A peek behind the curtain

If recent Google Trends are any indication, the larger part of priviledged, literate, and tech-savvy American culture is asleep at the wheel. Such graphs speak to a great problem we currently face as the so called 'dominant' Western culture - we are diseased (physically and psychologically) and we are in denial. We are so detached from engaging and involving ourselves in collective solution-making, we are so distanced from our family and friends, that we indeed spend more time on Facebook and other networking sites and/or looking at pornographic images than we do educating ourselves (and others) on the absolute and dire need of alternative energy solutions. What is one to think of this? Should we look upon this data and take solace: When we're not socially networking or staying in touch with our friends and families we're, at the very least, staying in touch with ourselves? I imagine the great Tom Waits might assuage my fears; we're not weird about it or anything. We don't tie ourselves up first. Perhaps not, but we certainly turn a blind eye to sustainable possibilities.

The above graph reveals extremely important data because of what we do know concerning a dwindling petroleum energy base. Namely: Our current modern economy, to date, has been 100% reliant on cheap and abundant energy. And, as our remaining petroleum supplies dwindle so will our reserves of discretionary income. Of course, all of this data becomes even more starkly ominous amid an economic crisis. However, I want to remind you: having less discretionary income is not necessarily a bad thing. On the other hand, simply ignoring this reality is downright foolish and may lead to dreadful consequences. I opine that our debt driven inflationary quagmire indicates our popular notion of 'rich' is convoluted; real value ultimately resides in human ingenuity, knowledge, 'real' goods (i.e. land, livestock, seeds etc.), and open source collaboration.

Here's another look from a different direction. You see, even when we're feeling good, even when we think we're showing a friend or loved one how much we care or love them, we're not necessarily acting in our, or the greater world's, best interests. So vast and sweeping is the need for massive human cultural change, we must even force ourselves to unwrap the very fabrics of our most celebrated Western traditions and think a little bit harder and a little bit deeper.


Lest we exchange our sentiments merely by fiat:



(Gasp) We may ultimately turn a blind eye to our culture's demise. It's time to begin asking ourselves: 'What are we buying these things for? Who am I buying this from?' It's time to remind ourselves our current consumeristic ways will not, and can not, continue. Celebration of each other, celebration of family, and celebration of community will, however. Shop local, buy local, source local. Educate.

Thoughts and Ramblings on Van Jones to Congress and Chris Bedford to the CFSC listserv

I've heard a lot of rumblings in the local food/urban ag/Slow Food community/Comfoodies arena about Van Jones testimony to our 111th congress concerning Green Collar Jobs et al. Much of this concern has been centered on the entire absence of the agricultural sector (aside from bio-fuels) in his address. Now, perhaps this can be tied to Van Jones assertions in his bookThe Green Collar Community that there are "farmers and people who like to eat". Taken at face value this appears a bit of an understatement, but it can also be taken as a clever quip or play on words. Truthfully, something tells me there are bigger issues at stake here. Mr. Van Jones is indeed a smart man, an eloquent speaker, and he most certainly knows about our food issues; not only does he touch on food issues in The Green Collar Economy *, but many of us also know of Nikki Henderson, a "Green for All" research assistant and well-known sustainable food systems promoter.

So, what exactly is at play? I mean, if we in local foods surely know green jobs include agriculture, why isn't this pervasively being discussed at the Capital. Well, I think those of us in the local food community certainly know the answer. I'm going to throw this out there: it starts with a 'U' and ends in an 'A'. And, no, I don't mean 'Uganda' or 'uvula'...and it doesn't wave a patriotic red, white and blue.

