We all aspire to find a life that is more in harmony with our values and with the spirit of nature. We get inspired by the words and actions of others. But how do we begin to bring this inspiration into our everyday patterns of living?
It is for this purpose that Local Roots Co-op is coming into being. But how can a mere grocery store help bring about this change in our way of life? Local Roots Co-op is structured like an ecosystem: with multiple functions being performed by each of its elements, and multiple elements performing each function. This structure begins with a necessity we all must have, food. This is a necessity that interpenetrates and transcends all economic models. As such, it is a most appropriate means for bridging the gap between the current unsustainable economic system and the sustainable economic systems of the future.
Facilitating this transition toward a sustainable way of life is the Co-op’s reason for being. Providing a health-promoting and sustainable food supply is the Co-op’s condition for being. The Co-op’s mission is to serve our World by serving our Neighbor. In practical terms, a great portion of its mission is realized in giving preference to local goods and services rather than those of a more remote origin. This preference, of course, is to be given with respect to a sustainable ethical context.
To a certain extent this ethic has been realized in the rise of Community Supported Agriculture and Farmers’ Markets. Yet in both of these entities, there seems to be something lacking. In Community Supported Agriculture, we are indeed giving much needed support to a local farm, but are we supporting our community as well? Is the farm meeting all of our needs? The Farmers’ Markets may be better at meeting more of our needs. But do they do so at all times? And can we be sure that we are supporting sustainable farming practices? And are we sure that the goods at the Farmers’ Markets are local? These models were a great leap forward from the past. Neither, however, is fully conducive to the task of building a sustainable way of life for our society.
Small organic farms need fairly direct access to the communities that support them. Communities need a supply of a variety of sustainably produced farm goods. It is to satisfy both of these needs that a farm-to-market model is proposed. This model is designed to satisfy needs, build connections, and build community in the process. Building community is an integral component toward achieving a sustainable way of life.
We have been expected to believe in a myth of rugged individualism: that the good of the whole is contained in the good of the individual. We have been told that ‘looking out for number one’ and asking ‘what is in it for me’ are high acts of altruism, conducive to the greatest benefit of all. Quite to the contrary, great souls down through the centuries have always asked us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Those who have made it a point to practice this have found that the good of the individual is inextricably linked with the good of the neighbor, the good of the community, the good of the whole.
So how does the Co-op intend to build community? Like any ecosystem, the means are manifold. The Co-op is member and community owned; it is engaged with the community and responsive to it. The Co-op has a large member and community volunteer staff. This brings the people of the community into a greater proximity with each other. We cannot serve our neighbor without knowing our neighbor. And we will not know our neighbor if we do not meet our neighbor.
When we commit to using our community resources: businesses that are the life-bread of our neighbors, we contribute to the well-being of our community. What has been called the multiplier effect comes into play. Significantly more money stays in the community when it is spent at a locally owned independent business. Locally owned independent businesses are invested in their community, and spend a larger portion of their revenue on supporting local non-profits. Despite all of these facts, it is difficult for people to break the habit of merely looking for the seemingly best deal, and to commit to supporting the community that supports them. The Co-op will serve as a kind of support group wherein the ethic of supporting our neighbors first is cultivated.
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