Friday, January 23, 2009

slow down.

Last night we attended a lecture by Woody Tasch, author and founder of Slow Money.

It was inspirational and challenging, yet elegantly simple. The organization's mission is to raise donations that will help small, for-profit businesses, with a focus on restoring and preserving local economies, get the funding they need to become self-sufficient.

I know we're all "buy fresh, buy local"ed to death, but his point is that even if you're shopping at the farmer's market, you shouldn't be able to live with yourself if your retirement funds are helping the coal industry in China or any other mega-multi-national make a buck while doing global harm.

That maybe the bigger picture shouldn't be how GREAT an ROI you can get financially, but how much is benefiting the community you live in, and ultimately, the planet. This is probably more than people want to think about right now, when jobs and homes are being lost at alarming rates, but what better time?

So I don't know what's next. They're still putting their funding together; we're still supporting local businesses and investing in socially responsible funds (which don't seem to be doing any worse than any other funds these days). But maybe try to join a CSA this year, ok?

I remember reading Fast Food Nation, and the impact it had on me. The point (and Omnivore's Dilemma has a similar one) isn't necessarily to stop eating fast food. It's about knowledge. It's about understanding where things come from, and making informed choices. You can do WHATEVER YOU WANT. But it's pretty empowering to know the full story and THEN make your choices. Whether it's choosing your president for the next four years, or what sort of car you're going to drive for the next decade, or what you're having for lunch. (Hmmm... lunch.)