How many of you are familiar with all the smart technologies - appliances, phones, cities, etc. etc. etc.?
In my early days of organic farming and activism I became aware of the concept of Smart Cities in Portland, Oregon. Sounded great and I bought it hook line and sinker until one day I was given another view which I will share at another time.
Right now this article will express how I feel about Smart Cities, and how it speaks to our Food Prosperity Central project of reclaiming our community back in the hands of the people be it our food supply, our economy, our sense of community, even our grocery stores.
Do you know 6 multi-national corporations control our food supply and 4 of them control 33%, so for ease we could say an average of 5 companies control our food supply. That they are beholden to their shareholders financial benefit and not to yours, mine or our health and well-being is obvious.
I grew up before there was fast food. Actually McDonald's came into town when I was in high school, so I grew up with home cooked meals and dinner around the table. I feel like a bridge to that way of life and want to reinvigorate it into our little community, for starters. This is one of the reasons we have Local Food/Homemade Potlucks in our event schedule so we can reconnect with our community around the dinner table instead of waiting in line in our cars for cheap corporate food that cheapens our health and way of life.
I'll finish with a couple of quotes from the article. “For many of our challenges, we don’t need new technologies or new ideas; we need the will, foresight and courage to use the best of the old ideas,” she (Saxe) says.
"It is eminently possible to weave ancient knowledge of how to live symbiotically with nature into how we shape the cities of the future, before this wisdom is lost forever. We can rewild our urban landscapes, and apply low-tech ecological solutions to drainage, wastewater processing, flood survival, local agriculture and pollution that have worked for indigenous peoples for thousands of years, with no need for electronic sensors, computer servers or extra IT support."
I love this article and hope you take the time to not only read it but to get inspired and in action to take our power back individually and as a community. Food Prosperity Central is here as a conduit for this possibility and we welcome and encourage your participation. Everyone has something to contribute, be it a skill, an idea, time, financial support, a kind thought, a connection. I look forward to meeting you all!
To a beautiful day!
Susie