BlueprintsForBetter

Art courtesy of La Via Campesina

-Post by KG-

We’ve talked about why food sovereignty matters and seen how communities are putting sustainable food systems into practice. Now let’s talk about what we can do to actually make it happen. Change does not have to start big. It starts with what is on our plates, who we support, and how we use our voices.

Champion Land Back: Support Indigenous land reclamation and Tribal sovereignty. Indigenous peoples have cared for these lands since time immemorial, and supporting land back movements honors their rights to self-determination and environmental stewardship.

Support Indigenous Food Justice: Back Indigenous farms, businesses, and community-led projects that are reclaiming traditional food systems. Buy from Indigenous-owned food producers and advocate for policies that protect their food practices.

Build Relationships: Connect with Tribes and BIPOC communities already leading food sovereignty work. Listen, learn, and share their efforts so their impact grows.

Shop Local: Prioritize buying from nearby farmers, markets, and CSAs, especially those led by BIPOC growers. This strengthens community food systems, ensures fair wages, and lowers our environmental footprint.

Lobby & Advocate: Push for policies that expand food access, protect farmworkers, support small-scale farmers, and uphold food sovereignty rights at all levels of government.

Organize & Amplify: Join or support community gardens, food forests, and food banks, or start your own growing project. Share their work so more people get involved.

Save & Share Seeds: Preserve biodiversity and community resilience by swapping seeds. This keeps our food systems diverse, adaptable, and sustainable.

Learn & Educate: Grow your understanding of food systems, traditional food knowledge, and sustainable practices. Teach others how to grow, cook, or preserve seasonal foods.

Reduce Food Waste: Compost, recover surplus food, and support redistribution programs so food gets to people instead of landfills.

Every action matters. Supporting Indigenous food sovereignty, growing our own food, or advocating for sustainability plants seeds for the future. Our choices can heal ecosystems, strengthen communities, and keep culture alive, helping to ensure a future where people and the land can flourish together.

References

Antonelli, A. (2023, January 10). Indigenous knowledge is key to sustainable food systems. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00021-4

Center for Ecoliteracy. (n.d.). Ecoliteracy.org. Center for Ecoliteracy. https://www.ecoliteracy.org/

Climate Justice Alliance. (2021, September 1). Food Sovereignty. Climate Justice Alliance. https://climatejusticealliance.org/workgroup/food-sovereignty/

Future Generations Collaborative. (n.d.). Food Sovereignty Project. Future Generations Collaborative. https://fgcpdx.org/elders-natural-helpers/

Green America. (n.d.). Climate Victory Gardens. Green America. https://www.greenamerica.org/climate-victory-gardens

La Via Campesina https://viacampesina.org/en/

La Via Campesina South Asia. (2024, March 22). Call to Action – #17April: International Day of Peasant Struggles. https://southasiaviacampesina.org/2024/03/22/call-to-action-17april-international-day-of-peasant-struggles/

Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance. (n.d.). Welcome to the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA). NAFSA | Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance. https://nativefoodalliance.org/

Person. (2021, September 8). Gather on. Fish on. Hunt on. Home | Gather Film. https://www.nativefoodsystems.org/  

Rúa, I. (2024, January 16). Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems and agroecology: Synergies and Convergences. Cultural Survival. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/indigenous-peoples-food-systems-and-agroecology-synergies-and-convergences?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAt4C-BhBcEiwA8Kp0C

The Cultural Conservancy. (n.d.). Native Foodways. The Cultural Conservancy. https://www.nativeland.org/native-foodways  

US Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Tribal Food Sovereignty and Climate Change in the Northwest. USDA Northwest Climate Hub. https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northwest/topic/tribal-food-sovereignty-and-climate-change-northwest

U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance. (n.d.). Food Sovereignty. USFSA. https://usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org/what-is-food-sovereignty/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFood%20sovereignty%20is%20the%20right,own%20food%20and%20agriculture%20systems  

[LaToya Ruby Frazier. Grandma Ruby, J.C. and Me Watching Soap Operas in her Living room, 2007. From the series The Notion of Family. Gelatin silver print; 20 × 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York.] LaToya Ruby Frazier’s turns her camera into a tool for social justice. Her projects, which range from documenting her own family in The Notion of Family to chronicling environmental racism and healthcare crises, push us to see mental health as something shaped by history, policy, and power.

