Author, Affiliation, Date:
Jo Turner, Sunshine Coast Eco News, Nov-Dec 2006
Body:
This issue in LIVING SMART Jo Turner looks at the effects of globalization and the countermovement that’s gaining momentum in Queensland – relocalization; starting with people using their consumer dollars to support their local community from within.
I wonder if our great-grandparents would have imagined a global trading system worth $10 million a minute, splicing toad genes into the humble spud, or the type of social inequity where only three cents or so from each cup of coffee, goes back to the farmer who grew the beans. Some of our grandies might not have traveled further than 1,500 kms from home in their lives, yet most of our meals travel further than that to get to our plate. They would have either grown a lot of their own food or at least known where it came from, free of the chemical cocktails that we now ingest on a daily basis.
Globalization has just about gobbled up regional, small-scale traditional production, and morphed the world’s food sources into one big Sunday-night leftovers dinner where you’re never quite sure what went into it. The stranglehold by trans-national companies over the world’s food industries (and conveniently over biotechnology, media, chemical and other mutually beneficial industries) has allowed these corporate giants to achieve incredible wealth and power at the expense of people, animals and the planet.
This has been made easier by vague labeling of contents, hard-to-trace brand ownership, and elaborate production and transport trails.
But what can we do about it? Well, a lot, it seems. World-wide, there is a growing movement called Relocalization (http://www.relocalize.net). Maroochy Permaculture is starting a Sunshine Coast group as we speak. (Contact me for details).
Communities are taking back control over the food they eat, their choices, the future sustainability of their neighbourhoods, and their ability to cope in an energy-constricted future. But for now, we operate in a world driven by demand and supply, and this gives the consumer great power. If we stop demanding it, they won’t produce it. As Anita Roddick said, “never underestimate the power of the vigilante consumer”. Use the table below to do a spring clean of your food cupboard and possibly change who benefits from your dollar.
Author, Affiliation, Date:
Jo Turner, Sunshine Coast Eco News, Nov-Dec 2006
Teaser:
This issue in LIVING SMART Jo Turner looks at the effects of globalization and the countermovement that’s gaining momentum in Queensland – relocalization; starting with people using their consumer dollars to support their local community from within.
Body:
This issue in LIVING SMART Jo Turner looks at the effects of globalization and the countermovement that’s gaining momentum in Queensland – relocalization; starting with people using their consumer dollars to support their local community from within.
I wonder if our great-grandparents would have imagined a global trading system worth $10 million a minute, splicing toad genes into the humble spud, or the type of social inequity where only three cents or so from each cup of coffee, goes back to the farmer who grew the beans. Some of our grandies might not have traveled further than 1,500 kms from home in their lives, yet most of our meals travel further than that to get to our plate. They would have either grown a lot of their own food or at least known where it came from, free of the chemical cocktails that we now ingest on a daily basis.
Globalization has just about gobbled up regional, small-scale traditional production, and morphed the world’s food sources into one big Sunday-night leftovers dinner where you’re never quite sure what went into it. The stranglehold by trans-national companies over the world’s food industries (and conveniently over biotechnology, media, chemical and other mutually beneficial industries) has allowed these corporate giants to achieve incredible wealth and power at the expense of people, animals and the planet.
This has been made easier by vague labeling of contents, hard-to-trace brand ownership, and elaborate production and transport trails.
But what can we do about it? Well, a lot, it seems. World-wide, there is a growing movement called Relocalization (http://www.relocalize.net). Maroochy Permaculture is starting a Sunshine Coast group as we speak. (Contact me for details).
Communities are taking back control over the food they eat, their choices, the future sustainability of their neighbourhoods, and their ability to cope in an energy-constricted future. But for now, we operate in a world driven by demand and supply, and this gives the consumer great power. If we stop demanding it, they won’t produce it. As Anita Roddick said, “never underestimate the power of the vigilante consumer”. Use the table below to do a spring clean of your food cupboard and possibly change who benefits from your dollar.
