Introduction

This chapter is the second part of the topic of: A Community- Centred Future, and will continue where
we left off in Chapter 5 by tackling projects and issues of a larger scale, but still relevant to a
community farmers’ market, and the community it directly serves.

CICSA (large scale)

The following larger scale projects, may well be out of the scope of many community groups (though
hopefully a CSA/cropshare, will appeal to more people). For any well established, well funded and
dedicated group or individuals though: the sky is the limit. Good luck!

+1) Box Scheme (true CSA/cropshare)

A true Community Supported Agriculture/CSA scheme, is also known as a ‘crop share’. It involves
customers investing in a share of a whole or part season’s harvest at the beginning of the year-
usually in return for a weekly box of fresh harvested produce throughout the year. This enables
a farmer to not only have essential funding to start the new season, but also guaranteed orders
over the whole year. A farmer knows exactly what to plant, to satisfy his CSA customer-base, and
cuts down on any wasted unsold produce. A true CSA/cropshare, may entail a bigger commitment from
customers, than a monthly subscription scheme, but is of much greater help to a small farmer. You as
a private individual, or business (maybe a cafe, restaurant, hotel or pub?), have a much closer working
relationship with a farm and farmers, and what is grown. Spread over a year, your money paid up front,
will reward you with more than just food for a season, but also of being part of the process yourself,
as a partner of the farm.

There is no reason why a farmer might not sell a share of his harvest in exchange for something other
than money. Volunteers or groups, may also help a farmer, as much- if they can dedicate an agreed
upon number of hours to be worked on a farm, maybe at weekend work-parties.

A community group, like one affiliated to a non-profit community farmers’ market, could be a good
source of dedicated volunteers. Work-parties can be organized by such a group- with the group taking
responsibility for the work done, and holding the rights to the actual share of the crop. It might
make such non-cash agreements more appealing to farmers, if an established group were responsible
for the volunteers and work done . Farms need a commitment from people to work so many hours. Tasks
could be planting, weeding, harvesting, and a great variety of other things that need doing, all of
which are hard work, but like most things on a farm generally good fun. There would, be a significant
savings on a market-garden farms’ wage bill- in such a labour intensive business- if it was run properly.

A group may concievably help in other aspects of a farmers’ business, in exchange for a crop
share. Many small farmers may well benefit from help setting up and running a website. In a group
which has enough members with professional IT backgrounds willing to spare their time, they might
even manage more than one farm, by sharing the workload.

+2) Buyers Clubs (large scale)

Farmers, especially small farms, gain much needed support by the subscriptions and volunteer help
of a CSA scheme, but some farmers would also welcome bulk purchases from any group backed up by
sufficient funding. Any community group lucky enough to have a ‘community fund’ , could buy in bulk
certain products througout the year at a discount. The idea would be to source both locally grown and
exotic/foreign produce in bulk qualities direct from a farmer/producer and offer the price discount
to community members, by selling as near as possible to cost price [*B]. A community group affiliated
with a community market may sell via their own box scheme, or at an actual community shop. Exotics may
be purchased in bulk at wholesalers in this country, including those in the Sailed Cargo industry. If
a group was dedicated and well organized, it could source produce direct from farmers in other
countries. Most of the exotic produce that people need is produced in many nearby EU countries like:
Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria. So even though the logistics are complex, it would
still be doable for a well-funded, well-organized group. I can invisage the members of a such a well
funded group, maybe foregoing the pleasures of sunbathing on the beach, and the usual tourist trail,
to visit local organic farmers in these countries, as part of their holidays. I’m sure they would
have as much fun. Many such holidays, would equal many contacts made.

[*B] (see: Appendix B The Rochdale Pioneers: what people can achieve
when they ‘club’ together)

+3) Community Growing Projects (large scale)

In an ideal world, every community would have a farm or group of farms, in their area, supplying all
the food needed by the nearby village, town or city. In villages and small towns there is usually
enough agricultural land nearby for local farms to easily supply all their needs. In large urban
communities, more land is needed to grow food than is available either inside or very near to community
centres [*C], so the options of buying locally grown produce are smaller for the growing number of
people who want to.