One of the most important ideas connected to her work comes from a framework explored by psychiatrist Frederick Wertham and novelist Richard Wright: the key to self-actualization can be found in socially and historically informed psychiatry. Wertham, who founded the LaFargue Clinic in Harlem, believed that healing required an honest reckoning with racism, poverty, white supremacy, and exclusion. Wright echoed this in his writing, arguing that liberation depended on both self-knowledge and systemic change. If mental health care embraced this perspective, communities could access not only healing, but the tools for transformation.

In Frazier’s images, she captures collaborators, storytellers, and witnesses to systemic conditions that shape their lives. Her work makes it impossible to separate personal well-being from the structural forces that erode or protect it. Frazier’s lens reminds us that accessibility isn’t only about proximity to a clinic or affordability of services. True access means culturally competent care, historical acknowledgment, and space for communities to define their own healing. Social justice, mental health, and spiritual guidance are inseparable. Without addressing the root causes, we risk treating symptoms instead of building freedom.

Access to affordable, culturally competent mental healthcare is still out of reach for many people. According to Healthline, common barriers include high costs, lack of insurance, transportation challenges, and long wait times. For marginalized communities, these issues are compounded by systemic racism, generational trauma, and a shortage of providers who share cultural or linguistic backgrounds with their clients.

My Thoughts: We can’t talk about mental health as if it’s only tied to individual responsibility, when it’s also about whether systems make care possible in the first place. If your community doesn’t have accessible providers, affordable therapy options, or safe spaces for healing, that’s a structural problem. Expanding funding for community-based mental health programs, training culturally competent providers, and integrating care into schools and workplaces could help close the gap.

Call to Action: Check in with your friends and neighbors about their access to care. Share resources. Support legislation that funds local, low-cost, and culturally rooted mental health services.

This quick, anonymous quiz helps you see what access looks like for you right now, and shares resources if you're facing barriers.

Public transit in the U.S. Like buses, trains, and light rails are not reliable, slow, and it does not sever most houses. For that reason, many families rely on cars.

92% of U.S. households have at least one vehicle, and over half own two or more.

Around 8% don’t own any cars.

Back in 1960, 22% of households had no vehicle that dropped to just 8–9% by 2020, and multi-car households jumped from 22% to 59%.

That implies that a lot of people think they must drive to get around:

Families Spend large amounts of money on buying cars, filling them with gas, and maintaining them.

The long drives lessen the time people spend resting, socializing, and with their family.

Traffic pollutes the environment and that affects people’s health both mental and physical.

People with low incomes, disabilities, and the elderly find it hard to buy or use the car. Which limits them from transporting and finding or going to jobs, schools, and hospitals.

Wider and bigger highways do not solve the problem. They encourage more driving and at some point, the problem gets bigger and there is more traffic and pollution, because of induced demand, thanks to Jevon’s paradox.

However, other cities' smart transit systems provide a better way forward:

Tokyo, Japan: They have trains that operate every few minutes in almost every neighborhood.

Bogotá, Colombia: Buses lanes that move people fast without the need for a subway.

Zurich, Switzerland: Just one ticket let them use Trams, buses, and trains that work seamlessly.

It matters because it saves more time, lowers the costs of living, creates a better environment, and the ability to move freely without struggling to get where you want. Having access to life itself is a right.

