 Trick or Treat anyone?! Hibernation mode is setting in and the taste of warming foods like stews and soups are appealing. The primal need to shore up some reserves of fat is a wise one that we see in the natural world in wintertime in preparation for rest in the long dark nights. For many the dark evenings are difficult to cope with mentally but I find that a change of mindset to embrace the time for extra rest is helpful. Eating well – real nourishing foods cannot be overstated enough especially now as we head into the winter. The Halloween trick or treat time can be yet another sugar fest for children and you can be sure to see them suffering with colds and flu a few weeks after any splurge. Have you ever noticed this?
Our relationship with sugar is complex. Very complex. Our generation are now consuming far more than we can cope with individually and collectively. It’s overwhelming our bodies and our brains. And we are paying a very heavy price in society. Diabetes is sickeningly normal. But it is more than just the damage to the select pancreas. Picture this! Alzheimers – Diabetes of the brain, Osteoporosis – Diabetes of the bones, Acne – Diabetes of the skin. Name it whatever you like – our sugar consumption is robbing us of our potential to be our best selves and keeping our attention away from what truly matters. If as much attention was paid to nourishing our community with real food as is spent on “treating” us with the slow poison, where could we be? It’s not a trick question… Anne Maher
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 Not all food is created equal, and we are beginning to realise the reality of this. It is encouraging to see the collective awakening happening on the harms we are doing to the population. The drive to force the land to yield extra so that the growing populations could be fed (in the form of the Green Revolution) has had an untold implication for our health. Though this revolution brought us cheap food we are paying an ultimate price to balance the books.
Revaluing food for what it truly is capable of is part of our goals. But how do you present the true value of food to the consumer so used to low prices for food? Organic food has created a value proposition and there is much work being done to maintain the status of difference that this word represents. But it is not black and white. Like our human microbiome there is increasing recognition that there is enormous variability in the soil health and resulting nutrient content of foods. A label may not be able to communicate the true value. We are following with interest the work of the Bionutrient Institute in the US on this topic. Looking at the variability of the nutrient content of a variety of crops, the range is quite amazing. One beetroot can be 9 times more nutrient dense than another. It really does matter where it comes from and how long it has taken to get to the consumer. We would love to test our local foods and compare notes! Our taste buds can often give us a clue to the quality. The question is are we prepared to put a price on this difference? Anne Maher  As part of co-operative principles and in line with our strategic plan, our work experience program has gotten underway this week.
We are delighted to engage with a wide variety of valued community participants, in this unique and exciting venture. Our current community partners include:
We aim to provide meaningful, individualised, and relevant skill sampling in an effort to highlight existing individual strengths. This allows participants to explore new work opportunities in a supported and structured learning and working environment. The initiative has already garnered much support and positive feedback, both from participants and local stakeholders. The dual benefits are already apparent to both The Urban Co-op and our community partners and will be part of an on-going and expanding social inclusion engagement process. Geraldine Fitzpatrick
spent learning and tramping about fields and meadows at Brookfield Farm at the end of June, the timing of our introduction felt significant.
For centuries, sainfoin (which translates from French as “healthy hay”) enjoyed widespread pride of place in traditional land cultivation throughout the world. So ubiquitous was this forage legume in the U.K., it is said that one in seven fields in southern England were covered in its pink flowers until the mid-1940s. Considered by farmers as the ‘best cog in the farming wheel’, it was recognised for its successful and beneficial use in pasture fields as fodder for ruminants, but also as a miracle crop that gave back to the soil. Sainfoin boasts so many benefits to humans, grazing animals, and the planet alike that it seems incredibly nonsensical for it to have ever fallen out of favour. When you understand the context behind its decline in popularity, though, things start to make more sense. As the penny drops, I challenge you not to nod in a knowing and jaded manner. Why did sainfoin lose popularity? Sainfoin was just one victim of the creeping loss of long-held wisdom and knowledge about crop diversity and soil health as the industrialisation of agriculture and “yield is king” era pushed other more “productive”, more “efficient” crops up the pecking order. Farm support payments of this era insisted upon prioritisation of intensive production and output. Creation of and reliance upon a monoculture of crops decided upon as the most reliable (and use of synthetic fertilisers to enforce this reliability) was deemed to be the answer. At the time, sainfoin’s