A lack of growing spaces, never means a lack of ingenuity. Projects (small/medium sized) like urban
community gardens/farms, and orchards, not only grow organic food, but the expertise and enthusiasm needed
by ‘market- garden’ farmers, the likes of which many of us would want to buy food from. There are only so
many sites available for growing projects within a city, but there are a great many like-minded people,
some of whom may be in the position one day, to start a farm in striking-distance from the city. Land
can be expensive, to rent or to buy, but cities hold not only people, but capital from individuals
and possibly from community groups. With the resources of people with expertise and enthusiasm,
and funding from individuals or community groups, we have all the ingredients we need to accomplish
what we as urban communities want- in our case growing our own, and sourcing locally grown quality
food. We can build the eco-systems of a sustainable food system, by not being afraid to ‘think big’,
to see a vision of urban people and groups starting their own farms outside of their communities,
and getting involved in any way, be that; encouraging more farming; or a vibrant food culture. Why
shouldn’t the farmers we want to attend a community farmers’ market in a town or city, be individuals
from those very same communities, who have gone out into the countryside to start farms to supply their
former urban communites? Why shouldn’t groups, who have enough volunteer members, and can gain funding
(maybe even their own saved-up ‘community fund’) start their own non-profit enterprises, by renting
(or buying) their own field, outside a town or city, to supply food to their own communities?

++Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and Community growing projects

The modern corporate legal entity known as a ‘community land trust’, CLT, was created in 1969 in North
America by a group of ‘Southern’ black civil rights advocates. They created a new farming community in
the State of Georgia as a haven for displaced black farmers and ‘sharecroppers’ who were forced to leave
their lands, and as a way to empower future generations by owning and working their own land and community
businesses. A CLT is based on models of common land ownership used in many cultures and communities,
both traditional and modern, and has spread all over the world. The story of those who created the first
Community Land Trust can be found at the end of the book, which i urge you to read. A CLT is an
organization that holds land ‘in trust’, theoretically forever, so it might never be sold, thereby
removing the land from the ups and downs of the speculative property market. Anyone living on the land,
instead of just paying rent would hold secure long-term leases (typically 99 years, which can be sold
just like any other leasehold), and any money the trust makes from the value of the land is used to invest
in the community. Basically a Community Land Trust combines ‘common ownership’, whereby the CLT owns
the land in common for the good of it’s community, and ‘private ownership’, wherby the community who live
on or use the land, each privately own the leaseholds and all they create on their property (the use of
the land and the fruits of their labour), all made affordable by using fair market prices instead of being
ruled by the wildly inflated prices of ‘boom and bust’ economics.

Two of the many uses of land are for growing food and for building houses, later i will mention how
Community Land Trusts can be used for affordable community housing, but now i will talk of food-
growing. If any community really wanted to take control of their own destiny, they would need to secure
their own supply of food or the means of food production. Even for a good size village of say five
hundred people this would require a large amount of work, but at this scale with enough capital to buy
a decent parcel of good land, it is actually not mere fantasy. Indeed at the scale of a city Borough or
District, with tens of thousands of residents, the numbers involved are too great for any community
group save local or national government. If we say 50, 000 residents might equal a good sized city
district or town, this is 100 times the size of our little village of 500, so would need 100 such
parcels of land (/a small sized farm*). This might make the idea of any community growing their own
food seem a bit far-fetched, but one small farmers market may equate to the 500 or so people of a
village, and as of now – even in a busy city like London, there may be only one such market in each
district with that many people who actually come to buy from farmers directly. So one parcel of land,
say a small sized farm could in theory feed most or all of a village of 500, or a city borough/
district’s farmers market.

Although what i have said may be possible, getting it done is another matter, so it is all pure
speculation on my part, but still: possible. For the kind of community farmers’ market that i have
been writing about, it would be a dream come true to be able to grow most or a good share of
what the community who attend market-days want to put in their shopping basket, or for those who
subscribe to a veg-box scheme, or those who want to work on the land for the benefit of the community
where they live. Land held in trust for the community can allow all these dreams to become reality.

* In fact in this example “a small sized farm” might well mean vegetable growing on not much more than
  10 (ten) acres of land, which is quite a manageable size for a, medium to large, community group.

++Allotment gardens (Government protected community growing spaces)

 Aswell as private individuals and community groups, another natural partner in any community project is
 government: local, parish, town, and county, councils aswell as national government based in London.
 One aspect protected by our nations' laws, is the much overlooked 'allotment-garden'. I list the humble
 allotment in this section on 'large-scale' projects because an 'allotment site'-which may be anything
 from 20 to 200 garden-plots - is a large parcel of land, one or two, to tens of acres. Many hundreds
 are spread out all over the country, with hundreds of thousands of individual allotment-garden
 plots, so quite a bit of land is under cultivation for non-commercial/community growing.

