This plan for rebranding a rural area as an eco-haven speaks about where I live in eastern Ontario, but the idea could fly just about anywhere. The early birds win!
An ear to the ground or a quick look at the web shows that a significant number of Canadians, old and young, are concerned about the future. They see that non-renewable planetary resources are being used and not replaced and that life-support systems are in decline worldwide. They fear falling urban housing prices and coming higher interest rates, a shaky global banking system, climate disruption, and shortages or crucial resources. . . little things like that.
Whether or not they're right to be concerned, the perception of the problem is very real. (Just this morning I was speaking with a young guitar maker from Montreal who'd like to move out “here”- that difficult to define vast expanse stretching west of Perth out to Tamworth that I sometimes shorten to “Westaperth”). By his account many of his friends dream of a country lifestyle too, but are hesitant about how to proceed into what to them is very unknown territory.
Out here Westaperth, we're experiencing a different problem: the population decline and reliance on handouts and pension income that typically marks depressed communities. While we know what a great place we're in, many on the outside (as evidenced by their behaviour) see this as a great place to come visit for a few weeks during the summer or a fine spot to move to on a hefty retirement income. Not the go-to spot for building a future here and now.. In short the people who would actually help build that future aren't coming and staying.
Here's the key point: the community with the willingness to intentionally open its door to dissatisfied or alarmed urban dwellers who are looking for a real alternative – the willingness to actually be that alternative – will do very well indeed.
Here are some suggestions as to what such an open door might look like. They're gathered from conversations with “Westaperth” folks who think about these things. Quite a few of us as it turns out and probably many more if asked.
Before I get to the suggestions . . . a few years back Mother Earth News wrote about a number of locales that had been remarkably successful in being thriving, “great places” to live. These communities had a number of things in common: climate and natural resources to be sure but also something harder to define but easy to recognize . . and recognize it is just what the folks who moved there did. They had a powerful sense of local grass-roots community as evidenced by a commitment to long-term self-sufficiency and sustainability. The factors they had added up to a stronger local “flavour” that everyone could recognize and want more of.
Sustainability can't really be accomplished by one or even many individuals acting alone; it's a property of the system as a whole. A micro-example of this can be seen in local farmer's markets. They're awesome social hubs and they provide revenue for vendors and service providers. But by and large they're labours of love. The reality is that they don't financially support many of the farmers participating, who effectively subsidize the venture. (Service providers like masseuses may be an exception.) Farmers markets, like all local business and like the community itself, need a robust set of local interconnections to be healthy and sustainable.
Toward more local flavour
These ingredients would tend to increase local “flavour” by being indicators of a real sustainability.
1) make shared land use a simpler, more available option. Allow people to buy or live on land together more easily - they could farm together for example. Many people feel that they couldn't lead a sustainable life on the land without more hands to help, and they're likely correct. And some can't afford the land without an outside job, which means they've no time to do the farm work .This step would require a change in thinking. It's not what we've done in the past. But for the community willing to put out a welcome mat that anticipates the difficulties city dwellers, especially young ones, have in moving to the country, the benefits could be enormous: more landowners, more tax revenue, spin-off publicity, community satisfaction, an influx of new ideas and energy. would signal a game-changing difference for many change. The participating municipality benefits because land there are more tax payers.
2) hold a local and low-tech sustainability fair
3) identify and invite the segment of population concerned about sustainable future to look at what “here” has to offer
4) Consider “common security clubs” in which members support each other in reaching pracitical sustainability goals .Such goals could include supporting individuals getting more than half their food from local sources, solar hot water heaters, local labour exchanges, permaculture installations and more.
5) Introduce and expand the “welcome wagon” idea with regular meetings in which newcomers can air and find solutions to their practical problems, and let them know these are here. Such a group already exists for locals.
6) Support the formation of a local eco-village. While one is already struggling to come about in Westaperth, and is attracting attention from afar, others would love to move toward an "eco-village" model if they thought it could be done. It wouldn't take much encouragement from councils for an area to be a centre of “buzz” in the alternative community.
7) Turn local “dumps” into “Reuse Centres” along the lines of the one in Mcdona'd's Corners.. The Reuse Centre epitomizes a community spirit that locals and visitors alike notice. Cottage dwellers bring visitors to the Reuse Centre to show them the kind of place they live. Do these cottagers and visitors dream of living here full-time? I believe they do. (The young woman I took there declared it her favourite store and made a point of taking her boyfriend there. He loved it too. Cost? Almost negligible.
Benefits
The benefits I'm listing here are certainly not guaranteed. But what is fairly certain is that the current slide toward population decline and dependence on outside resources will continue without a change of direction.
The perception that “here” supports sustainability and country living will make the area more attractive to new initiatives and businesses of all kinds, not just the alternative variety.
Population will tend to increase with associated tax revenues and support for local businesses.
New folks with new ideas will inject new vitality and directions that we can't imagine yet.
Compared to top down initiatives, the dollar cost is extremely low. The actual “cost” is in the work of creating a vision of something new and possible and working toward it.
Any part of Westaperth that's able to capitalize on the spirit of the time and the huge appetite for change by really welcoming newcomers will become a magnet for new energy, creativity, business and tax dollars.