tendency towards inconsistent yield and slow regrowth meant it didn’t make the cut. As is often the case, decisions or paths taken that seem ridiculous to us in hindsight, with the benefit of that hindsight and of the information available to us now, can be more easily understood if viewed through the lens of the mainstream thinking that led the charge at the time. Of course, the disappearance of sainfoin from our land dovetails with this ethos of the post-war Green Revolution. But the times are changing. For those involved in regenerative and sustainable agriculture, interest in the powerhouse that is sainfoin is enjoying a resurgence. Benefits of sainfoin The benefits of utilising sainfoin in agriculture are manifold. In contrast to many of the cereals and grasses currently used in pasture, sainfoin, as a member of the forage legume family, offers high protein content and more effective utilisation of that protein within the animal’s system. Another digestive benefit of sainfoin is down to the tannins it contains, which help to prevent bloating. Nutritious, organic, filling food for happily grazing sheep and cattle can only be a good thing, but this is not the only plus - limiting bloating also means reduced ammonia and methane emissions, and we know how pressing of a concern reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector is. Sainfoin is also known for its ability to “fix” nitrogen from the atmosphere, ie: to sequester it in the soil and use it for the benefit of both its own growth, and the growth of any crops grown either with it or after it. While many plants unfortunately lack the capability to access and utilise the abundant nitrogen available in the atmosphere, the way sainfoin manages it is fascinating to learn about. Sainfoin partakes in a symbiotic process whereby bacteria with the ability to break nitrogen bonds make their home within the sainfoin plant, thus acting as its own personal pure nitrogen provider. It goes without saying that this natural process of providing nitrogen for plant and soil health is preferable to the use of its synthetic counterpart. While sainfoin is working its magic at fixing nitrogen back into the soil, it can tolerate low quality soil - this is particularly important to consider given the depleted nutrient value of much of our soils at the moment. In fact, there is evidence from the 1800s that tenant farmers were required to use sainfoin in order to maintain soil fertility. Further, due to this nutrient sequestration, as well as the way it responds to heat and light, sainfoin will actually produce higher yields as the planet grows warmer. It has also been proven to be both drought and frost tolerant. This is in contrast to many other forage legumes currently in use, such as alfalfa and clover, which have been shown to struggle with the abrupt and extreme changes in weather. This is just another way in which re-integration of sainfoin makes utter sense in a world where agricultural practices need to be adapted to the challenges presented by climate change. Sainfoin’s welcome contribution towards tackling our climate and biodiversity crises doesn’t end there. Through its ability to fix nitrogen, we have already seen how sainfoin is a dream come true for soil health and biodiversity. As a rich source of pollen and nectar, sainfoin is extremely attractive to pollinators of all types, meaning it also does an incredible job at promoting biodiversity of, and maintaining stability of, local ecosystems. While pollinators are welcome, pests and disease are not. Taken alongside many of its fellow legumes, sainfoin is known to be comparatively rather resistant to potentially serious pest and disease problems. On the topic of disease, sainfoin has long been lauded for its medicinal properties, even referred to in Italian as “herba medica”. The tannins in sainfoin have been shown to have potential as an untapped natural resource in replacing the need for anthelmintic (anti-parasitic) drugs in animal farming. Biological solutions are much preferred to these medications - not only do these drugs become increasingly ineffective as resistance to them builds over time, finding natural ways to combat against illness and disease is an overall kinder, healthier, and more cost-effective solution than relying on regular administration of drugs. In the face of threats to the status quo of current agricultural systems posed by climate change; in the face of worries about inconsistent or non-existent harvests of crops whose seasonal reliability we have carefully managed but are now less able to predict, sainfoin is a shining beacon leading us down a new path for the changing seasons we now must adapt to. Conclusion Huddled under the protection of some nearby trees while the unseasonal wind and drizzle did its best to steal away our enthusiasm, I encountered sainfoin for the first time. It captured my attention so fully because it is an emblem of some of the most pressing questions, we need to turn our attention to: why we have allowed ourselves to lose so much knowledge and diversity, and how to rethink our current food and farming systems in a way that acknowledges the significance of this loss, and attempts to redress it. If blindly continuing with a now broken food system that we created to solve problems from half a century ago is the problem, the answer is taking lessons from the past, incorporating them with new knowledge and applying them for our current reality. The story of sainfoin is not a unique one. We have forgotten, and are on the verge of losing, countless food varieties worldwide - varieties that could be pivotal in helping us to face catastrophes to come. Sainfoin can serve as a starting point in considering this. It shows that protecting and reintroducing the wisdom, techniques, and diversity we have allowed ourselves to lose or to ignore is integral in building kinder, healthier, more equitable and sustainable, less extractive, regenerative food and farming systems. Resources Carbonero, C. H., Mueller-Harvey, I., Brown, T. A., & Smith, L. (2011). Sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia): a beneficial forage legume. Plant Genetic Resources, 9(01), 70–85. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1479262110000328 Sheppard, SC, Cattani, DJ, Ominski, KH, Biligetu, B, Bittman, S, McGeough, EJ. Sainfoin production in western Canada: A review of agronomic potential and environmental benefits. Grass Forage Sci. 2019; 74: 6– 18. https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12403 Kelly Girardi Instagram @kelly_girardi Linktree kelly_girardi  Farming for Nature
It can be all too easy to sink into the depths of despair lately. No one needs me to point out the obvious on that one. With the seemingly endless bombardment of, oh, I don’t know, pandemics, wars, skyrocketing cost of living, potential fiery death of planet and all life along with it, to name a few, it can feel impossible to see the light at times. With good reason, a lot of us are spending a lot of our time in survival mode, barely concealing anxiety, panic and terror. It can be argued that this is, in fact, a rational response to a broken world. But, the nature of fear and panic is that it can become all-consuming. It is also contagious. Once sparked, it spreads like wildfire. It can become increasingly difficult to maintain precisely what is needed when things around us feel like unmanageable chaos: balance, hope, or , dare I say it, optimism. A steely focus on what we can do instead of drowning in a sea of everything outside of our control. Of course there will be days where we have to let ourselves submerge a little bit - we can’t pretend that those things outside of our control, those things capable of knocking the breath from us, don’t exist. But, without a sense of hope, we lose the ability and strength to pull ourselves up out of the water, take deep lungfuls of air, and start the battle afresh. Anecdotally, it seems that those who try to manage their reactions to the wildfire, those who maybe aren’t outwardly panicking, who maybe are even trying to remain hopeful, immediately raise suspicion. Others wonder whether this person is existing in some sort of alternate reality, unaware of what’s actually going on. Am I exaggerating? There must be few among us whose daily interactions and encounters don’t include some version of doom discussion, some questioning of whether there is any good news out there to cling on to. Against all odds, yes there is. It isn’t as ubiquitous, maybe not even as powerful, as the rest. But, it’s there. For my part, I would like to share something that is feeling a little bit like some calm among the chaos: the upsurge in interest in regenerative farming. Regenerative farming encompasses ways of farming according to principles which place the health of soils and ecosystems at the centre of the process. Rather than traditional methods which have plundered and depleted to serve increasingly unsustainable food supply demands, a symbiotic relationship between farmer and land, nurtured to provide for both human and nature, is at the forefront here. Regenerative farming is slowly making its way from the fringes. Over time and with patience, switching to and investing in regenerative farming practices will benefit us all. Farmers’ input costs are lower and not so reliant on volatile external systems. The food we, as consumers, have access to is much more nutritionally dense. Nature, the land, the soil, wildlife starts to return to full health. Psychologically, we start to return to the knowledge of us as part of the earth and the earth as a part of us. This feeling of disconnect from nature that so many have grown up with is, in my mind, in desperate need of attention. This has just been a criminally brief overview - the benefits are, in fact, endless. I’m not the only one who can see the benefits of making these changes. I can’t seem to stop coming across grassroots projects aimed at enhancing this awareness. Projects and groups finding ways of giving back to this earth, at working with it instead of taking from it, at fiercely pushing back against the damage we have done, at protecting and enhancing biodiversity, at finding ways to gather together and figure out how we can best serve this earth we have so hurt. It’s like when you learn a word for the first time - suddenly, you’re seeing it everywhere. I wrote about Doon Social Farm here previously. Now I hope you’ll join me in learning a little bit about Farming for Nature. Farming for Nature was set up as a storytelling vehicle, and a support network, for farmers nationwide to document and share their relationship with managing their lands according to regenerative practices. There can often be a narrative that farmers are locked in battle with nature, subduing it to their will in order to make their living in the most efficient way possible. The premise for Farming for Nature is the importance of understanding why that may be the case, while also spreading awareness that this is an unfair and reductive view. In the experience of many within this sector, farmers’ sometimes complicated