 Allotment gardens are small plots for the growing of vegetables and fruits- 'kitchen gardens',
 although flowers can be grown, and also rabbits, and chickens kept (bees, pigs, and doves/pigeons
 also, on some sites). Allotments were introduced by national government in this country, as a
 means for poor people to feed themselves, after the gradual loss of the tradition of 'common land'
 (used for food growing across the country), awell as hardships (machines put whole sections of
 society/skilled craftspeople out of work) caused by the change from a 'countryside' craft economy,
 to a town based industrial one. Allotments have been protected by law for centuries, we currently
 rely on the 'Smallholdings and Allotments Act 1908 one of a series of Acts of Parliament [*D],
 (with small revisions in 1922, 1925 & 1950) that require local councils to provide allotments
 for people in their local communities, and safegaurd those plots of land from being sold or
 developed. Today in the 21st Century there is blossoming interest again, in growing our own food
 ( and more), and we should all know that we have these wonderful opportunites to do just that, in
 our local communities- enshrined in law. If more people want to have an allotment to grow food,
 local councils have a duty to provide more sites (the laws in London are different, as land is
 scarce). If you want to grow enough vegetables to feed yourself  and your family, depending on your
 skill level, and the amount of hours you put in: you can. For your nearest allotment garden site,
 look on your local council's website, where they should keep a list of the sites in your area
 (there are also many privately run sites in this country). Don't let a long waiting list scare
 you off applying for an allotment; even in cities with scarce land for food growing, plots become
 available quite quickly at times, as there is a sizeable drop-out rate, from people who find it
 too much work for themselves. You can in any case split the labour of a plot among many people,
 so look for a 'growing-partner' in your area  if you think it might be too much work for yourself.
 (maybe try your local market's community noticeboard or local LETS?)

 Most every community has an allotment site, with hundreds of thousands of individual plots in the
 UK (around 300,000) - so for community food growing, allotments are the number one way to grow
 your own food. Allotments are a forgotten part of our culture, and part of a similar network of
 government provided kitchen gardens all around the world, especially Europe. Not only will you be
 part a wider allotment-garden movement, but  you will meet people from all over the world, from
 Europe, Asia, and Africa especially in this country, and learn something of how and what people
 grow for themselves in these countries- just as large scale farmers draw inspiration and learn
 from this very same 'food-growing' knowledge from all over the world. When you 'dig for victory',
 and grow your own food on an allotment garden, you become part of a rich shared 'kitchen-garden'
 culture, with young and old people, seasoned gardeners with a wealth of knowledge, and enthusiastic
 newcomers with modern ideas (as do commercial growers too).

+4) High Streets and Community Centres

++Past and present:

Traditional community centres, like high-streets in villages, towns and cities, have changed dramatically
over the last generation. There are many fewer independant local shops, vastly fewer town centre pubs,
fewer post offices, bank branches, police stations, public libraries, and cinemas.

This means we now have many fewer oportunities to buy on our doorstep, from local (usually family
owned and run) businesses.

We have vastly fewer pubs/public houses, ‘the’ community space, places for people to meet in an
informal social setting in their community. You could argue that the growth in coffee-shops might
replace the pubs which were once a feature of every community(?). Does a coffee-shop serve as a
venue to see and be seen any evening, for a celebration, a meetup, or relaxing after a hard day,
on your own or with friends (or with complete strangers who will be happy to make conversation)?
It is winter as i write, and heavy snow has caused chaos for travellers, many being stranded on the
roads, and at public transport stops. A pub with a ‘community- minded’ landlady/landlord, is somewhere
that often steps in at times like these to help in peoples’ hour of need. A pub has never been just
a place to have a drink and leave, but always an important part of the community. Pubs also have long
histories in a community, the same building, and possibly trading under the same name for generations,
some hundreds of years old, and in a time of fast change- have been and are, a reassuring constant.

