Fall/Winter 2001
No Place Like Home
Living above the shop may be an old fashioned way of doing business, but I like it. My two children, now in college, grew up at the White Dog where they always knew how to find mom; employees and regulars were part of the family and visiting friends delighted in the endless supply of cola or ginger ale that flows from the soda guns in the service station. Nowadays people talk about separating work life from home life, but generations have grown up happily in the family store or inn, or on the family farm. Living and working in the same community create a very different sense of place, and a different business outlook. Making business decisions for the common good comes naturally when those affected are friends, neighbors, extended family - those who we work with and see day in and day out. Living above a Wal-mart, CVS or Denny’s just wouldn’t be the same.
Tragically, many independent family businesses like the White Dog have been eliminated by the growing number of chains and mega-stores. While this has made millionaires and billionaires in far away places, it has robbed communities of local capital, local character, and local civic leadership. Furthermore, low cost goods sold in most chains come from unsustainable and abusive sweatshops and factory farms, which damage the local community and environment where products originate. Mindful consumerism is a way to support businesses that share our concern for nature and community.
When we buy from locally owned bookstores, dress shops, health food stores, farmers’ markets, ice cream parlors, coffeeshops, hardware stores, pharmacies and department stores, we invest in the well-being of our own communities. When we choose Seven Stars organic yogurt from Kimberton, PA instead of Dannon, or buy Sun & Earth eco-friendly detergent made in Norristown, PA instead of a Proctor and Gamble product, we are aligned with the well-being of both natural life and community life. Alternatively, buying from conglomerates and national chains transfers capital to corporations with no relationship to our communities - corporations with the mission of maximizing profits for stockholders rather than serving the interests of the common good.
While corporate farming, large scale manufacturing and retailing continue to close family farms & businesses, and mergers & acquisitions concentrate ownership into mammoth multi-national corporations, the gap between the most wealthy and the rest of us continues to grow at an alarming rate. According to NY University economist Ed Wolff, the richest twenty percent of Americans received 91% of the total gain in marketable wealth from 1983-1998, with 53% going to the top 1%. Meanwhile the average household net worth of the bottom 40% has actually declined by a startling 76%.
The trend is international. The UN Development Program reported that 80 countries have decreased per capita incomes in the last ten years, while the 200 richest people in the world doubled their income in just four years, with combined wealth equal to that of the poorest 2.5 billion people. Meanwhile, the world’s natural systems are in severe decline, with the worst decline in the poorest countries, caused largely by industrialized countries. The shift from local production has dramatically increased global transport which is considered one of the largest contributors to global warming. A by-product of global transport is the spread of viruses, bacteria, and insects which are causing disease, pollution and extinction of native species.
Around the world, people are speaking out against the destructive role of corporations in our lives - from indigenous uprisings in Mexico and farmers strikes in France, to attacks on McDonalds in India and protests in Seattle, DC, Prague and Genoa. Finance ministers and central bankers from 25 countries and ministers of the World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund, a veritable board of directors of the corporate global economy, will meet in Washington, DC. September 29-30. To learn about the issues and plans for protests, check out www.globalizethis.org.
A socially, environmentally and financially sustainable global economy begins with sustainable local economies. Let’s begin here. In his book, Going Local, Michael Shuman says, "Going local means nurturing locally owned businesses, which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages, and serve primarily local consumers. It means becoming more self-sufficient, and less dependent on imports. Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back to the community, where it belongs." On Monday, November 12, Michael will be speaking at the White Dog Cafe to provide insights into how communities can build sustainable local economies. We’ll also discuss efforts to build a sustainable economy in the greater Philadelphia region.
As I learned in living above the shop, long term social and economic well-being comes from building authentic relationships in our own communities. By working together - local business owners, farmers, investors and consumers - we can increase community wealth for the benefit of all citizens, rather than increasing profits for a distant few.