relationship with the land does not come from an inherent disrespect for it. It’s unlikely anyone could be a farmer without a love for, and appreciation of, the land. Instead, consider that, in order to make as stable a living as possible in an increasingly volatile sector, farmers have long turned to the support of government strategies and funding, many of which have not had biodiversity and soil health on its list of priorities. Competing for resources and customers, all else falls by the wayside, a survival mode and panic can kick in. When we are struggling to meet our basic needs, our brains switch off to everything other than the quickest and most efficient way to get those basic needs met. Maybe we don’t have the space or support or time to think about the ripple effect of the methods used to get there. Mirroring the problems with our global food systems at large, the top-down narrative that output and yield is king, and that this necessitates plundering the land for all we can get without repair and restoration, has done immeasurable damage. It has run its course. The Farming for Nature network, its members and ambassadors, its comprehensive library of written resources, YouTube videos and podcasts, are an invaluable resource to direct us forward from this point, to guide farmers and public alike to a more enlightened and harmonious relationship with farming, with our food provenance, with nature. Don’t get me wrong: individuals should not be tasked with taking on the responsibility and cost to change entire systems, while those in power sit back and watch on in comfortable complacency. Support is needed. I am, of course, conscious of the challenges that farmers face in even beginning to rethink all of this. It is not easy to completely change the way you’ve always done things, to pivot to new systems, especially without appropriate funding, resources, education, supports; and maybe even without the interest, or will. But, the mere existence of, and widespread interest in, Farming for Nature, and similar grassroots projects, is a huge bright point at a time when bright points can feel hard to come by. So many of us now see that the benefits that come from regenerative farming can no longer be seen as a luxury in the midst of climate, food and biodiversity crises of our making. It is our responsibility, and more importantly, the responsibility of those in power, to rethink the ways we have always done things, and provide support for new, healthier ways forward. The only downside is that this takes time; time many of us fear we don’t have. But, that the awareness of our interconnectedness with this earth is increasingly important enough to a large enough group of people to begin to make these changes, even when it causes them discomfort, even with the niggle that time is running out, gives me hope. Consider this an example of a tale as old as time. In the vacuum created by lack of support and guidance from above, individuals tend to band together. Community-building, and sharing of skills and knowledge, in the face of difficulties and disaster has long been a cornerstone of progress. Taking matters into our own hands, if you will, while we wait for the higher ups to catch on. If this type of thinking is being stoked in the farming and food supply world, a sector so integral to our island, to our whole world, it’s not quite time to throw in the towel just yet. From the ground up, the message will be heard. Do the glimmers of hope outweigh the genuine reasons to be worried? I’m not sure. I do know that counteracting fear and hopelessness is essential. It isn’t a case of pretending the reasons to be afraid aren’t there. It isn’t a case of being delusional (although, a little healthy delusion can have its uses at times). It’s a case of trying to keep hope alive, alongside acknowledgement of, and, where possible, action to confront, the reasons to be worried. Searching for little glimmers of hope, connections and kindnesses doesn’t mean we are oblivious or indifferent to the harsh realities of the world we live in, the things to be reasonably upset and frightened about. But, hope is a powerful thing. And, losing hope is even more powerful still. We can’t challenge and question and push for change if we’ve lost hope. So, at the risk of being accused of toxic positivity, whitewashing, greenwashing, whatever other washing I might potentially be guilty of here - I invite us to keep trying to find our own reasons to be, if not cheerful, at least not hopeless. Some resources for learning more about Farming for Nature: https://www.farmingfornature.ie/resources/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZjnC1-s1Rw
A handful of local examples of farmers and groups practicing regenerative farming/ tackling biodiversity crisis (happily, the list nationwide is long and growing). SeedSavers in Scariff, Co. Clare.
Brookfield Farm on the banks of Lough Derg in Co. Tipperary. https://www.farmingfornature.ie/nominees/ailbhe-gerrard-2/
Hometree: a tree planting conservation project in Ennistymon, Co. Clare.
And, of course, our very own Jim Cronin! Kelly Girardi Instagram @kelly_girardi Linktree kelly_girardi
farm, but they have seen particular success in providing a safe space for those who might be considered more vulnerable, those who historically have struggled to find care and opportunities in a world which has seemed to develop to celebrate a few but fail many more, a world where difference or struggle has often been, at best, hidden, ignored, not provided for; at worst, punished and actively discouraged.