Sources:

American Public Transportation Association. (2023). Public transportation benefits. https://www.apta.com/news-publications/public-transportation-benefits/

AutoInsurance.com. (2023). Car ownership statistics. https://www.autoinsurance.com/research/car-ownership-statistics/

Pew Research Center. (2024, November 14). 1 in 10 Americans rarely or never drive a car. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/11/14/1-in-10-americans-rarely-or-never-drive-a-car/

Rodrigue, J.-P. (2020). Household vehicles in the United States. The Geography of Transport Systems. https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter8/urban-transport-challenges/household-vehicles-united-states/

The Guardian. (2024, April 10). What sets me apart in the US? I’m car-free by choice. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/10/what-sets-me-apart-in-the-us-im-car-free-by-choice

-Post by KG-

In a previous post (pt 1), we talked about the barriers to food sovereignty and the disruptions to sustainable systems. Now, let's look at the other side of the story: communities putting traditional techniques and solutions into practice, and and proving the importance and benefits of food sovereignty and sustainable food systems.

Chinampas: Floating Gardens of Xochimilco

Photo credit to Aurora Yee, courtesy of Robotánica & Gabriel Núñez

Chinampas, the floating gardens of Xochimilco, are a brilliant example of Indigenous ecological knowledge and resilience. Built from organic materials and lakebed sediments, they produce food year-round, contributing over 40,000 tons annually to Mexico City.

They naturally maintain soil fertility, conserve water, prevent erosion, and support 2% of global biodiversity through ecosystem services like pollination, water filtration, and flood control. Rooted in Aztec traditions, chinampas preserve food sovereignty by empowering local communities to sustain their food systems and cultural heritage.

Arca Tierra, led by Lucio Usobiaga, is revitalizing chinampas by blending traditional techniques with modern agroecology, including syntropic agriculture and permaculture. Their work restores soil health, supports biodiversity, and strengthens farmers through fair trade and direct sales.

Restoring Wetlands & First Foods in Klamath Territory

Photo credit to Cassandra Profita & Tim Burgess / OPB

In Southern Oregon, the Klamath Tribes are restoring wetlands and bringing back wocus, the pond lily seeds central to their culture and diet. These nutrient-rich seeds have been harvested for centuries, but wetland drainage, pollution, and agriculture wiped out more than 80% of the Upper Klamath Basin’s wetlands.

Through partnerships with groups like the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited, the tribes have helped restore over 14,000 acres. Programs like Walking Wetlands encourage farmers to bring water back to their fields, improving water quality, reviving wildlife, and making First Foods accessible again.

By restoring wetlands, the Klamath people are repairing both ecosystems and cultural connections.

Farmers are also joining in, integrating regenerative agriculture into their work. Together, Indigenous leaders and local farmers are building food systems rooted in biodiversity, resilience, and cultural respect.

NAYA: Growing Food & Community

Photos courtesy of NAYA Community Garden

The Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) is a community hub for Indigenous food sovereignty. Based in Portland, it supports Native youth, families, and Elders through food systems that nourish both people and culture.

At the NAYA Community Garden, located at the historic site of Neerchokikoo, you’ll find traditional crops like the Three Sisters—corn, beans, and squash—along with camas, biscuit root, and wild carrot. These foods are grown using sustainable practices that boost biodiversity and soil health while strengthening climate resilience.

The Cully Farmers Market, run by and for the community, provides economic opportunities for Indigenous growers and brings fresh, local food to the neighborhood. NAYA’s work blends traditional knowledge with modern sustainability practices, making food systems more equitable and deeply rooted in cultural identity.

x̌ast sq̓it - Good Rain Farm

Photo credit to Jamie Thrower / Studio Xiii Photography

Founded by Michelle Week, a Sinixt farmer, Good Rain Farm located on the west side of the Cascades is dedicated to restoring Indigenous foodways and sovereignty. The name x̌ast sq̓it (pronounced “hast-squeit”), means “Good Rain” in the Sinixt language, honoring the region's natural cycles.

The farm uses Traditional Ecological Knowledge alongside regenerative practices like dry farming, seed saving, and heirloom crop cultivation. Hopi Blue Corn, Seminole Pumpkins, and Seneca Sunflowers grow here without reliance on industrial methods.