Actually, if you look closely at what Van Jones is addressing, he's really speaking directly to the Green Jobs Act of December, 2007. As he points out: this is an energy bill. As the bill points out: food is not energy. Perhaps, then, this is why our current bio-fuels system is completely rife with mono-cropped, genetically modified, water-wasting, and ecologically disastrous practices. Now, I really don't want to get into this type of finger-pointing here--we persons passionate about local food know this bio-fuels issue has been covered from many angles, ad nauseum, for quite some time--but I find it odd that in a time needing desperate revisions and cultural re-shapings we are still stuck in a platform of specialization and reductionism. Plainly stated: Without food, there is no energy and there is no workforce. Plain and simple. Matter of fact. How one, let alone a body of government, separates food from energy is entirely preposterous. It's almost as preposterous as separating Climate Change from Peak Oil [Long Pause...cricket chirping]. And, yet, we are left to spend our valuable time and efforts persuading a body of government whom has robbed us blind during this economic downturn (collectively amid a series of ill-advised political maneuvers) and spent ruthlessly on an all-too expensive (and equally ruthless) war. I've witnessed the complete unraveling of my parents' retirement, I've witnessed the loss of jobs among friends, I've witnessed the fracturing of families, and I've witnessed the crumbling of nations as we continue these current ill-conceived wars. Frankly, it's about time we start a larger movement. Frankly, it doesn't matter if our government takes notice: we'll bring the solutions to them...in the form of a new party. Yes, beyond your proposed Green Growth Alliance, Mr. Jones, potentially lies the platform for a new political party.

Let's get serious: In this same Van Jones presentation we find 2008 was largely filled with rhetoric. Our government did not enact one piece of legislation in the '08 calendar year to act upon their Green Jobs Act of 2007 or Title X of the Energy Independence and Security Act. Since Jones' speech, we've heard uplifting remarks concerning his address (well-deserved), we've heard some worry over the lack of coverage on local food and food-related issues, and we've even heard reminders of an old idea of Agriculture Supported Communities from Aaron French. But, really, this whole Jones-congress interaction actually brought me back to a recent Chris Bedford post through the Community Food Security Coalition listserv. In this recent post he states (after commenting on a sobering dose of Vilsack hearings):

"We need to develop a political framework for the Local Food Revolution that enables the thousands of grassroots food initiatives to come together in an effective political movement."

And later in the post:

"We need to challenge the current agricultural and political paradigm through a national campaign to relocalize our food and energy systems."

Bedford casually offers up the notion that his post was inspired by too much CSPAN and two cups of coffee. However, regardless of a caffeine-induced fit of shaking hands, he has hit the nail on the proverbial head. I firmly believe this is the type of collective action that needs to take place. Moreover, I'd take this a step further and declare: We ought to consider an alliance that not only shapes a political movement but actually shapes a new political party. If we keep talking policy-making and policy-influencing, we shant be afraid to discuss the merits of crafting these very policies from within the process itself. In other words, instead of allowing our politics to dictate our food and energy options we ought to remind our politics that it is 'us' whom can dictate the political process. So, with this in mind I suggest we truly capitalize on our previously formed alliances and the work of our localization pioneers and ponder the realization of a new political party. Be it a convalescence of previously conceived independent(s) and/or major party candidates, or a wholeheartedly new political invention, the fact remains we should be open to the recruitment and development of this possibility.

So, count me in Mr. Bedford. Mr. Jones, we'd love your input at the convention and during the process. And to all of you whom laid the foundations for the 'localization' movement, here's to building from the blueprints you have laid before us.

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* For example: (p.57) "Here (working-class neighborhoods), former brownfields, depressed urban areas, and hard-hit rural towns blossom as eco-industrial parks, green enterprise zones, and eco-villages. Farmer's markets, community co-ops, and mobile markets get fresh, organic produce to the people who can't afford to shop at health food stores." Jones also covers food-related issues in detail in a subsection titled Food pp. 125-132.

Note to Funders: Fund the Small-Farm Solutions! Fund the Small-Farm Solutions!

I distinctly remember hearing of open source software for the first time when working for a bookstore in my mid 20's. The conversation arose after I had expressed my dismay over Microsoft, in particular their ever-frustrating web browser Internet Explorer.

Error. Error. Internet Explorer has encountred a problem. Yawn.

My co-worker had been using Linux and he suggested it was an infinitely more user-friendly OS than Microsoft. He also hinted that it required some PC wherewithall and programming knowledge. At the time, this scared me away because i was knee-deep in my first semester back at college and did not want to knowingly detract from the many hours I spent preparing for my classes. This was several years ago. Open source has now become a more prominent area of interest, a hopeful arena of study and a potentially serious component of my livelihood.

