Hi Sharon Thank you for replying, it is actually rather important to me to hear back that others see this phenomenon as well. I will try to post here again if I ever accomplish anything significant
After looking more closely at ABCD resources it seems there is a lot of emphasis on what I would consider true grassroots resource building in ideas like the local capacity listings which seem spot on. Yet there would seem to be a careful course to steer in terms of inviting in the large local businesses, or even public officials, who, maybe in spite of good intentions, will continue to perpetuate the top down type of organizing that created a system relatively devoid of grassroots involvement in the first place
My previous experience with some of the umbrella Go Local groups was marked by an insistence that large local business alliances should fundamentally run the show. That may be an inevitable to some degree, but some sort of grassroots organizing within the general populace of any given community also seems like a worthy goal. In a sense it is of course more work to get true grassroots community movement going. But such a movement is more likely to affect a more fundamental change than a business only movement might.
Deb-I was kind of hoping for some feedback on my site if possible. Karlie- Thanks for sharing your site, and I hope we can at least compare notes as time goes on
Sorry about the link but if you go tothe Larger Issues" menu which the furthest linkto the right of the seven menus which appear below the header of Napa Food Cooperative. I very much agree about the ability to iterate our projects to other communities, and again wish people would coordinate. And again to diffentiate a bit from what I hear others saying. our effort is to try to set out the various subjects in a coherent way that offers the seemingly salient questions, and then offer a series of resourcesfor individuals to access in response. It very much goes to the belief that a diversity of inputs from a large community is a better mechanism towards the synthesis of a new localism than is anything to formulaic. Clearly a tightrope exists between a strong protocol or formula towards community networking, as opposed to a more organic and dispassionate observer and coordinator role. You have to trust to some degree that human nature and the examples of a fewcanhighlight the right priorities for othersin all of this IMHO
OK here is the link to the the page at my site that has the best introduction I have so far. It is actually not listed as the main introduction, but is rather under the "Larger Issues" menu at the site. I have a little embarrassment in that it is not ready for prime time, but I get in this dilemawhere I amwaiting to finish more things on the site and showing other people on what I am working on
http://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php
I should add that whether or not anyway thinks my particualr layout is effective is a secondary question to that of a more general question of whether an online based resource focus to community organizing is possible. And if it is possible then what might it look like?It would seem that "producing something" at the local level is a key component that many of us share, and that such a productive focus can concureently rekindle new and more intimate relationships for the members of the community.My feeling on the question of what such an effort is a kind of; combination discussion of local economics and the multiplier effect etc, permaculture or other sustainable technologies, the share and gift economies, peer to peer technologies and open source copyright, the potential of alternative health practices adopted at the local level, the issue raised by the public banking institute and our ability to create capital at the local level, how resiliency practices can be assisted by working with local government, and looking closely at how we can create local media alliances, local papers. local kiosks etc. From my perspective I am trying to put to the side the argument on climate chage, resource depletion, collapse, economic inequality and a lot the issues that we tend to become polarized by in our seperate camps. The issues are critical of course and a ommunity must eventually tlk about the subject since one might not see a need for local production if they think the larger economicsystem and environmental impacts of said econoomy are just fine. The main idea is to try to focus on what can we produce at the forefront and try to avoid or delay the discussion of the larger issues that tend to polarize us for a later date when we might have a diferent attitude aboiut themIt is a hard thing to explain quickly, but that is my best shot for starters
Hi- Interesting timing that I just found this website and you are having a discussion on the subject i am most closely involved with. I have a weebly version that is mostly an outline at this point, and i have been working hard to get it to a point where I am comfortable showing it. I have considered several incarnations but this one has at its heart growing food locally. I feel this is the logical centerpiece and then you add in further avenues of community networking once you get some succees growing food. The first section is on site preperation, second is the plants and their characteristics and then the third is communiy networking. Community networking is in a sense how to create capital, insurance, and trading systems for produce. But this topic can quickly lead to larger discussion of value, happiness, health and the attitudes which effect our approach to trade and commerce even at the local level.
I need to add my dissapointment that there is not more discussion on this subject in the general culture. Everyone talks about going out an doing things locally or getting involved with GoLocal or Transition movements. GoLocal organizations seem to be dominated by an unresponsive national organization, and the Transition movement seems to be lacking much explicit DIY type information other than attending thier workshops. Perhaps workshops seem fine but I am more interested in supplying as many online resources and explanations as possible and then augmenting with in person workshops. I also find them a little reluctant to coordinatye with those wporking on similar projects but not officially under the transition label.
I assume Karlie Cole may be wotking on local sustainability in a more urban environment than the one I am dealing with here in Napa, and in general this site seems more aimed at urban conditions. I would nonetheless hope their is room for discussion between those who are growing food where land is not as resttricted as it is in the uran environment. Anyway really hoping this can go somewhere, and i can leave the link to my partially completed site if anyone is interested