Good Rain Farm operates on the “Seven Generations” philosophy, prioritizing sustainability for the future. It serves Portland’s urban Native community through a CSA model and reconnects displaced Indigenous people with culturally important foods.

The Great Green Wall

Photo credit to Andrew Millison / founder of OSU Permaculture Design, & Senior Instructor in the Department of Horticulture at OSU

The Great Green Wall Initiative is turning deserts into gardens across Africa’s Sahel, restoring 300,000 hectares, reviving water sources, and bringing food sovereignty back to local communities. Over the past decade, it has lifted half a million people out of long-term food aid and, in some areas, reduced regional temperatures by up to 8°C.

Central to this success are traditional Indigenous techniques like zai pits (or tassa technique) and half-moon water harvesting. These methods capture rainwater, enrich the soil, and turn barren landscapes into food-producing areas rich with biodiversity.

The project’s impact extends beyond the restored hectares. Water tables are returning, year-round gardens are flourishing, and communities are regaining control of their food systems. By combining Indigenous land stewardship with modern support, the Great Green Wall is both a climate solution and a model for food sovereignty.

Freight Farms

Photos courtesy of Freight Farms

Fresh produce grown in the desert, snow, and deep city? It's possible. Freight Farms uses hydroponic technology inside 40-foot shipping containers to produce fresh, organic food year-round, anywhere in the world. This approach helps communities, especially in food-insecure areas, regain control over their food systems and reduce reliance on industrial agriculture.

These farms operate in extreme conditions from -40°F to 120°F, using just 5 gallons of water per day, and yield 2 to 6 tons of produce annually without large tracts of land or ideal soil. They can thrive in urban centers, deserts, and degraded landscapes.

By eliminating long supply chains, Freight Farms cuts carbon emissions and avoids pesticides or herbicides, protecting local ecosystems.

Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Photo courtesy of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), founded in 1977 by the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Perce tribes, unites these nations to restore salmon, manage fisheries, and influence policy in the Columbia River Basin. Decisions are made by consensus, reflecting Indigenous values of shared responsibility and stewardship.

Salmon, a keystone species with deep cultural and spiritual meaning, has sustained the region’s Indigenous peoples for millennia. Industrialization, dams, pollution, and overfishing have devastated salmon and river ecosystems, making restoration vital for both ecological health and cultural survival.

CRITFC blends Indigenous knowledge with modern science to restore habitats, defend treaty rights, protect biodiversity, and build climate resilience. Their leadership ensures future generations can thrive alongside healthy, abundant salmon runs.

The Beacon Food Forest

Photos courtesy of Beacon Food Forest

In Seattle, the Beacon Food Forest is turning public space into a thriving urban food forest. Anyone can harvest freely, creating a shared resource that reflects the diverse cultures of the Beacon Hill community.

Designed with permaculture principles, the forest grows layers of fruit trees, shrubs, and ground cover that support soil health, biodiversity, and long-term productivity. It reduces urban heat, manages stormwater, and acts as a carbon sink.

Beyond the environmental benefits, it’s a space where neighbors connect, learn, and share. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the forest supported local food banks, showing how community-led food systems can provide resilience in times of crisis.

From traditional floating gardens to high-tech hydroponics, from wetland restoration to community food forests, people are proving that sustainable, just, and culturally rooted food systems are possible.

References

Arca Tierra. (2025, January 29). Arca Tierra, it all began in the chinampas: peasant agriculture. Arca Tierra. https://www.arcatierra.com/nosotros/ 

Beacon Food Forest. (n.d.). Beacon Food Forest. https://www.beaconfoodforest.org/ 

Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. (2024, June 14). Four Tribes United in Action. CRITFC. https://critfc.org/ 

Freight Farms, Inc. (n.d.). Hydroponic growing setup: Urban farming with Freight Farms. Freight Farms. https://www.freightfarms.com/home/ 

Good Rain Farm. (n.d.). x̌ast sq̓it Good Rain Farm. Good Rain Farm. https://www.goodrainfarm.com/ 