In 2019, in the small village of Doon, in County Limerick, a social farm with the hopes of providing all of the above and more brought a glimmer of hope to those following the potential of social farming to help heal both individuals and communities. It has been going from strength to strength. In Doon and the surrounding area, there is a sense of pride in the fact that such a place has been created on our own doorstep. On Friday May 13th, this pride could not have had a more visual representation. Hordes descended upon the 33 acre organic farm for an exceptionally well-thought out and organised Open Day. Immediately upon arrival, the atmosphere was buzzing with conversation and enthusiasm at what was being achieved here, and this atmosphere did not wane as the day progressed. The excitement was palpable. The land, whose setting, in a previous life, was home to the Sisters of Mercy convent and school, houses a number of stone buildings. One is now used as a farm shop where the home-grown produce is sold; another, a Men’s Shed where you might be lucky enough to come away with a repurposed piece of garden furniture. Set further beyond the courtyard and these old buildings, and home to more fragile fruits and vegetables (salad varieties, tomatoes, spinach, chard), poly-tunnels rise up in the foreground of an expanse of well-utilised outdoor space - a verdant field home to hardier root veg. Raised beds teased us with the promise of strawberries to come as the summer meanders on. Seeing the well-loved hens roaming free was a personal highlight. From bee-keeping demonstrations and information about horticultural courses to come, there is a sense, not only that new life is constantly growing and nurtured here, but that thought is being put into providing education that will allow this to continue. So much was going on, so much was being offered, so much hope hung in the air, that I realised I was finding myself (albeit pleasantly!) overwhelmed with the sense of occasion, the sense of possibility. It has been a number of years, I think, since many of us have gathered in large groups where the air fizzled with such optimism and intensity. I was lucky enough to take a quiet moment and gulp in a few breathfuls of clean, fresh air at the corner of the field. I felt nourished in a way that I struggled to put into words when describing the day to friends later. Among those interested in the power of our planet, if we just allow it to be, if we can co-exist healthily and work with it, to heal many of the ills that seem to stem from the societies we now live in, and how we exist in them, social farming is an exciting piece of the puzzle. Doon Social Farm is undoubtedly making its mark within this territory. I’ll end with this: I was recently introduced to the concept of biophilia. Let me rephrase that. I have recently been introduced to the fact that there is a word to describe an urge that I have long known exists within me, and, if we allow ourselves to acknowledge it, does exist within all of us. This is the innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world. The instinct to connect with nature. I can pinpoint at least some of the collective excitement at the farm that day as this instinct finally finding an outlet, a space where we can shift our attention away from distractions that consume and drain us and towards what comes naturally to us: celebrating our connection with, and need for, nature and other living beings. How lucky we are to have such places, such forward-thinking teams, providing these spaces for us to feel inspired at what the world could be. Kelly Girardi From food, exercise, sunlight, social connection, meditation & psychobiotics there has been a plethora of research that echoes recurring themes to support mental wellbeing. Where do you begin??
At The Urban Co-op we are on the journey to help make it easier for the community to find their way in this maze. Providing access to the elements that help build our physical and mental health in ways that are less overwhelming in this busy world is a start. The balance of dopamine and serotonin is a key to our mental health. What can we do to achieve it? Together we can help find a balance and our way to the light. Serotonin, the feel good body chemical, hormone, transmitter, messenger is one of the well-known and researched areas linked with mental health, depression etc. Long term contentment is dependent on us having enough serotonin in our systems. Pharmacological solutions to maintain this nugget in our systems are readily dispensed as a solution to feeling depressed. Indeed, there is a role for this pathway to a solution. However, there are always plenty more options too! (1) Dopamine is another feel good message we enjoy the short term benefits of in our modern lifestyles. Addictive lifestyles (accelerated by our digital connections), high sugar diets and alcohol/recreational drugs etc among other things, all give the dopamine hit we crave at times but have impacted us hugely in terms of our wellbeing. For those short time highs there are many long term lows. Many of us have become hostage to the short term hits that dopamine provides. But it does little to build a state of resilience to manage through the challenges life throws at us daily. (2) Increasingly there is a realisation that the ultra-processed diets we have come to consider our normal have contributed much to our current health state. Plenty of anecdotal cases have emerged of success stories in improvements in mental health by changing the parameters of what we eat from ultra-processed to that of more natural origin that do not fit the current dietary recommendations. Ally is one such case and his interesting story echoes a familiar one for many families struggling today with mental health issues, but also brings a real sense of hope that there are ways to re nourish ourselves to health. (3) Building our serotonin levels is an indirect mission of what we aim to do… here is how we do it! Cook COnnect COntribute CoPe Cook: Access to real nourishing food and support for those who bring it to our tables. Home-made food with real ingredients. Connect: Social interaction is important for our sense of belonging. We provide many opportunities to engage and interact with a growing community. The pace allows people to slow down and establish real connections once again. Contribute: Members are actively contributing to building a better future for us all by consciously consuming this way. Volunteers get many opportunities to experience a working co-operative. Cope: Through a variety of therapy options and social engagements we are building a resilient community of support. Anne Maher References  If you ask someone whether it’s possible to shop both sustainably and affordably, you’re likely to be met with raised eyebrows and a skeptical stare. The idea of shopping sustainably has come to be known as possible only for a niche group in society, a group with a certain lifestyle - people with money, time … and, as the more cynical amongst us might say, “notions”. Before that, and even alongside that, we have associated a sustainable way of life with hippies, with hermits.