Last week I was reading Greg Landua's blog and, as per usual, I came across some inspiring and innovative information. In his blog post titled "Open Source=Regenerative Revolution", I was reminded that indeed the open source movement has an inherent potential to assist social entrepreneurs, social/ecological activists and, really, anyone striving toward alternatives to the dominant (and centralized) consumptive model. According to Greg, open source (in addition to Slow Food, Complimentary Currency, P2P Economy , and Sustainable Trade) is one part of the equation that can bring us steps closer to a more, decentralized, egalitarian, and conscientious way of living. In Greg's own words: "In this way we can create a global culture of production and conservation: empowering people to raise their voices into the poly vocal mosaic of a globalized knowledge commons where diversity (biological and cultural) are valued more highly than the monotonous homogenization that we are currently marching towards."

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Segway: It's 16:30, Monday 12/28, and I'm in Twin Cities rush hour with my fiancee and her cousin--we're taking her to the airport for her flight back to Seattle. We're not moving (for at least 10 minutes) and I think to myself, "Is this the world we are really after? How many hours of our precious lives are we expected to throw away sitting in our cars polluting the air? Why should anyone have to accept this? Whose policies have led to this? What is wrong with the picture? How do we change this? Obviously, some of these are rhetorical questions. However, I can still assuredly guarantee if we held a 'town hall' meeting we'd have an overwhelming majority of citizens proclaiming they despise rush hour traffic. But, there's a disconnect. And here we are, the pioneers, trying to lay new roads, new pathways, to help usher the public out of rush hour, away from the drive-thru, and into new interstates of living.




And we're back to here. I'm at a desk chair. Traversing the pathways of an internally developed conversation inspired by tangibly real and educational circuitous navigations on the internet...metaphorically, whose outreaching tendrils may brush across your eyelashes and into the channels of your optic nerves. Right now: Dealing with what is real--this macintosh laptop? Surely, in one form or another. But, at least on a personal level, what I perceive to be a reality. Perhaps, more seriously (and bear with me) the reality I aspire to develop and share with others. Because, truthfully, inside and outside we can all recognize this:



Seriously. It's possible. The ageless wisdom of our natural world resides in the very surreptitious organic construction of our cytoplasmic spirit. We truthfully don't even have to perform a single physcal task but for the conscientious opening of the chambers and comforts of our hearts . We must first simply breathe deeply, close our eyes, exhale, and let it be...we can simply let 'it' sit there. We can contemplate these possibilities while living in them and amongst them, into eternity, without leaving the presence of a moment. At any moment. In anytime. Anywhere.


To my forest dwellers: I love you, because I am with you. To each and every dreamer: We are in this together, because we are not alone. And to my dream creatures whom I seek at night in the lonely contours of my pillow: May you arrive in the guise of my lovers forearms.
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So, yeah, a segway. I was traversing another website I check-on from time to time, Open-Roads--an organization developed by the truly talented and visionary Michael S. Easterling. Admittedly, I have an invested interest in the site as I have co-developed the beginnings of a project titled The Food Source alongside my great friend Andrew Heinrich. Check out the The Food Source! And...spend an afternoon reading the various sections. I guarantee, if nothing else, your food systems education, your urban agriculture education, and your community building education IQ's will increase incredibly. Now, as I was saying, before I rudely performed a glaring act of self-promotion, I'm at Open-Roads and I notice we have a new participant, Sam Rose, who is involved with some very nifty projects. In particular, he's involved with some projects that really resonate with my aspirations and goals (projects very similar to those I am a currently a part of, projects I am hoping to co-develop, and projects I am hoping to be a part of): Open Source Ecology, Social Media Classroom, and BarCampBank. And when I see the scope of Sam Rose's projects I am reminded: "Haven't I seen Open Source Ecology before?" And then I'm affirmed by Greg, in an email correspondence, I have indeed encountered Open Source Ecology...twice before...in Greg's blog. Have I mentioned Greg Landua's blog? Go there! Explore! Comment!

