Our Blogs
Circular Economy - what is it?
When I go for a walk I like to do a loop. Doubling back doesn’t feel right. Doodling on paper inevitably finds me concentrically focused. Throwing a pebble into the water and watching the ripples wave outwards mesmerises and satisfies. Is it a human thing to like circles?
Compelled to get these relentless circular thoughts out of my head and on paper (on a dramatically thunderous night with strobe lightning effects to add to the drama!) I have abandoned thoughts of rest and here goes.
The term circular economy sits comfortably now with many of us as we have begun our collective awakening on environmental concern.
What does it mean? Good old Wikipedia suggests it's an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Living through the recent decades of recession and Celtic Tiger where the era of globalisation allowed us access to and opportunities to consume phenomenal amounts of “stuff”, we certainly made the most of it! And boy did we accumulate! We built bigger houses to accommodate the stuff and the garage to store the overflow. When we were finished with the stuff we packed it in boxes, bins and bags and sent it away to other people, municipal waste collection sites, GAA fundraisers….some people left it on roadsides, in rivers, in oceans. Not in my backyard. Out of sight, out of mind until it returns. And like all circles we go back to the beginning.
When David Attenborough gravely reminded us of the damage to our blue oceans and we recognised those plastic bags ingested by the sea-life as our own, perhaps we shifted uneasily. When a teenage girl reminded us we really had to act quickly we began to take some responsibility. The system we had adopted of the single use throwaway society was no longer acceptable. Refuse, reuse, recycle etc etc we have been learning bit by bit how to make small changes. Our collective guilt had a temporary reprieve when governments made historic commitments to help the environment.
Nature has a way of fighting back and our pandemic year has schooled us in ways we never thought possible. Lock-down forced us to sit at home and look at our stuff while denying us access to more. The withdrawal was painful but we managed to clear our spaces and realise we probably didn’t need so much. Priorities shifted. Images of the earth recovering with clean rivers, clean air gave hope that miracles can happen. There are many silver linings. Albeit a temporary reprieve as our precious earth awaits the onslaught of the disposable PPE!
The pandemic has forced us all to rethink. How big does our circle have to be? A circular economy allows resources to be replenished and reused. Maybe enhanced. In many ways The Urban Co-op is a circular economy. It is many tiny circles repeated over and over. Fractals of circles. By saving resources we have extra for other things. On a day that saw notable queues for fast fashion we focused our energy on interacting with new customers who signed up to become members and commit to shopping locally. Members in growing numbers who realise that their buying power matters, their choices influence the great good and who return because we provide the safe space for them to access basic provisions. They commit to helping us build the demo kitchen as we explain the desire to complete another circle. As we load their nourishing foods into the reusable box we smile at each other. Another transaction enhanced with a flourishing relationship. It feels right.
When I go for a walk I like to do a loop. Doubling back doesn’t feel right. Doodling on paper inevitably finds me concentrically focused. Throwing a pebble into the water and watching the ripples wave outwards mesmerises and satisfies. Is it a human thing to like circles?
Compelled to get these relentless circular thoughts out of my head and on paper (on a dramatically thunderous night with strobe lightning effects to add to the drama!) I have abandoned thoughts of rest and here goes.
The term circular economy sits comfortably now with many of us as we have begun our collective awakening on environmental concern.
What does it mean? Good old Wikipedia suggests it's an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Living through the recent decades of recession and Celtic Tiger where the era of globalisation allowed us access to and opportunities to consume phenomenal amounts of “stuff”, we certainly made the most of it! And boy did we accumulate! We built bigger houses to accommodate the stuff and the garage to store the overflow. When we were finished with the stuff we packed it in boxes, bins and bags and sent it away to other people, municipal waste collection sites, GAA fundraisers….some people left it on roadsides, in rivers, in oceans. Not in my backyard. Out of sight, out of mind until it returns. And like all circles we go back to the beginning.
When David Attenborough gravely reminded us of the damage to our blue oceans and we recognised those plastic bags ingested by the sea-life as our own, perhaps we shifted uneasily. When a teenage girl reminded us we really had to act quickly we began to take some responsibility. The system we had adopted of the single use throwaway society was no longer acceptable. Refuse, reuse, recycle etc etc we have been learning bit by bit how to make small changes. Our collective guilt had a temporary reprieve when governments made historic commitments to help the environment.
Nature has a way of fighting back and our pandemic year has schooled us in ways we never thought possible. Lock-down forced us to sit at home and look at our stuff while denying us access to more. The withdrawal was painful but we managed to clear our spaces and realise we probably didn’t need so much. Priorities shifted. Images of the earth recovering with clean rivers, clean air gave hope that miracles can happen. There are many silver linings. Albeit a temporary reprieve as our precious earth awaits the onslaught of the disposable PPE!