One thing we need to aknowledge is that as our communities change, so too should the institutions,
like pubs, that serve our community. In todays’ world, beer drinking is not as popular a way of
socilaizing as it traditionally was, and people have many new interests in our modern age. We seem
to have become a nation of coffee drinkers, and also good food is much more important to most people
now. My own personal view is that pubs need to reinvent themselves in this country. If pubs are
to regain their role as one of the central places to socialize in a community, they need to be as
inclusive as possible, and cater for the modern lifestyles of the community members. I have been only
a few times to continental Europe to enjoy the hospitality of traditional cafes, and am impressed by
what i have seen and heard of continental life. I do however have enough experience of Brittish and
Irish pubs to talk with a certain small bit of authority on these noble institutions. Firstly i have
met some wonderful people, from all over the world, in public houses, and have had many memorable
times, and one thing i think i can say with confidence is that ‘people’ make a pub, the management
(landlady/lord and team), and the patrons (the community). I have heard an Australian story of “A
Pub WIth No Beer”, told, and sung, (comically) like it’s the end of the world, but in our modern
‘non beer-drinking” culture (non-majority way to socialize), such a scenario is far more preferable
to a pub with no people. In fact a pub with no beer would be fine for a community that does not
drink beer/alcohol, and an alcohol-free room could be a good option. Pubs need serve good honest
food, a decent cup of coffee and some quality light meals (sandwiches/soup…) at the very least,
and as many people do ‘not’ drink these days some proper quiet seating areas where alcohol is not
the main attraction. Many pubs do offer a great menu and more, in fact some country pubs have people
travel vast distances for their food and atmosphere, and i think we need more pubs like this, and
support for publicans in setting up and running such places. If you’ve just hiked a trail all day
there might be no substitution for an ice-cool beer, likewise if you have just finished work and
want a coffee and a nourishing small supper before heading home for the shower and an early night,
why should you not be able to get both in the same public house that is at the centre of many a community?

One of many other aspects of pubs, is their role in sponsoring events and activities in the community,
especially sports teams and events. With the loss of pubs, there is a loss of social opportunites,
and an important space for a community forum, and events, especially team sports and cultural events,
that connect people and teams from nearby local and regional communities.

Venues, especially those for live music, and especially small ones in our communities – that don’t
cost a fortune for addmission, or for the cost of travelling great distances – have been under
pressure for many years, especially by very large venues. Big names in the world of music, and all
other perfoming arts and entertainments rarely perform at small venues these days, and so fans of
any well known performers are forced to travel to the few mega-venues that have the monopoly on such
big names, and often are forced to pay large ticket prices, if tickets are even available. Small
venues matter though, for without local venues in our communities, where is the oportunities for
local talent to find an audience? Before walking onto the stage of a concert hall full of thousands,
many of the best performers ever born played to a pub full of dozens. You can still today see up and
coming performers in intimate (maybe pub) venues that hold a couple of hundred people, with the ticket
costing a fraction of a large venue and service and security of a far better personal nature(real food
and drink at reasonable prices, and a real chance of getting a cab home without queueing all night-
better security with less of a crowd). Some of the most historic and iconic music venues are pubs
that you might walk by during the day without ever noticing, but on an evening with live music or
entertainment, they are a magical oasis affordable to all, maybe right on our doorsteps.

We use postal services more than ever, and the parcel delivery industry has boomed, in recent
years; but post offices have shrunk- and disapeared from many communites, especially those in the
countryside. Many people, especially the older generation and those without a car, may feel very
isolated without such basic services. Where once people had all they needed in thier communities,
and there was normal daily life in the countryside, now it might be only somehwere to live. Life is
hard if there is any problem accessing the nearest large settlement or town.

Although we all have plastic bank cards now, with no physical banks in our communities, shops and
individuals who want to continue using cash for day to day business, have a hard time carrying on
with something they trust, and is still the accepted real currency of this country and world. (the
pound sterling is still the accepted currency of this country, there is no digital currency that is
trusted and accepted by everyone in this land, and the numbers on your online account balance would
mean nothing if not backed up by physical national currency: £.)

I grew up in a time when even small villages had a ‘police-house’ where the community police officer(s)
lived. Now even very large towns tens of thousands of residents strong, have no police presence. My
nearest station now is a modern, fortress-like, mega police station, and where once you could walk in
and talk to the duty officer at a reception desk, there are now private security gaurds doing this
job, with no real police officer to greet the public. Where once you could talk to someone who knew
the laws of the land, and could give trusted advice any time of day or night (in a busy town or city
station) now you may be out of luck.

Public libraries are smaller than they once were, and one could argue that the internet has replaced
the need for public libraries altogether: until there is a powercut, or the wireless signal drops.
Without public libraries we have no alternative but to buy every book, we want to read, unless we know
someone with a copy willing to lend, even if all we want is a book as a reference, maybe only reading
one relevant chapter. Especially for learning something new, nothing beats cross-referencing a number
of books on the same subject, by different authors. Why should we buy ‘every’ book we ever want to read?