Grivas, E. B. (2024, September 4). At 10, Seattle’s pioneering food forest pivots to increase food security. Pacific Horticulture. https://pacifichorticulture.org/articles/at-10-seattles-pioneering-food-forest-pivots-to-increase-food-security/  

Millison, A. [Andrew Millison]. (2022, April 14). Chinampas of Mexico: Most Productive Agriculture EVER? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86gyW0vUmVs 

Millison, A. [Andrew Millison]. (2024, November 13). Inside Africa’s Food Forest Mega-Project [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbBdIG--b58

Native American Youth and Family Center. (n.d.). Community Garden. Native American Youth and Family Center. https://nayapdx.org/services/community-garden/  

PBS Terra. (2023, June 1). How This Indigenous Farmer Is Solving Food Insecurity [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-yscXAxSMs

Profita, C. (2025, February 17). Klamath tribes push to restore wetlands and wocus in Southern Oregon. OPB. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/17/klamath-tribes-first-food-wocus/

UNDRR. (2021, August 6). Chinampas in Mexico is an indigenous and highly sustainable agriculture system. PreventionWeb. https://www.preventionweb.net/news/chinampas-mexico-indigenous-and-highly-sustainable-agriculture-system

Researchers at ETH Zurich proposed an energy conservative goal of achieving a society that only uses 2,000 Watts per capita. A vision that each person could lead a fulfilling life with just that small amount of energy consumption. 2kW of continuous power, while not being deprived but deliberate efficiency and equity, this concept took hold quickly. In 2008, 75% of Zurich voters supported cutting per-capita energy use to 2,000 W and dropping CO2 emissions to just 1 ton by 2050 (with no nuclear energy involved).

Today, more than 100 Swiss towns and 23 of the 26 cantons have embedded the idea into their strategy. Small projects like Greencity Zurich have earned certification under the "2,000 Watt Site" standard. More cities beyond Switzerland, like Vancouver and Canberra, are using it to shape sustainable development.

The real world complicates this dream of theirs. Apparent energy drops are partly due to population growth, industrial shifts, and imported "gray energy". Many experts in the field warn that lifestyle transformation beyond just technology is needed to make this futuristic ideal a true model.

Nevertheless we should all take a page out of their book. Keep moving toward lower energy use: make buildings more efficient, seek alternatives to fossil fuel engines, and adapting our perspective on energy. The goal isn't sacrifice, it's cutting waste and maximizing what we can do with less.

-Blake

Photo Credit: Ellis, B. (2021).

Sources:

Art by Federico Boyd Sulapas Dominguez

-Post by KG-

Food is more than fuel for survival. It's our history, stories, traditions, ceremonies, memories, and our connection to the land.

The problem is that the systems feeding most of us now are built to make profit, not to care or the people or the planet. Our connection to where our food comes from is stripped away, and in the process, our food traditions that have existed for generations are erased.

That's where food sovereignty and sustainable food systems come in. They are about communities taking back control over how food is grown, shared, and eaten. They are about caring for the land that has always cared for us, and about leaving something better for future generations.

So...what is a food system?

Think of it as the entire journey of our food: planting, growing, harvesting, processing, transporting, selling, cooking, eating, and even tossing the scraps.

Some examples include:

Global food systems ship food all over the world. That is why you can grab a pineapple in January, but it also means the food has traveled thousands of miles, lost freshness along the way, and relied on massive supply chains that fall apart in a crisis.

Community or local food systems keep it close to home. The tomatoes at your farmer’s market were grown nearby. Money stays in the area, farmers get real support, and people know who is growing their food.

Indigenous food systems are built on deep, place-based knowledge passed down for generations. These systems weave together culture, spirituality, and health, while working in balance with the environment.

How colonization changed everything

Indigenous communities once had foodways perfectly adapted to their local ecosystems. Hunting, fishing, gathering, and farming were done in ways that kept people and the land in balance.

