You Say You Want a Revolution?

We certainly cannot claim to have invented the Sustainability movement. In fact this idea is at least ten years old, probably older, and is in full swing in many other communities. But we are proud to bring the idea to our little corner of the world and to raise the awareness of the many issues which fall under the general sustainability umbrella.

If you think that Sustainable Glasgow, Inc., or the Sustainability movement is just about farmer’s markets, then we have done a poor job communicating our mission. Sustainabilty, as a movement, has many faces, but all of them relate to the creation of plans and infrastructure capable of helping us provide for our own essential needs. A sustainable economy would have a master plan and facilities for feeding ourselves, for providing our own energy needs, for providing our own entertainment and quality of life, for supporting and encouraging local artists and performers, and even for providing our own capital (the money necessary to finance all of the above).

Perhaps you have never seen yourself as part of a movement, but it is time to consider joining one. With respect to the idea of Sustainability, you truly are either part of the solution or a part of the problem. Continuing the habit of purchasing your family’s food at a supermarket means that you are not concerned that our present food economy is unsustainable. It continues our vulnerability to contaminated and unhealthy food from factories instead of from local farms. It continues our vulnerability to finding ourselves hungry due to the interruption of a regular supply of diesel fuel, electric power, or even a closure of one highway - Interstate 65!

Continuing to just pay your electric bill instead of asking where your electric power comes from and demanding that its production get cleaner and more sustainable, places you on the other side from those who would like to establish clean, local means of generating some of the power we use in Glasgow. Joining in with Sustainable Glasgow, Inc. and the Sustainability movement would add momentum to the idea of local energy production. Joining our movement would also enlarge the group that wants to provide a venue for local musicians and artists, which would enhance the possibility of making Glasgow more like the places we long to visit in resort communities afar. Sustainable Glasgow will be lobbying for more money spent on things like walking, running, jogging, and bicycling infrastructure and less on investments for foreign companies that take more from our community than they give. We will be working with local banks and businesspeople to establish methods for local investors to buy stock in local businesses and local folks who want to establish, or expand, a local business.

Are you totally satisfied with the way things are in Glasgow and the way you are living your life? If so, peace be with you – perhaps the Sustainability movement is not for you. If you yearn for change, for improvement in the way we provide for the essentials of life, Sustainable Glasgow needs you! If you want to learn more about these sustainable concepts, go to our outstanding local library and check out books like Deep Economy, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Slow Money, Blessed Unrest, and The Small Mart Revolution. And remember our mantra – Live Local!