My son attends UVM and introduced me to Vermont Fresh Network, a collective of farmers, food producers and chefs. They work together to build the Vermont food and farm economy. Wishing other communities would take their lead.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Fresh Network’s Facebook.
- Marilyn
A rhetorical conversation starter:
Starbucks purchases mugs from American Mug & Stein, in East Liverpool, Ohio, and sells them in their stores. Not your typical corporate move, which would choose a large-scale factory in Asia over a small-town factory in the U.S.
How does that relationship (and others, like Chipotle’s commitment to sustainable food systems) alter the perception we have about global corporations?
Can supporting corporations be okay, if their practices break the mold of what made “corporations” a bad word in the first place?
Discuss.
-Ben
Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein just arrived in the mail and I’m really looking forward to reading the book! I heard Charles speak at the BALLE 2012 conference in Grand Rapids and attended one of his workshops. I was completely mesmerized by his presentation, his ideas, and his message. From his website:
Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth.
The idea of endless growth vs. sustainability is something that we’ve very interested in exploring at Block Club. How can we use our gifts to build a healthy community instead of just a healthy bottom line? Is it possible to have both?
-Patrick
