Relocalization in Eugene
February 22nd, 2008 by Jim JustThere’s a great interview with Dan Armstrong, writer, activist, and owner of Mud City Press, at Carolyn Baker’s website Speaking Truth to Power.
Looking for a way to effectively come to grips with the realities of peak oil, climate change, environmental degradation – and with the loss of faith in the ability or will of a corrupt national government to address these realities – Armstrong turned to the relocalization movement.
“If you apply energy to local politics, whether in the city council or at neighborhood meetings, you have some modest chance of effecting change. Add that Peak Oil is a market issue and is changing the economic gradient of everything in the direction of relocalization.”
Relocalization may not bring salvation or change the world overnight, but it’s a place to begin.
“Nowhere else in all my involvement have I felt or seen the kind of community building that I’ve seen in the food relocalization movement. While emotional Peak Oil or climate change presentations, sadly, have done little to change business as usual, food discussions do. If you want to get involved, I suggest food security as a good place to start, not because it will change the world today, not because it will bring salvation, but because you can see incremental positive response. And if you’re fighting your state of mind, this helps.”