These lingering associations are a shame. We feel if we don’t fall into these groups, we are already excluded. These associations can box us off from even thinking about whether, or how, we can incorporate more sustainable shopping into our lives. It feels unattainable; available, or of interest, to select groups only. Magnifying that shame is a quiet whisper of truth. It can, indeed, feel impossible to break into an already established group. It can absolutely feel difficult to put time into seeking out spaces like The Urban Co-Op which exist to provide us with the chance to take a first step. It can, of course, feel like too much of a gamble to dedicate ourselves to something unfamiliar, something new - especially when the something new is choosing where to spend our time and money. It can, indeed, become expensive to reconsider where we shop, where we are familiar with the prices, with what we can afford. It can feel overwhelming to rethink these things, to try and figure out even a first step. Compounding this shame further is the knowledge that it didn’t used to feel this difficult. Once upon a time, sustainable living wasn’t a conscious lifestyle choice, seemingly available only to those with the money and time to indulge this desire. It was just the normal way of life - self-sufficiency, interdependence, organic growing, moving cyclically and locally with the seasons, a sense of community. I can sense you rolling your eyes. These ideas and terms have, indeed, become distilled into buzzwords, buzzwords that we are bombarded with on a daily basis to the extent that they have lost all meaning. But, once upon a time, we didn’t use all these words. We didn’t speak like this. We just lived like this. As the world changed and seemed to reward us for moving away from this way of life, it became more difficult, and even undesirable, to continue on with it. We couldn’t afford to invest, neither the time nor the money, in a way of life that was starting to be seen as backwards and these words, these favourite words of our time - unproductive, inefficient, time-wasting. But we know this story. Let’s not dwell too long on the “why” and the “how” of having reached this point. We are all aware of the difficulties, the problems, the obstacles we face. It’s time to talk about options, possibilities, solutions. Can we get to a place where we start to unpick what it means to live more sustainably, and how this might become more of a norm? Can we start to figure out how to make this attainable and, importantly, desirable for greater swathes of society? What can we do? The trick, here, is baby steps. The trick, here, is to think about it in small actions that we can take, one at a time, and slowly build on that. Getting to know The Urban Co-Op is a way to start. Below, we offer some suggestions and benefits of sustainable shopping at The Urban Co-Op. Suggestions that might help to deepen your understanding of The Urban Co-Op, and ways to incorporate it sustainably into your shopping routine:
Those are, admittedly, the more difficult parts of starting on a journey of shopping more sustainably. Maybe you don’t have the time or interest to dive that deep. Maybe that all feels too much like homework! So, instead, here are some tangible benefits you’ll experience once you start to explore The Urban Co-Op:
Some of these suggestions are more manageable than others. Some you will be able to implement and benefit from immediately. Others are much more of a process - of small steps, of reading, of questioning, of consciously choosing. Let us end with this: when you walk through the doors of The Urban Co-Op, your eyes will be drawn to a large blackboard. The board is illustrated with the story of The Urban Co-Op - from inception to present day. Bordered by an intricate timeline of its history stands The Urban Co-Op’s core purpose: “Coming together as conscious consumers to support the health, wellness and economic security of our community and planet”. This purpose encapsulates precisely what we’ve been teasing out throughout this article. This is what we talk about when we talk about shopping sustainably. It is about supporting ourselves, supporting each other, and supporting the planet. This coming together isn’t a quick fix. The world isn’t going to change overnight because you brought your reusable container to The Urban Co-Op to bulk buy laundry detergent. But, like all lasting change and all progress worth working towards, these small steps will eventually add up. And, if you start to see the benefits in your own life, in your own days and weeks, you will want to keep going. It might not seem like much, but it’s an important first step. As we enter 2022, maybe you can ask yourself whether there is a small step you’d like to take? Maybe something you’ve had in the back of your mind for a while, but haven’t felt ready or able to try just yet? Maybe even having a think about this could be your own first step. Remember - if you feel you need a nudge, there will always be a friendly face and a helping hand at The Urban Co-Op. Kelly Girardi |
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