Core Values: Three pillars of a food revolution

An noteworthy article by Anna Lappe, Three Pillars of a Food Revolution appeared recently in Yes! magazine.

Based on a June 2010 presentation to a National Cooperative Grocers Association session, Anna Lappe’s article conveys the usual strong values-quotient of Yes! reports as well as their typical brevity.

The key to the future of food, if we are to articulate a relevant and sustainable response, is what Anna Lappe calls a “climate-friendly” system.  Her three pillars are ecology, community, and fairness– all essential ingredients of sustainable food from farm to table.  It’s a very broad overview in a few words concerning the complexities faced by those of us working for cooperative solutions.  A key assumption is that efforts to explain and build a climate-friendly system are less likely to be co-opted by corporate “greenwashing” if we shift the conversation to core values.

Lappe already recognizes the importance of cooperatives and highlights them in her comments on community. Co-ops, in order to fully represent themselves in that conversation about values and solutions, can put forth their democratic ownership foundation as a method that strongly supports the three pillars of ecology, community, and fairness.