| Cultivating Relationships |
| Articles - Life In BV |
|
by: Dustin Urban Paleontology and the Local Economy? The two subjects seemed unrelated at first, but Dan was onto something. Organisms under stress, he told us, are faced with three options: migrate, adapt or die. Faced with these alternatives, humans don’t generally choose death. Migration would also be a poor choice since the seventeen men and women sitting in my living room were gathered out of concern for and love of the Arkansas Valley. So adaptation, Dan observed, would be our most logical option in times of change. From the perspective of paleontology, he explained, there are two forms of adaptation available to us: parasitic or symbiotic. We can either take the resources we need at the expense of others—the parasitic option. Or we can cultivate relationships which are cooperative and mutually beneficial—the symbiotic option. I think Dan spoke for most of the room in advocating a cooperative approach to this dilemma. So that brought us to a core question in our discussion of nurturing the local economy: how do we live symbiotically with nature and other humans as we adapt to pressing new circumstances?Dan, myself, and 15 other community members had all gathered at my home as a part of an ongoing book club discussion of Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. Initiated by future South Main resident Allison Abdelnour of Buena Vista, these meetings have become an opportunity for members of the community to come together and discuss the future of our town and valley. Many of us shared our own unique perspectives that night on topics from the state of the local food economy to the costs and benefits of “free market capitalism.” But Dan’s comments stuck with me somehow. They had a resonance and kernel of truth to them that some part of me knew was vital to understanding where we stand as a community at both the local and global levels. Dan has pointed out to me on more than one occasion that we in Buena Vista could easily be forced to adapt to significant environmental challenges in the future. He recalled a storm not long ago that prevented food deliveries to the grocery store. If an event like another storm or spiking oil prices were to cut off deliveries for an extended period of time, we would be faced with the very real dilemma of where to find food. At that point our best option would be to fall back on the developing network of local food producers and consumers in our county. Supporting the local economy in our valley—in good times as well as emergencies—makes good sense. It amounts to the very sort of symbiotic approach Dan described. Buying directly from local producers supports a more sustainable economic model; more dollars go directly into their pockets when they are not shipping their product elsewhere before it reaches the consumer. In a dynamically changing world, the best thing we can do to adapt is cooperate. Our book club meetings have shown me that we have a vibrant and diverse community to fall back on in Chaffee County. They give us an opportunity to discuss the changes our community is facing and to form proactive and inspiring visions for the future. Each month South Main sends out an eUpdate which features new articles for and about the local Buena Vista community. To subscribe, please visit our contact us page. |