Concerning the above-listed websites, I can tell you this: they are doors whose thresholds, when crossed, lead to awe-inspiring opportunities. If the open source movement were to receive a boost of meaningful capital, if it were to experience a critical mass of willing individuals, then I truly believe the carbon-negative trade economy would experience the successful laying of a stable and growth-oriented foundation. These above-listed websites offer some wonderfully inspiring navigatory roads, and some truly educational opportunities. I urge you to explore them. I urge you to maintain a tight grasp on our current economic and leadership-driven catastrophe, a tight footing at the precipice of our current cultural descent, and a keen focus on the chasm of opportunity that rests below you. With this in mind, I want to leave you with the following vision:

(Inspired by my time spent at Mark Shepard's New Forest Farm, a true pioneer and visionary whose knowledge and expertises have gone largely unnoticed and unerused!, and subsequent readings and experiences in the field of permaculture, open source data, and overall human ingenuity)

It is the year 2015. Hundreds of small permi-/carbon-negative/polycultural (in every facet of business) farms exist across the U.S. and throughout the world. These farms operate in a network of shared polycultural ethanol/bio-fuels production and small-scale hybridized consumable production--supporting local, regional, national, and global sustainable trade models. The small-scale food-production model is inspired by such pioneers as Will Allen of Milwaukee's Growing Power and John Todd with Ocean Arks (namely, their ecological food production model). The ethanol model is a permaculture hybrid model consisting of a regionally specific mix of perennial(s) and annual(s).

Our small-scale ethanol/bio-fuel production is co-operatively shared within the network of 'fair-traders'--excess will be sold publicly and is also definitively used to operate on-site machinery and operations amid the implementation of local and cross-country trade. These fuel rates, as such, will cost drastically less (when sold publically) than the unsustainable, manipulated market-driven, fossil fuels. What's more, the money spent on these new fuels will increase local wealth: local farmers will incoporate the incomes garnered from fuel sales to support local business projects (i.e. local jobs! and local visions!) and the transport opportunities for these fuels creates jobs as well! This model easily debunks the errant corporatized propaganda that ethanol production is bad for the environment. Our farm models make one thing clear: ethanol production is not the problem...the ideology that drives current mono-crop, large-scale, ethanol production is the actual problem. For example, this same corrupted ideology destroys Papua New Guinean rain forests for large-scale industrialized food preservation and cooking ingredients (namely, Palm Oil)

Note to Cargill: Our ancient forests' biodiversity and ecosystemic sustainability and integrity are infinitely more valuable than your myopic vision for a corporate food bottom-line. Not to mention the preservation and promotion of indigenous lifeways! Lest the birds warn you themselves, your food model will lie buried in the ashes of an educated public's overt disregard for the glaring disrespect of the human spirit and its ancestral communities. In the shadows of such corporate food debauchery, in the wake of the industrialized food-system's collapse, will rise a truly sustainable food model.

What's more, current innovative research is being performed in Ohio (and surely elsewhere...off-hand I think of Wes Jackson and The Land Institute) concerning the nature of staple-crop production. In other words, we can bring any aspect of food security and sustainability into our small-scale farm network...be it fuel, produce, fish, mushrooms, fruit(s) or staple crops (to name a few!). We simply need the funding to start implementing these ideas into broadscale replications.

So, in a closing remark, I have a note for funders everywhere: Fund the small-farm solutions! Fund the small-farm solutions! Put your money into the hands of true eco-preneur and small-farm innovators and the healing of our world will follow...it may even happen in currencies you never dreamed of: local food security and widespread community improvement amid human health and ecological prosperity.

Local Food, Local Business: Real Solutions

I recently performed a food-spend analysis on a neighborhood in the Minneapolis area. I did this out of sheer interest--I was not paid for the work nor did I have any ulterior motive. I simply wanted to know how much money this particular neighborhood was believed to spend on their food purchases in 2008. Having driven through this area multiple times in the past, and having read the negative press-coverage for years, I was fairly certain of two things: there was very little local food business activity and there were very few local food programs being developed.

