Thanks Jon. Great points about central markets. As always, ST offers much to digest. Tony
On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 11:59 AM, Jon Bosak <[email protected]> wrote: > A couple of things here. > > First, I don't think that bankruptcies in the grocery trade have > anything to do with food shortages. No doubt food shortages are > in our future, but that's not happening here yet. I suspect > rather that P&C has simply fallen a victim to the notoriously thin > margins in the retail food business. When food prices start to go > up, the stores may actually do better financially. > > Which isn't to say that it's a bad idea to start growing some of > your own food; quite the contrary. It would be great to see a > return of the local seed distribution system we had going in > Ithaca a few years ago. > > Second, I am (very reluctantly) coming to the conclusion that a > return to local markets is off the table for most people in the > county. I can see a few returning to certain neighborhoods in the > city of Ithaca itself, but the energy already invested in the big > box stores and the increasing cost of energy that would be > required to replace them with something else means that we're > probably stuck with them. > > My guess is that the rising cost of fuel won't recreate local > stores (except as indicated before in a few places in town) but > will rather recreate a 19th century shopping model where people > visit the shopping centers once every week (or every two weeks, or > every month) to stock up on supplies and otherwise stay close to > home. In other words, I suspect that the path of least energy > investment going forward is the elimination of single-occupancy > daily shopping trips rather than the construction of new stores > within walking distance of most people. I think that the helpful > way to plan for this is to design the public transit system to > make this traditional shopping pattern as easy as possible for > people living outside the city. > > There's nothing inherently bad about going to the central market > once every week or two to do one's shopping; the sad part is that > the central market has to be something like Wal-Mart. Anyone > who's visited cities in Latin America or some places in Europe > knows that central markets can be vibrant, socially enriching > places. If the people planning the reorganization of the Ithaca > Commons understood what was in store for us, they'd be planning to > put something like a Latin American central market there rather > than trying to cater to the tourists who will be coming through > here in decreasing numbers as fuel prices rise. > > Jon > > > Patricia Haines wrote: > >> I heard yesterday about Top's market being in Chapter 11 bankruptcy >> proceedings for the past two years - and that the P&C markets are facing the >> same thing and may be closed by February '10. >> Went to sleep last night fretting that I don't know how to harvest seeds >> to the following year's planting; can foods; even plan a garden so that we >> can feed the Level Green household through the winter. AND feeling very >> blessed, as I finally drifted off, to live in a community where these skills >> are generously shared with all willing to take the time to learn. Which I >> haven't been so far - but am now! >> What happens if Tops & P&C close - to all the low-income folks who count >> on being able to walk to get food ? would locally-owned, smaller groceries >> distributed throughout the area be fiscally viable? can we think about CSGs >> - community-supported-grocery-stores? >> The Danby and Varna markets couldn't make it. Seneca FAlls has a >> locally-owned food store but it's struggling. >> It seems that localization has caught up with us, much sooner than I, or >> any but the most prescient of us, expected. >> When I used to hear 'food insecurity' I thought of the >> > Sudan. Now I think about the senior housing at East Hill. Very > sobering. > > > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > Questions about the list? ask > [email protected] > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > -- There is an evil tendency underlying all our technology - the tendency to do what is reasonable even when it isn't any good. - Robert Pirsig _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