Colonization broke that balance. Land was stolen. Traditional food practices were banned or restricted. People were forced to rely on government-issued rations that replaced nutrient-rich diets with processed foods. Boarding schools separated children from their communities and their food traditions.

The damage was immense. Chronic illnesses rose, biodiversity dropped, and cultural knowledge was pushed to the brink.

Today, Indigenous-led projects are growing traditional crops again, reclaiming land, and teaching foodways that were almost lost. This is much more than bringing back old recipes, it's healing, resilience, and taking back what was taken.

Food apartheid

The term “food desert” gets used a lot, but activist Karen Washington uses “food apartheid” instead. The lack of healthy, affordable food in certain neighborhoods is not random. It is the direct result of racism, disinvestment, and policies designed to keep resources out of certain communities.

Many BIPOC communities facing food apartheid are also leading the charge to fix it. Urban farms, seed-saving projects, cultural food programs, and community-owned grocery stores are some examples making change possible.

Food sovereignty in action

At its core, food sovereignty is about people deciding how their food is grown, shared, and eaten. It means food that is healthy, culturally meaningful, and grown in ways that care for the land.

Some pillars of food sovereignty:

Local control over land, seeds, and water

Restoring traditional food practices

Respecting and valuing food providers

Protecting biodiversity and ecosystems

For Indigenous communities, food sovereignty is also about cultural survival. Reviving traditional foodways is a way to repair the damage done by colonization and corporate agriculture.

Agroecology: farming with the ecosystem, not against it

Agroecology blends ecological science with traditional knowledge to create farming systems that are sustainable, resilient, and community-driven. It encourages biodiversity, limits chemical use, and puts power back in the hands of the people growing the food.

This approach is not new. It is rooted in Indigenous knowledge that has kept ecosystems healthy for thousands of years.

Why this matters right now

Industrial agriculture is responsible for almost half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It pollutes air, soil, and water, wipes out habitats, and leaves us reliant on fragile supply chains.

Climate change is already putting food production at risk with droughts, heatwaves, pests, and unpredictable weather. The fix is not adding more chemicals and machines. The solution is building food systems that can survive change by working with the land instead of exploiting it.

Indigenous Peoples manage over a quarter of the world’s land and hold knowledge that can help restore balance to ecosystems. Supporting Indigenous food sovereignty is climate action, a path to food security, and a way to strengthen communities.

Food tells the story of who we are and where we are going. We get to choose the ending. Keep feeding a system that burns out land and people, or help grow one built on justice, care, and reciprocity.

References

Agrarian Conversations. (n.d.). Welcome to the new editors’ website for the Journal of Peasant Studies! Agrarian Conversations. https://www.peasantjournal.org/news/welcome-to-the-new-website-of-the-editors-of-the-journal-of-peasant-studies/ 

Agroecology Fund. (2024, February 29). What is agroecology?. Agroecologyfund.org. https://agroecologyfund.org/what-is-agroecology/

Antonelli, A. (2023, January 10). Indigenous knowledge is key to sustainable food systems. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00021-4 

Center for Ecoliteracy. (n.d.). Ecoliteracy.org. Center for Ecoliteracy. https://www.ecoliteracy.org/

Climate Justice Alliance. (2021, September 1). Food Sovereignty. Climate Justice Alliance. https://climatejusticealliance.org/workgroup/food-sovereignty/ 

Emily Jensen. (n.d.). Food apartheid. ReGeneration.org. https://regeneration.org/nexus/food-apartheid#:~:text=Food%20apartheid%20is%20a%20system,access%20due%20to%20systemic%20injustice 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Overview. Agroecology Knowledge Hub. https://www.fao.org/agroecology/overview/en/#:~:text=Agroecology%20is%20a%20holistic%20and,sustainable%20agriculture%20and%20food%20systems

Future Generations Collaborative. (n.d.). Food Sovereignty Project. Future Generations Collaborative. https://fgcpdx.org/elders-natural-helpers/

Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance. (n.d.). Welcome to the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA). NAFSA | Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance. https://nativefoodalliance.org/ 

Person. (2021, September 8). Gather on. Fish on. Hunt on. Home | Gather Film. https://www.nativefoodsystems.org/ 

Rúa, I. (2024, January 16). Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems and agroecology: Synergies and Convergences. Cultural Survival. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/indigenous-peoples-food-systems-and-agroecology-synergies-and-convergences?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAt4C-BhBcEiwA8Kp0C

The Cultural Conservancy. (n.d.). Native Foodways. The Cultural Conservancy. https://www.nativeland.org/native-foodways 

US Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Tribal Food Sovereignty and Climate Change in the Northwest. USDA Northwest Climate Hub. https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northwest/topic/tribal-food-sovereignty-and-climate-change-northwest 

U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance. (n.d.). Food Sovereignty. USFSA. https://usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org/what-is-food-sovereignty/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFood%20sovereignty%20is%20the%20right,own%20food%20and%20agriculture%20systems 

Solarpunk is an art and literary movement envisioning a sustainable future powered by solar energy, community, and DIY innovation. Academic minds point to it as a space of counter-cultural hope grounded in justice and ecological design. Its also described as envisioning a future where humanity lives locally, sustainably, and in harmony with nature. - Art, Energy and Technology: the Solarpunk Movement - A Solarpunk Manifesto: Turning Imaginary into Reality

Influential voices like Deb Chachra argue that abundant, clean energy could fuel everything from high-speed transit to water purification on coastal cities. This would reshape society's infrastructure ethos. - What would a world with abundant energy look like? <-Might need Vox Membership, good read though.

-Blake

Photo Credit: Ellis, B. (2020)

Sources:

-Reina-Rozo, J. D. (2021). Art, Energy and Technology: the Solarpunk Movement. International Journal of Engineering, Social Justice, and Peace, 8(1), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.24908/ijesjp.v8i1.14292 https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/IJESJP/article/view/14292

-Gillam, W. J. (2023). A Solarpunk Manifesto: Turning Imaginary into Reality. Philosophies, 8(4), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies8040073 https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/8/4/73

El Heirro, Canary Islands: This remote island with only about 11,000 residents uses wind turbines and pumped-storage hydro to be energy self sufficient for over 10,000 hours (as of 2024) since the projects start(commissioned in 2014; completed around 2015). Its recognized globally as a renewable energy benchmark - 'We're an evolving laboratory': the island on a quest to be self-sufficient in energy

Samsø, Denmark: Through community wind cooperatives, Samsø became energy positive by 2005, producing more renewable energy than it consumes. A model of grassroots-led transformation. - The Island In The Wind <- The New Yorker

.......................................The Island In The Wind <- Through PSU Library

Galena, Alaska: (My personal favorite article on the topic) A former diesel-dependent village, containing around 400 people, shifted to a 1.5MW solar farm and biomass heating alternative. This cut 10,000 gallons of diesel use annually, creating jobs, and improving energy reliability. - In rural Alaska, a village turns to solar and biomass energies to cut diesel and save money

-Blake

Photo Credit: Ellis, B. (2020)

Sources:

-angie. (2019, September 29). Wind-Pumped-Hydro system of El Hierro. Yenesis Platform. https://yenesisplatform.eu/renewables/wind-pumped-hydro-system-of-el-hierro/

-Pablo, O. de. (2024, December 11). “We’re an evolving laboratory”: the island on a quest to be self-sufficient in energy. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/11/el-hierro-canary-islands-wind-hydro-power-renewable-energy-self-sufficiency-sustainability-aoe

-El Hierro completes a year of full operation. (2016, July 11). Energy Matters. https://euanmearns.com/el-hierro-completes-a-year-of-full-operation/

-Kolbert, E. (2017). The Island in the Wind. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/07/07/the-island-in-the-wind

-Jabr, F. (2023). John A. Long - Publications List. Publicationslist.org, 14(6). https://www.proquest.com/docview/233138128?OpenUrlRefId=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo&accountid=13265&sourcetype=Magazines

We could see how in most if not all cities in the U.S. are built for cars and not the people.

