WCRS Podcast - consciousvoices

Jones who heads Local Matters said food is something that can bring people together to address tough issues.

As for the relationship of Local Matters with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and the Ohio Department of Agriculture--(which some people have criticized for promoting big industrial farming at the expense of small farmers)-- Jones said, "We, as an organization, recognize there is a difference between working with and partnering with somebody and supporting all of the policies of that particular organization.

"We say this all of the time within the confines of Local Matters, 'Do you want to be right or do you want to be effective ?'"

Jones said Local Matters seeks common ground with the ODA and the bureau in order to be effective at bringing about the type of change they (Local Matters) would like to see.

As for a definition for ‘local food’, he said “ the best working definition that I can give you from Local Matters’ perspective would be to eat food grown as closely (as possible) to the place where you live. For some people that’s their backyard. For some other people, it’s a farmers’ market.”

Jones suggests not using a definition based only on geography or mileage.

“We used to talk about local as being food from Ohio…But if you only talk about food in Ohio and you live in northeast Ohio, local food for you may be right across the border in Pennsylvania.”

Jones said he and his colleagues with Local Matters have found that people in communities in need--where there are 'food deserts'-- often are more focused on getting more healthful food for themselves and their families than they are focused on whether or not the food is local.

Jones said for people in such communities, it makes sense to bring in food that is healthier than fast food, even if the food is not local. “Then what we can do is try to make as much of that food as local as possible.”

Here is a brief conversation with David Cobb at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus. Cobb is an activist with MovetoAmend.org. and was the 2004 presidential candidate for the Green Party.

Movetoamend.org formed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The organization seeks to amend the US Constitution in order to abolish the legal construct of corporate personhood.

“In order to build a democratic society, we’re going to have to address the unconstitutional legal doctrine of corporate personhood. Corporations are able to overturn democratically enacted laws to protect elections, to protect the environment, to protect our safety and health, to protect workers , our food supply, water, clean air…At the end of the day, this is not just a law (for abolishing corporate personhood). It’s a legal lynchpin. It is a key to being able to create the just, compassionate and democratic society that we deserve.”

I told Cobb that some ecological thinkers, such as Richard Heinberg, reject the idea that our environmental problems would be solved simply be reigning in corporate power.

“Well, there’s no doubt about that. Reigning in corporate power or even amending the constitutions will give us the tools we need to address the problems that we have. A key problem that we have is that we are literally destroying the planet faster than it can replenish itself

“The materialistic, consumer-driven culture that is dependent on burning so-called cheap oil for energy, transportation, and even to produce to food, is going to come to an end. And we don’t have anything on the horizon to replace it. So I agree with my friend Rick Heinberg that the party is over and it’s up to us to transition to a new way of being on this planet.

Storyteller Michael Kasony-O'Malley is someone whose work connects with the Northwest Earth Institute course offerings