Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW)’s Post

It's no secret that the bulk of Americans do not and cannot grow their own food. Many of us no matter where we live are dependent on the food we can get from grocery stores and farmers markets in our area, and while societies have also exchanged food in marketplaces, our dependence on produce from places we cannot see has never been so large. While rapid, this change in production has been ongoing since 1840, the end of the Industrial Revolution. At Collective Food Works, we hope to empower our community by helping them to establish their own food networks for their families and larger communities. In New York City, urban agriculture practices, such as a community garden, are even more important as arable land is extremely limited. This post is to encourage all of you to start your own garden. If you can't, try to spend your money at local farmer's markets instead of large supermarkets. Together we can establish proper food networks within our community. #community

Supporting Local Farmers! 🌾🤝 School meal programs aren't just feeding kids; they're uplifting communities! With programs aiming for local procurement, smallholder farmers are finding new markets and opportunities. #SchoolMeals #FarmToSchool #LocalProcurement

📅 May is Queensland Small Business month! Queensland is home to more than 482,000 small businesses — 97% of all businesses — that contribute around $117 billion to the state economy each year. Our work means that we regularly connect with small businesses across the state and we were thrilled to assist Daly’s Native Plants in taking advantage of a low-cost water offer made available to small businesses and community groups as part of an unallocated water release in the Lower Brisbane River and Cabbage Tree Creek sub-catchment areas. Daly’s is a wholesale plant nursery offering a wide-variety of quality Australian natives cultivated onsite at Mansfield. The allocation of this additional water is now helping the business and its plants to thrive. There’s still 67 megalitres of water available for allocation to local small businesses and community groups in the Moreton Water Plan area. If that’s you and you’re looking for low-cost ways to help you irrigate your public green space, consider applying. More info: https://bit.ly/3OCIdgs #supportsmallbusiness #QSBM2024 #LoveYourSmallBusiness

Driving off the beaten path, you see a lot of old America, most of it abandoned. These once-thriving towns are now facing big challenges with population declines, economic hardships, and the closure of local businesses. It’s a tough reality with serious impacts on our communities and even our food sources. Did you know 76 counties in the U.S. don't have a single grocery store? That includes pet food too, creating food deserts and pet food deserts, especially in the Midwest and Great Plains. We can make a difference! Support local businesses, push for policies that help small towns, improve infrastructure and engage with your community. Let's keep these vital parts of our heritage alive. Share how you support local businesses in the comments. Tag a local business you love, and let’s spread the word! #SupportLocal #SaveOurTowns #PetOwnersForSmallTowns #Americana #RoadTrip #SupportLocal #AGirlAndHerDog

Not only do farmers markets benefit our state economy, but they also provide a hub for building community. Shoppers at the farmers market have 15-20 social interactions compared to the 1 or 2 at the grocery store. Farmers markets are essential in fostering community connections, especially in a state as big as ours. These are the farmers markets spread across Texas. Commissioner Miller encourages everyone to visit a farmers' market to support farmers and local businesses #TexasAgricultureMatters #FarmersMarketWeek

Let's imagine. I am sitting in Rajasthan, yearning for a taste of the sea, craving saltwater fish. I decide to visit a fancy restaurant, ready to indulge in my desire. But where did this fish come from? Likely, it traveled thousands of kilometers to reach my plate. It was packed in #plastic, which means it might have absorbed #microplastics and toxins from the packaging. To keep it fresh over such a long journey, significant energy was consumed – think of all the ice and cold storage needed. By the time it reaches me, how nutritious is this fish after being in storage for days or even weeks? And why, in this situation where food traverses great distances and diverse climates, do we consider ourselves empowered by the ability to choose? We can replace this example with countless food items. Today in Jaipur, where I am, seafood is readily available. So are plants like bamboo, fruits like strawberries, and a plethora of packaged foods imported from around the world. This is true for most urban places globally. We take pride in having these 'choices', but what do we end up sacrificing in return? In reality, the empowerment we feel from having such choices might be an illusion. The cost of transporting food across vast distances involves environmental degradation and a significant carbon footprint. The plastic used for packaging contributes to pollution, impacting marine life and our health. The energy consumed in refrigeration and storage adds to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change. Moreover, the food's nutritional quality often diminishes during long storage periods, meaning that what we eat may not be as healthy as we think. The convenience of variety and choice comes at the expense of sustainability and well-being. Perhaps true empowerment lies in rethinking our food choices, prioritizing local and seasonal produce, and understanding the broader impact of what we consume. By doing so, we can make more informed decisions that benefit our health and the planet, fostering a sustainable and genuinely empowering food system. #FoodForThought #SustainableLiving #EcoFriendly #CarbonFootprint #PlasticPollution #LocalProduce #SustainableChoices #FoodMiles #EnvironmentalImpact #GreenLiving #FoodSustainability #EatLocal #ClimateChange #EcoConscious #HealthyEating #FarmToTable #ZeroWaste #FoodSecurity #CircularEconomy #ReduceReuseRecycle

"It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it." At The People & Places Partnership Ltd. we love it when a local authority asks us to help review 'how' they reshape places rather than soley focusing on the 'what'. Even better when that it's a local authority like Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in Northern Ireland that already has a good processes in place and a respected track record of working with their communities to reshape and bring their town centres to life. After all, it's no use assembling some of the possible ingredients for turning-around a town if you haven't got the right recipe. As last week's Institute of Place Management report on the work of the High Streets Task Force showed, many local authorities are struggling to deliver fully on Levelling Up and commitments because the local knowhow and capacity to work in partnership is lacking. Today -over breakfast- I am presenting my review findings to many of the two dozen civil servants, council officers, local members, busniness representaives and community groups covering #coleraine #ballycastle #ballymoney #portrush #portstewart and #limavardy, who took the time to speak to me. I'll let you know how it goes down! And why the pork pie metaphor? Because I cannot go into a town centre without popping into the local butchers to emerge with a pasty (or pastie here), a sausage roll or a pie (preferably pork!). It's one of my benchmarks of how the town is evolving. Melton Mowbray's pork pies are good; the Suffolk pork in the pies in Beccles Market takes some beating; though my favourite is a warm pork pie with crisp pastry from Skipton! It seems that every town has its own recipe for success!

#comidalenta y #consumelocal es la respuesta... Dos movimientos internacionales contra el #cambioclimatico #slowfood and #localconsumption is the answer... Two world-wide movements fighting versus #climatechange.

A wonderful article in Municipal World by Tony Di Giovanni!

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