I confirmed these presumptions by contacting the area's respective city councilperson whom replied to my emails with something akin to "...well there's these urban gardens programs that started a few years back and then there's the program Prince started...". He also asked what I could offer to assist them in their efforts. I mentioned collaboration and alliance building, discussions of community food development, consulting etc.; the usual bridge-building attempts. In other words, I essentially offered my time in the hopes of assisting their neighborhood with developing local food capacity. I have yet to hear back.

I further confirmed my nagging suspicions of this neighborhood's lack of local food opportunities by speaking with members of their leading community organization. I notified these members of said councilperson's comments. They were utterly shocked that they were unaware of 'The Artist Formerly Known As' (to give proper credit, dear councilperson) funding projects in their neighborhood. They were actually in a battle attempting to get a food co-op funded, supported, and built where a derelict gas station laid dormant for some years. They were noticeably proud of the fact their community gardens had yet to be stolen away from them by development. Their struggle was admirable. The lack of policy support was clearly evident.

Now, for those of you traveling along the 'etherweb', this type of local spending information is readily available. I used the free portion of a website titled loopnet--the supposed #1 commercial real estate website. I have also recently heard from a local food economy expert that one can make similar, but potentially more precise, analysis via the U.S. Department of Labor website. Either way, I'm sure both offer valuable information and in the case of my little jaunt into the web I came away absolutely amazed. I am absolutely sure any of you readers can perform similar analysis in your areas of residence; simply select a property near your desired area of analysis and see what you discover. You just may come away from your efforts a little more enlightened--certainly more informed.

This type of exercise was performed because of my own individual interests, but I had also been impressed upon by certain topics discussed among my circle of peers--namely the Financial Permaculture group in Hohenwald, TN (www.financialpermaculture.org) and a Michael Shuman lecture at Carnegie Mellon University (available through this website! Plug!)--concerning multiplier effects and re-thinking our investment/spending strategies as a result of local small-business support and local spending ramifications.

To give these topics a quick overview I'll simply offer this as food for thought: The standard multiplier effect of a small rural community is thought to be near 1.5. This multiplier effect, for our purposes, loosely translates to the amount of times this money stream will exchange hands within a particular community. The moment this money leaves the community the multiplier effect has ceased to operate locally. This locally spent money has become an export--more than likely funding the activities of a banking superpower. At our Hohenwald course we discussed a desired local multiplier of 4 over the standard rural average of 1.5. Hence, by spending locally--oftentimes with a competing local currency (in the case of the Hohenwald course, Chamber Bucks)--we desire to almost triple the power and local impacts of our spending capital. Shuman's data differed slightly from this estimate. For example, he cited a study in Austin, Texas that analyzed the effects of $100 spent on a local bookstore versus a chain bookstore. This study revealed that, on average, $45 (of the $100 local spend) stayed within the local community whereas only $13 stayed within Austin when spent on the chain. In this case, the multiplier effect had increased to slightly above 3.



None the less, the resounding revelations these type of studies unveil is one of a definitive nature: spending locally creates more local wealth and it creates more jobs! Shuman claims there are 10 definitive studies performed in the past decade that reveal these results. With that in mind, let's take a journey into the local economic activity of the neighborhood I analyzed.

For starters, I believe there are a few issues that need to be revealed before I discuss food-spend potential. Firstly, the median personal income for a one mile radius of my area of study is roughly $18,300. This is $12,000 lower, per person!, than the average personal income of individuals taken in a radius 2 miles larger. In other words, if we still average in this low income of $18,300 we still see an increase of average yearly income of over 65% when moving the area of study to a 3 mile radius! Now, from this data, we must present two things: The area of interest I studied revealed a total estimated population of just over 25,000 individuals whereas the total population of the area, expanded to a 3 mile radius, is roughly 132,600 persons. The orginal 25,000 persons, then, constitute roughly 19% of the total potential income-earning population when shifting our focus 2 miles in all directions. So out of the remaining wage-earners in the 107,000 or so individuals remaining (the other roughly 81% of individuals), on average they will earn over 65% more than individual wage earners who reside 1-2 miles away. Wow. We can take this even further. The one mile radius zone also experiences a significantly larger percentage of children constituting their overall population. To be precise, over 15% more of the individuals are ages 24 and under. So, not only do we see lower average income-potentials for the working adults in our area of concern, we concurrently see a significantly larger percentage of individuals entering their local job market with significantly bleaker income-earning prospects!