In an age of online streaming, hundreds of channels to choose from and collossal size flat screen
smart TVs in many homes, why should we watch films in a cinema? Well, nothing yet betters the magic
of watching film on the ‘big screen’, and many films are still made to be best viewed in a cinema. I
for one do not regularly watch TV, and although i know i am in a minority, i have met many people
who do not even own a TV, but i am sure none of us would deny there is an unparalleled kind of magic
watching a film on the ‘big screen’ of a cinema. What would life be without that kind of magic? Is
online streaming and digital TV the very pinnacle of the evolution of movies, that we can let the
cinema go extinct?

In High Streets up and down the land, beautiful shops and historic pubs, in prime locations, stand
empty or are under used. Many an old building, has a name on it’s exterior cut in stone, to remind us
of it’s former glory days as a theatre, post office, or bank. Ornate brickwork, shop-front joinery,
and carved stone, has given way to, online shops with ‘one click’ purchases and mobile banking apps
on our smartphones. What will become of our High Streets, our village, town and city centres?

++A convenient future? (CyberStreet: a short story)

Picture a city centre, filled with, once bustling, shops that now have covered up front windows,
where instead of a real-world retail outlet, there is a local micro-wharehouse. Here online orders
for foods and household goods are cherry picked for delivery by courier, for people too busy to walk
around the block to their local corner shop. Next i paint a fictional picture of such a scenario.

A domestic scene in the city:

"Honey, i used all the ketchup, is there more in the apartment?"
"Oh, really Fred! You use too much sauce on your fries!"
"Don't worry though darling, i'll get the corner shop to deliver"
"Hey Wilma, will you get me a copy of Sports Illustrated too?"
"Sure Fred,we also need another bottle of milk, and some catfood."
"Thanks honey!"

A fifteen minute walk from the apartment, a small shop gets an order via the World-Wide-Web. In
ten minutes time, a teenager on a pedal- bike, is heading out the shop's back door for a handful
of deliveries -only a block away.  It's early evening In the city, and lights are on in the painted
out shop windows, of the small arcade of shops. The streetlights blink into life over the deserted
pavements. The odd car or truck passes by, whether driven by a real human driver or a computer
program is not clear, they drive on without stopping. The only sight of real human life are the
cycle courier riders who fly by.

This could be the future of our neighbourhood shops, where we might never need to step outside our
front door, only to go to work or put out the trash. It is only right we should want to make life
easier for ourselves and the next generation, but our choices shape the future. Community centres,
with real shops and services offered by real people, could still be a major part of how people live
a happy and healthy life in the future. If we value real- world community life, as much as a virtual
'cyber'world, what can we do to make sure it survives as a viable real-world future?

++How we can help, keep our real-world community centres alive

I will attempt to answer the question i asked just now. What can we do, to make sure a viable,
real-world future survives, in our community centres? There are many community projects that have
been set up in this country, to address the loss of many services and amenities that once were found
in our immediate communities. I shall make a very brief list with a suggestion for some of the main
types, and end by painting a fictional scenario of a happy and healthy community centre.

Independant shops -  if we want to see more than the usual national,
    and (more likely) global chains dominating our high streets, why not support independant, local
    shops selling, or making quality goods in our communities?
Community shops-  if there are not enough or even no shops to cater
    for the needs of our community, why not consider creating or supporting a shop run by the
    community itself?
Charity shops-  shops run by charities, usually staffed by volunteers
    are important as local upcycling initiatives, and keep vast amounts of useful and quality items
    in circulation and out of landfill, and are a great economic help to many people, with very
    affordable pricing.
Farmers' markets- if you buy direct from a farmer, you are directly
    supporting a farm somewhere in or near your community (there may also be a farm-shop nearby,
    which is another opportunity to directly support a farmer- it is easy to miss such shops in our
    community, so well worth looking on a map for the nearest).
Public libraries- use them and save the planet, less trees chopped
    down to make paper for books that are read only once, and books /knowledge available to everyone
    in our community for free, especially important to children, who have no income to afford whatever
    they want to read.
Services such as post offices - may need community support to survive
    in some places, especially in the countryside.
Community pubs - if you value having somehwere central to socialize
    and network with the rest of your community consider creating or supporting a community pub,
    even if you never drink alcohol, or do not like to be in the company of people who do, a pub
    is a social setting to serve a community in an informal setting, a place to make friends and
    connect above all else, alcohol is not a required  ingredient. A community run pub, can offer
    many of the community services that are dying out in rural areas, such as a post office.
Small live music, and entertainment venues, especially pubs - need
    our help to survive: use them or lose them and the talent they encourage and support.
Cinemas and theatres- use them or loose them, or start your own if
    none exists, a perfect community project in every way.
Community spaces - like a village hall, sports hall, or church.
    A venue for many types of activity and gathering.

