Environment is the Foundation for Community

Today in class, we discussed issues dealing with the feeling of community and how we, together as a community, can accomplish that can help the environment.  One thing that was brought up was the fact that most people don’t socialize with their neighbors now. This was odd to me.

I grew up in a small township. Yep, it’s not even big enough to be a town. Anyway, the sense of community is extremely strong and I believe that deals a lot with my community’s connection with the environment.  Most of my neighbors are farmers or have agricultural-related jobs. They raise gardens, pickle their produce, and eat from their pantries all year long.  My neighbors share their garden’s abundance with each other not in anticipation of a trade, but rather out of a sense of community. I know that this may be considered a unique relationship, but I don’t believe it’s as rare as one may think.

My neighbors realized long ago that they are depended on each other.  Not just for emotional support, but for their livelihoods. Many of my neighbors make arrangements with each other to support their operations whether those are farm related or not. Livestock owners collaborate with the farmers to use the livestock waste as fertilizer, while some enable their fields so that their run-off isn’t going to contaminate their neighbor’s field.  Others rely on their neighbor’s sweet corn patch for their family barbeques and some even rely on the creativeness of their neighbors for their restaurant’s centerpieces. Not all relationships are like this, but most in my native area are.  The people of my community realized that dependence on each other make us realize the importance of the things we use. It allowed for people to collaborate with each other and find connections that they didn’t know were possible. If people can do this in the country, why is it so difficult in town?

I believe it is because of the disconnect with nature.  I’m not just meaning the outdoors, but also the food people eat and the products that they use.  People are disconnected when it comes those items and then they don’t realize how dependent they are on other people.  Think about the clothing you are wearing now or the food you last consumed. Did you take a part in its process from a raw material to what it is now? If not, I encourage you to try to be more involved.  Learn about the products you use and use reliable sources.  Because of our big disconnect with nature, we are more susceptible to believe information that may not necessarily be true.  Make good decisions when it comes to consumerism. Perhaps you could get your neighbors involved and start a community garden.  Together, your neighborhood can become something as special as mine is at home.