The pandemic has forced us all to rethink. How big does our circle have to be? A circular economy allows resources to be replenished and reused. Maybe enhanced. In many ways The Urban Co-op is a circular economy. It is many tiny circles repeated over and over. Fractals of circles. By saving resources we have extra for other things. On a day that saw notable queues for fast fashion we focused our energy on interacting with new customers who signed up to become members and commit to shopping locally. Members in growing numbers who realise that their buying power matters, their choices influence the great good and who return because we provide the safe space for them to access basic provisions. They commit to helping us build the demo kitchen as we explain the desire to complete another circle. As we load their nourishing foods into the reusable box we smile at each other. Another transaction enhanced with a flourishing relationship. It feels right.
Written 7 July 2020
What is a community grocery?
We are a community grocery…what does this mean? This question has been asked of us recently as we have seen a significant rise in new visitors to the shop. Who are we, who owns this? At the risk of being tempted to say “do you not know who we are?” it is giving us pause for thought… who are we?
As we operate our way through the pandemic carrying out the familiar tasks of getting good food to our customers we have been reminded that our modern food environments have proven problematic for our populations and that in times of crisis our basic needs must be addressed.
A well-oiled modern food system in recent decades advances policy decisions and trends to favour mega grocery stores sited in wealthier city edges and suburbs. Leaving behind the modern convenience store that offers much in the line of products and little in the form of nourishment. The result? The slow but sure deterioration of community. Physically, mentally, socially. A pandemic has been a wake up call.
Food is Power and efforts to create a more just and sustainable world often begin by recognizing the power of one’s food choices. Where do you begin? The concept of a community grocery is not new but for a small group of people in Limerick 10 years ago after Dell departed, it seemed like the right choice of model to demonstrate how a co-operative approach would work. After all, we all need food right? But then, what type of food? From where? Who produces it? How can we sustain the supply? Quickly the issues emerged. It made sense to aim for quality nourishing food, but how can it be affordable if we are used to paying low prices for subsidised food? How could we ensure a local farmer would keep bringing in the food if we weren’t in a position to pay a decent price? We learned quickly that without our farmers, we have no grocery. It's hard work. It needs to be valued. The journey of discovery to focus on nurturing our suppliers began. As folk trickled in and began to commit the demand grew. Basic economics, supply and demand apply but it was more than just the transactions. It was the building of relationships again and the weaving together of a new fabric of community. It began to matter. The way to a community heart is through its stomach….perhaps! Thankfully 7 years on with the dedication of community and strategic support Limerick Community Grocery is still in place and continuing to face everyday challenges. It is great to hear the question what is a community grocery? The answer is US.
We are a community grocery…what does this mean? This question has been asked of us recently as we have seen a significant rise in new visitors to the shop. Who are we, who owns this? At the risk of being tempted to say “do you not know who we are?” it is giving us pause for thought… who are we?
As we operate our way through the pandemic carrying out the familiar tasks of getting good food to our customers we have been reminded that our modern food environments have proven problematic for our populations and that in times of crisis our basic needs must be addressed.
A well-oiled modern food system in recent decades advances policy decisions and trends to favour mega grocery stores sited in wealthier city edges and suburbs. Leaving behind the modern convenience store that offers much in the line of products and little in the form of nourishment. The result? The slow but sure deterioration of community. Physically, mentally, socially. A pandemic has been a wake up call.
Food is Power and efforts to create a more just and sustainable world often begin by recognizing the power of one’s food choices. Where do you begin? The concept of a community grocery is not new but for a small group of people in Limerick 10 years ago after Dell departed, it seemed like the right choice of model to demonstrate how a co-operative approach would work. After all, we all need food right? But then, what type of food? From where? Who produces it? How can we sustain the supply? Quickly the issues emerged. It made sense to aim for quality nourishing food, but how can it be affordable if we are used to paying low prices for subsidised food? How could we ensure a local farmer would keep bringing in the food if we weren’t in a position to pay a decent price? We learned quickly that without our farmers, we have no grocery. It's hard work. It needs to be valued. The journey of discovery to focus on nurturing our suppliers began. As folk trickled in and began to commit the demand grew. Basic economics, supply and demand apply but it was more than just the transactions. It was the building of relationships again and the weaving together of a new fabric of community. It began to matter. The way to a community heart is through its stomach….perhaps! Thankfully 7 years on with the dedication of community and strategic support Limerick Community Grocery is still in place and continuing to face everyday challenges. It is great to hear the question what is a community grocery? The answer is US.
Written 29 June 2020
