifted from using local resources to fossil fuels, the town simply could not compete with large-scale industry and employment possibilities in larger cities. The problem of course is that the “electricity grid in Ontario is in dire need of expensive upgrades, according to local energy expert Cam Mather”¹ which then drives up the price of power for consumers. However, the current shift to sustainable energy has opened new possibilities for small towns like Tamworth; a situation that Carolyn and Hans have used to drive momentum behind their current projects and research interests.

• a cash crop for farms 
• development of benign light industry such as pelleting facilities, hydronic radiant heating  boilers, switchgrass oriented stoves, solar water heating systems 
• retailing of pellet stoves and renewable energy products 
• service contracts 
• ecotourism 

Carolyn Butts with Alex English from Burts Greenhouses during the Tamworth Renewable Energy Fair. Alex used his personally modified stove to burn switchgrass pellets produced from Kurt Vanclief's switchgrass by Ekifuel Technologies Inc.

Local Motives has its roots in a 1979 area conservation program that Heritage Canada implemented known as the Main Street Program. “Its purpose was to revitalize the central core of small and medium-sized towns and at the same time preserve their historic buildings”.2 Hans served as Assistant Director of the program under which the “federal government contributed a total of $8 million over a 10-year period to implement the projects. By the end of the program in 1994, 70 communities across the country had benefited. Main Street was considered one of the foundation's most successful programs but, without continued federal funding, it was difficult to sustain”.2

Tamworth Main Street Circa 1920

Bon Eco is well placed to succeed in these projects having developed relationships within their community and globally including mill operators, farmers, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, knowledge managers and economic and political decision makers. Rural revitalisation is dependent on the capacity of people like Hans and Carolyn to self organize.³ Their tenacity and energy at tackling complex issues really shines as a best practice example; evidence that in Tamworth from little things, big things do grow.