Sustainable Tarpon Springs - Pay It Forward

Since 2000, when the Kevin Spacey film Pay It Forward came out, I think the phrase ‘pay it forward’ has become part of our cultural consciousness.  We’re all aware of the value of investing time, talent, or treasure into an idea that will blossom in the future - even one that we might not directly benefit from in the short-term.  If you believe in the ‘laws of karma’, you know that no good intention or action ever goes to waste.  There is always a return - maybe in just the awesome feeling of doing ‘good’, but more often in something that is resonated right back to us rather quickly.

This weekend, Jimmy and I were fortunate enough to be inspired by a handful of people who are investing in amazing ideas - right here, right now - that will totally transform our area.  We went to a potluck dinner with the folks who started Suncoast Co-op, and after very nutritious, delicious, and diverse food sharing, and a couple of hours of great, stimulating conversation - we got to hear from the four people who have put a lot of vision and faith into offering this amazing co-op to our local community. 

That evening, we really didn’t discuss the motivation in creating this community food cooperative, but speaking from my own experience from the last decade or so, it became frightfully clear that the ‘structures’ we all assumed were rock-solid-reliable  were more transient than we’d expected.  A lot changed in America in a very short time following 9/11 - and again, in 2008 when we experienced another shattering, unprecedented failure of the banks and major American manufacturing companies.

What it did in ‘our world’ - which was Seattle up till about a month ago - was to wake us all up.  We wondered - how secure is our social structure, how secure are our energy sources, how secure is our food transport system, how secure is farming?  (Especially when we are more separated from growers / farmers than any other generation in American history.)  These questions were the motivation for creating community based, grassroots networks, designed to help one another out.  We came up with ideas of how to be more ‘interdependent’ and less reliant on our ‘system’ to take care of us. Thus, groups like Sustainable Ballard, and Sustainable Kirkland were born.  

And this is exactly the reasons for and benefits of the Suncoast Co-op!  Becoming a member of a growing local, organic food movement is just the beginning of what we can achieve when we work together.  Joining a food cooperative that puts growth and sustainability back into the local community has more value that any of us can imagine.  It is a SOLID way of paying it forward, for your food security, for your children or grandchildren, for the environment, for the local economy, and for healthy friendships and connections that will stand behind us in the event that we discover more weaknesses in our System.  

For Suncoast Co-op’s Mission Statement and Guiding Principles, please check out their website:   http://suncoastcoop.locallygrown.net/   Let’s Pay It Forward together!