Redefining Independence

Reflections on Local Resiliency and Global Sustainability

Independence Day begs us to ask some of the most critical questions of the century in regards to local and global sustainability. Such questions demand that the rising leaders in sustainability choose a path that honors the freedoms the Constitution deems important. One of these freedoms speaks to protecting and promoting our environmental, social, and economic well-being for generations to come. This is not an easy task to swallow, especially considering the state of the world right now.

Independence Day offers us the opportunity to gather in community and celebrate the ways we are reorienting towards a more sustainable global village. It offers us the opportunity to evolve the conversation from independence to interdependence.

Interdependence Within a Global Economy

What does it mean to be globally independent from each other? It seems more applicable to turn our attention towards a worldview in which we become more and more sustainably interdependent on each other. Right now, that is not our current situation. In “The New Grand Strategy” , Mark Mykleby, Patrick Doherty, and Joel Makower, speak to ‘global unsustainability’ as the greatest challenge of our era:

In describing this challenge, we see four global dynamics — what we call “strategic antagonists” — that make the current U.S. and international order unsustainable: 1. The rapid inclusion of 3 billion people into the global economy. 2. The ecological depletion we’re facing, including the disruptions of climate change. 3. The resilience of deficit that’s making our supply chains and infrastructure brittle and prone to disruption. 4. The fact that most major economies are propped up by monetary policy and the heroic efforts of central banks instead of by consumer demand.

With this perspective in mind, how can we progress the current conversation from global unsustainability to sustainable interdependence? The answers to this question are less daunting when we look within our hearts, our communities, and our local systems.

From Independence to Interdependence Within Local Systems

There is no doubt that we are moving forward as a global economy. Collaboration is necessary in order to solve the worlds leading environmental, social, and economic problems.

At Growing Spaces we feel it’s important to support this vision locally, as a green business. For us, the conversation is more specific to fostering environmental, social, and economic well-being within our Growing Spaces community, to include planting our values within every garden we help bring to life.

We believe that food sustainability directly impacts how much we value our planet and those inhabiting it.

Values Seeded in the Garden

Independence can separate as well as bring us together. The ways in which we honor life are like seeds planted and nourished in a garden. At Growing Spaces, we believe that planting seeds of resilience honors:

1. Mentoring Environmental Sustainability 2. A Willingness to Grow 3. Seeing Challenges as Opportunities 4. Living in Discovery 5. Honest Communication 6. Celebration 7. Living in Balance

With these values in mind, we hope you’re celebrating this day with a hope and optimism that perseveres within your heart, your home, and your community. We’re all in this together, bound by the independence required to come together and solve some of the most critical environmental questions of our time.