Saturday, March 04, 2006

We're trying to fight a public subsidy for Whole Foods ... an unnecessary $9 million public parking structure next door to a proposed Whole Foods development. There are far better ways to spend that money ...

And we hope that Whole Foods will pull out. In the face of corporate agribusiness and its massive distribution system, Eugeneans have built a local food web of great quality, perhaps the best in the US. An organic-farm revolving fund, ARABLE, operated for years to launch small organic farms in this area. The Organically-Grown Co-op, Starflower Distributors, Down-to-earth gardening store, Oregon Tilth, local CSA's, the Grower's Market, The Saturday Market, the Farmer's Market, the Hoedads, and the kitchen foods businesses ... Surata Tofu, Genesis Juice, bakers, spread-makers, tea makers, essential oil makers, natural food stores ... the list of Eugene's commitment towards real whole foods is unprecedented.

And it was done with almost no help from the government. Which should be spending tax money on things like healthy food, but doesn't. Because it needs to spend it on parking structures for money-extracting national chain stores. No.

Keep it local

Come to the rallies.