Yesterday, I posted about how investment in a network of local economies rather than one big central economy by the Obama Administration could provide not only a more sustainable paradigm but one that is more socially and economically stable.
Think of the Internet. Instead of all our requests traveling through one gigantic central server, information is routed through millions of computers all over the world. This means that, because service provision is “distributed,” if one server goes down the Internet still works.
Compare this with the misery caused when our centralized, unsustainable economy takes a hit. One problem at the center and everyone suffers.
But what if the economy was “distributed” like the Internet? What if it was based on local, human relationships that meant less transportation, community-accountability, transparency of operations and lesser resource use?
If one part of it took a hit, the problems would remain local, and the rest of the “Economy-Net” would continue to function.
This is a paradigm that is based on strong communities rather than strong corporations. Admittedly, it’s a vision rather than a plan. But if the vision came to fruition, we would be more economically stable, have more fulfilling relationships, determine our own fates rather than have them determined by corporate head offices and we would help the planet.
It may seem trivial, but an initiative by New York’s Just Food to raise chicken-producing eggs right in the center of the City is a small but worthy example. The point is that no matter what happens to the banks, no matter whether the transportation system runs out of petroleum, if this program were scaled, New York would have all the eggs it needed.
Again, I’m using this just as an example of how food provision could be localized, but you get the point. Local is both more sustainable and more economically stable. Read more details of Just Food’s urban chicken program below. For more information go to Just Food’s website:
The City Chicken Project helps people legally and safely raise chickens for eggs in New York City. By working in partnership with our network of urban gardeners and other organizations, Just Food has launched an initiative to:
- promote best practices and the benefits of raising chickens in the city,
- teach people how to build coops that are structurally sound and healthy for hens,
- publicize relevant city regulations and codes, and
- support gardeners who are interested in setting-up or expanding egg production operations.
Why raise chickens? These fine feathered friends can contribute to the social, economic, and environmental well- being of your community. They help out in the garden and the neighborhood by:
- improving garden health, suppressing pests and weeds, and building soil fertility,
- giving neighborhood children the opportunity to learn where their food comes from, and
- producing nutritious eggs to be enjoyed by their caretakers and sold at farmers’ markets.