Sidewalks are narrow or do not exist

Bike lanes are unsafe or rare

Public transport is unreliable, slow, not clean, or can’t find none is smaller cities.

Cities like Houston, Texas are known for being a city for cars. Huge and wide highways, heavy traffic, and an urban disaster. Most daily needs like shops, clinics, and parks are far from neighborhoods, which makes driving unavoidable.

In the other hand cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen put people first:

Safe and wide bike lanes that connect the whole city

No car traffic in busy areas

Easy, Reliable, and fast public transport system

Public spaces and parks are everywhere

Some cities in the U.S. are trying to change for the better. Portland, Oregon, is an example of those cities. It had invested in walkable neighborhoods, bike lanes, more parks, and light rails. Which shows that it is possible to make more people friendly cities.

When a city is there for the people and not cars it becomes happier, healthier, and welcoming for everyone.

Sources:

NIH (2020): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7538636/

In the U.S. many have health insurance but still struggle, because the system is too expensive, too confusing, and doesn’t work for normal people.

Many rely on their Jobs to be insured but still they get hit with a bill that they can’t afford.

Real ways to make the system better:

Cover everyone. Nobody should lose their healthcare because they lose their job.

A limit to how much it costs to visit doctors and medicine. Simple and honest bills.

Investing in more public clinics and community hospitals and not just big companies.

Less paperwork and more care. All hospital staff should spend less time fighting with insurance companies and focus more on helping people.

Mental health is a basic right for everyone, and it should not be something extra.

A better healthcare system would be:

Easy to use.

Affordable for everyone.

Focus on health and treatment, not profit.

If other countries can do it so can the U.S.

Sources:

KFF (2022): https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/

Commonwealth Fund: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2024/sep/mirror-mirror-2024

TIME: https://time.com/6257775/patient-burnout-health-care/

Many people are shocked by the unreasonable prices, forced to work for health insurance, avoid treatment because of the cost, and lose their lives because their critical and important treatment is denied.

Here is just the experience of four people out of millions who experience this system:

“I had insurance and still got hit with a $12,000 ER bill for a broken leg.”

 “I had to stay at a job I hated for the insurance. I couldn’t afford to quit.”

 “My antidepressants cost $680 a month. I just stopped taking them.”

 “My dad’s chemo was denied for being ‘not medically necessary.’ He died.

This is not just a failed system, it’s a money sucking, life draining, and brutal. I always believed a country should provide and not profit out of its own people.

Sources:

TIME (2023): https://time.com/6257775/patient-burnout-health-care/

The Guardian (2024): https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/12/healthcare-medical-debt-crisis

Although the U.S. is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it has one of the most dysfunctional health care systems in the western world.

Over $13,000 is spent per person yearly on healthcare, more than any other country.

Many people remain without insurance or underinsured, and the healthcare outcomes are among the worst in wealthy countries.

Comparing to other countries

Germany provides a universal, nonprofit insurance system with good protections for patients

Australia makes sure everyone has access to healthcare through its Medicare program, it also controls the costs of medications through a nationally regulated pricing system.

Kuwait provides a free healthcare to all citizens through government run hospitals and clinics, and for non-citizens its $3.

People in the U.S. face many problems when it comes to healthcare and providers, High bills, rejecting essential care, and people avoiding treatment due to the cost.

One of the richest and most innovative countries in the world, its health insurance is driven by profit and not the public well-being. As global citizens, we need to examine the reason of why health care is not a right in the U.S. like many other countries. Also why are corporations and the wealthy must dictate who gets to live and who doesn’t.

Sources:

Commonwealth Fund (2023): https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2023/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2022

Kuwait Ministry of Health: https://www.moh.gov.kw/

KFF (2023): https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/what-drives-health-spending-in-the-u-s-compared-to-other-countries/