I want to now take you back to our one-mile radius. If we know there are indeed bleaker prospects for local income potential, we must also ask the following: Are the current wage earners working locally, and, if they are, who are they working for? Even if we don't know the precise answer to the first part of this question, we do know one thing: Very few businesses in the immediate area are locally owned. This is a simple fact. More importantly, I would gather to say that almost no food-oriented businesses are locally owned; they are chains--in every form: restaurants, convenience stores and grocery stores. This further clouds an already murky horizon. This is a significant problem. Interestingly, local food can provide this troubled economic area many avenues of opportunity.

I present you with some food-spend data:

2008 Beer/Wine/Liquor Stores	$3,035,711
2008 Convenience/Specialty Food Stores	$5,570,235
2008 Restaurant expenditures	$24,171,192
2008 Supermarkets and other grocery	$35,814,506

We find that our immediate area of interest sees an annual food-spend economy of over $68,000,000. Now, even if we do not know how much of this food-spend is generated locally (i.e. spent by residents residing within the 1 mile radius), we can still perform some very educated analysis; we can still paint a very clear picture.

We know with almost absolute certainty that the greater portion of this food-spend economy is not being spent on local businesses. The restaurant entities are almost entirely fast-food establishments and the grocery stores are definitively chains. That leaves us with roughly 12.5% of the food spend economy for potential locally-owned businesses. A quarter of these consist of Beer/Wine/Liquor stores--you get the picture.

Now, what if we simply took this $68,000,000 and used it for a local food campaign initiative? What if we took a very conservative approach? What if I offered this community the following leadership: A 10% Local Food Campaign. If we took roughly $7,000,000 of our annual food-spend capital and allocated it to strictly local food enterprises and locally-grown food I believe we would see some amazing things happen. Moreover, I think this package could be very appealing to outside investor capital--freeing up what could be potentially daunting start-up costs for this low-income area while allowing for the allocation of their limited food-spend resources into other avenues; other local jobs, educational infrastructure, community development projects etc. What's more, if we apply the desired multiplier effects of such a project we could potentially see anywhere from $21,000,000 to $28,000,000 of the strict local food capital circulating amongst its citizens in whatever forms they so choose. I think this could be a very appealing exercise for a community that sees an annual individual income of $18,000. There is a vast pool of data that confirms the need for these types of initiatives. For example, in a September 2007 USDA study titled Food Spending Patterns of Low-Income Households: Will Increasing Purchasing Power Result in Healthier Food Choices?, we definitively discover that not only do low-income households spend a greater percentage of their income on food, but, as households experience greater income potentials, they undoubtedly free up more capital to spend income on other services. I propose this desired multiplier effect would then increase its impact if these 'other services' are offered in the form of locally-owned, locally-operated, businesses. What's more, if lower-income families do indeed spend a greater percentage of their income on food then why can't we provide this spending capital with locally-sourced foods and locally-operating jobs? It's not as if a greater percentage of a smaller amount is a bad thing. I would argue this is the type of realization that allows individuals to convert their dreams of escaping poverty into reality-based solutions. Moreover, it isn't as though this is a far-reaching idea! SPA data demonstrates that 60-80% of new jobs are actually coming from small businesses (not to mention 13 to 14 times the patents!).

There is a glaring reason why there is, on average, only low-income potential in this area: there aren't enough locally-owned businesses and there certainly aren't enough locally-provided job opportunities that free up spending capital. Local food is a big part of the solution. As a result, we could provide locally circulating capital, locally sourced healthy food, and, potentially, a locally-produced success story.