There are many other relevant community centre initiaitves like, LETS, libraries of things and
community gardens, that have been mentioned before, and also BIDs- Business Improvement Districts,
which are local business membership schemes set up in an area, to promote and enhance many aspects
of healthy community centres.

Next i will paint another fictional scene. This time in a happy and healthy future city-centre.

++A happy/healthy future? (SolarStreet: a short story)

A domestic scene in the city revisited:

"Honey, i used all the ketchup, is there more in the apartment?"
"Oh, really Fred! You use too much sauce on your fries!"
"We need a few things, lets walk round the block to the shops."
"Good idea Wilma."

It's late evening, and the lights are starting to come on all around- in the city- as the couple step
outside their door. A short walk, and they pass a small park, busy with people walking and exercising,
and children playing, amid the colourful gardens. Around the corner there is a street stall selling
flowers, a sign reads: 'Solar Street Community-Garden Flower Stall'.

Fred: "Will you save me this bunch? I'll be passing back this way before you finish."

Flowerseller: "Sure Fred! I'll keep it in water for you."

They walk on, through the busy street, greeting friends as they go.  On passing the busy community-pub,
"The Sun and Ocean", they go inside. Patrons are sitting outside at tables drinking, eating and
chatting. Dave the pub landlord greets them, and in a few minutes places two cups of coffee on
the bar, along with two parcels, (that were too big for the delivery service to fit through their
appartment letterbox) which were delivered while they were both out at work.  They thank Dave, drink
their coffee and leave past a snug corner- of which one wall is a full bookcase with comfy chairs
and reading lights. Passing a couple of young girls playing chess on a small table, and walking
around an old and young man standing in the middle of the floor (they both have game controllers
in hand, and are concentrating on a video game screen which is embedded in the wood panelled wall)
they exit through the front door. At last they reach the shops which are only a 15 minute walk from
their appartment block, without making any stops.

The row of shops include a hardware store, an independant clothing store, a greengrocers/food store,
and a community cafe. First stop is at the greengrocers/food store ‘The Solar-Market’. Stepping
through the shop door they are greeted by the owner:

“Hi Wilma! Hi Fred! How can i help you today?”

“Hi John! We need a few things. Number one, have you got any of that homemade ketchup? Fred used the last batch we bought already.”

“Sure Wilma, the community garden have a bumper harvest of tomatoes
this season- and made a boat-load, literally.”

On one wall there is a poster, with a picture of a farmer with his family on their farm. Above the
picture are the words: ‘Forest View Organic Cooperative. A member of SolarTown CSA.’

“How is Yurgen at Forest View Farm these days John?”

“He’s doing great Fred! He’s alot busier this season, and you wouldn’t
recognize the farm, since when you volunteered there. My assistant Jack is working there this summer- his first time.”

“Ask Jack to pass on my regards John. We might just pay Yurgen a visit
in the Fall.”

“Sure will Fred, and hope you do.”

Although a fiction, hopefully i have painted a happier picture of a community centre in our modern,
mainly urban, world. As members of a community, we should appreciate what is on our own doorsteps,
and the fact we have a big say in shaping the future. Do you think we should keep a viable, real-world
future alive in our community centres? If so and your own community is in need of support, maybe
there is a community project/innitiative you can get involved in, or one you could try and help get
off the ground (like those mentioned already, or something not covered so far, maybe something never
tried before- that you think is a good idea)?

The past six chapters, Part One, have all been about ‘community’, and how we as individuals can come
together in projects like a market, to make a real difference to our lives and the area where we live.
We have seen the first seeds of ideas sown and grow into a community market project.

These ideas could grow to be some of the branches that support a sustainable harvest for future generations.

The last four chapters that follow, Part Two, are all about our whole world, and how we as individuals
can start to visualize a sustainable lifestyle for ourselves, our community, and our planet.