Reclaiming the notion of economy

The government is bailing out scores of big name banks, auto companies and the greedy executives who brought them down, billions of dollars at a time.  You and I the taxpayer are now the shareholders in this disaster.

My sister in Tucson is making pies.  Each week she bakes confections assembled from ingredients sourced from the region, sweet and savory varieties made with Meyer lemons, pecans, or Swiss chard for a collection of shareholders who have invested in the concept of a community supported enterprise. 

Sister Kelly's pie-making headquarters

In a breakdown of the United States economy, one percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. What is the price of letting this whole thing fall? I have no training in economics, but it seems as though even the people who do are no better than hack astrologers.  My gut instinct says step back and let it unravel.

It is human nature to live beyond our limits.  In Flagstaff we are still struggling to undo the early damage of the lumber and ranching industry. Today our economy is built on growth and the value of our real estate. What if our survival was linked to the preservation of our clear mountain air, the Grand Canyon, and the greater Colorado Plateau? As employees of Mother Earth, we are provided an extraordinary benefit package—a healthy planet.

Four-winged saltbush is a highly adaptable shrub of southwestern deserts. When facing environmental stressors such as drought, female plants take on the role of their male counterparts, opting to make pollen over the more expensive and resource intensive task of producing fruit. 

Saltbush, among many other desert acquaintances, serves as a constant reminder that being able to adapt to your surroundings has always been a good tool for survival. 

House Rock Valley landscape-grasses and Four-wing saltbush (bottom right)

A friend of mine lives off the grid in the House Rock Valley, a remote area of the Arizona Strip north of the Grand Canyon.  A river guide and truck driver, he pieces together work to get through the winter months.  He recently discovered that the Bureau of Land Management pays several dollars per pound for saltbush seeds for rangeland restoration.  Armed with a tennis racket and a tarp, he is in business, harvesting from the landscape outside his back door.  He and his wife recently bought ten chickens and now have more than enough eggs for themselves and their neighbors. Their woodstove cooks their food and heats their house.  He is the person who constantly and somewhat unnervingly asks me: what are you doing to prepare?

The answer is not enough. I am not ready. The sound of raindrops steadily pounding on my roof reminds me that my rainwater harvesting system is not in place. I will be paying the City of Flagstaff to water my garden for another growing season.

Growing up our family shopped at thrift stores and inherited hand-me-down clothing from family friends. We lived a lean check-to-check existence on my father’s small salary he earned in sales, working largely on commission. Yet at Christmas my parents felt compelled to max out the credit card to insure an adequate showing from Santa Claus. I anticipated it with great delight, but the morning after, surrounded by the spoils of wrapping and new things I felt empty and betrayed, party to the deception for my younger sisters that Santa had delivered again and we were just like everyone else.

As Americans we understand that shopping is patriotic and if we were to curb our habit, then the Consumer Confidence Index, the “Manifest Destiny” of our time starts slipping and so does the economy.   In hard times go forth and shop!

I tend to side with Wendell Berry in thinking our power lies in protecting our household and community economies.  I can invest in Flagstaff’s Community Supported Agriculture projects for my food and garden starts. I can buy eggs for my volunteer trips to the Kaibab Plateau from my friend’s House Rock hens. I need to adapt like saltbush to the coming economic drought.  Instead of taking a gamble in the stock market, I will continue to be a shareholder in the diverse micro-enterprise of the Flagstaff community.  

Local egg economies are everywhere, invest in one near you!