GULP Mission Statement
From CFI
Contents |
Greater Ukiah Localization Project Mission Statement
GULP began formulating our mission statement at our general meeting on March 21, 2006. Please feel free to post your own statement in the "Individual Statements" section below. Have fun!
Meta-Statement
Following is the collaborative statement developed by those attending GULP meetings in early 2006
The mission of GULP is to co-create a healthy, just, local economy which encourages all resident of the upper Russian River Watershed to become active participants in giving rise to a vibrant, self-reliant community which can provide for our basic physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.
Individual Statements
Please add your own mission statement here.
5/18/08: Aimee - What we eat creates our feelings and our thoughts, and our thoughts create our life, so we must eat as well as we can. Supporting local farmers and eating more MORE produce is a path to a great life! My mission is to be a basis of support in the world to help others realize this truth. Quote from Joyce Goldstein, "Feeding people is like sending them a love letter." ps. I'm not a vegetarian but a strong believer in plants being the essential ingredient to health.
5/13/07: Dave - Quote from Sharon Astyk : "The opposite of poverty is self-sufficiency... We need to recognize that our food dependence affects not just what we eat, but the fundamentals of our democracy and our political power. We should not owe our lives to entities we deplore. And the only possible escape from that bind is to declare food independence - to meet as many of our basic needs as possible ourselves, and through small, sustainable farms with which we have real and direct relationships. And that means not just growing food, but ensuring a stable food supply, reasonable reserves and a dinner that depends on no one." http://casaubonsbook.blogspot.com/2007/05/food-preservation-and-democracy.html
6/27/06: Taggert: The mission of GULP is to work towards our visions of a healthy, fair, local economy which encourages all resident of the upper Russian River Watershed to become active participants in giving rise to a vibrant, self-reliant community which can provide an environment where each member of the community can, through hard work and discipline provide for the basic physical, economic, spiritual, and emotional needs of themselves their families and have something left to give back to the community.
We also commit to being careful to look at the effects our actions have on all environments - Not only the "natural world", or that which we can see from our little valley - but also the economic and political natures of our planet, nation, state county and community which we recognize to be far more fragile and who’s collapse would be far more devastating to our community than anything we simple primates can do to Gia.
We will not seek to hijack the leavers of power to impose our minority’s will on the majority; but rather we seek to educate and build true consensus and have our ideas prevail on their own merits not by backroom deals with bureaucrats but in open forum for all to see and participate. We accept that to make relevant changes we must be prepared to be careful and courteous in the expressions of ideas and evolve the communities perceptions.
We seek an evolution of this place not a revolution – As to do so would be unfair to those who love this place for what they see it to have been and what it is to them. We commit to not being impatient nor egocentric as to believe that any of us has “The” solution – as the human equation is not a realm of absolutes.
Above all else we cherish that in this nation we share the freedom to live our lives as we see fit; and graciously accept that the price of this freedom is the duty to protect not just our own rites, or the rights of those whom we agree with but the rights of our most bitter opponent.
5/10/06: HollyC - thought I'd had this up but apparently not...here it is: "Working toward wisely using our natural resources, developing a strong local economy, and fostering a just, peaceful, and healthy community."
4/15/06 GULP! ...creating Plan B - Dave (saw reference by a Solar guy in a peak oil speech that "we are Plan B")
3/26/06: Our Mission Statement suggestion. Feel free to modify.(Ruth, Star, Leeya) Re-edited April 10:
"Our intention is to create collaborative relationships working towards reducing dependence on fossil fuels and strengthening the local community."
3/25/06: Not sure what words to use here but think somehow there needs to be words which differenciate between self-reliance vs inter-connected reliance; individualism vs group concerns. I suppose this is self-evident to those of us participating in the group but we are a country of "rugged individualists" and "me first" is a large part of that mentality. Somehow the difference between, for example, being a community of Boy Scouts, vs a community of people dependent on the participation of all in the community is important. - Ruth
3/24/06: Mission statement thoughts: How about integrating some key concepts of "empowerment, enfranchisement, alleviating poverty, cultural and biological diversity, community-based resource management?"" Miles Gordon
3/24/06, kicking off the discussion, here's a sentence to start and play with: Building a healthy, supportive community through innovation, cooperation, and perspiration. This may be close to what Dave or Adam said, but my memory of 3/21 is a bit of a jumble. Cheers, Christine D.
3/22/06, DS To follow up on our discussion last night: We want a healthy community. We want to be inclusive. We want to be positive. We are action oriented. It seems that most of these localization groups are mainly motivated out of fear of the future. That is certainly part of GULP's motivation too, but I was feeling a lot of "this is a better way to live" sentiment. How about a tag line: "No More Doom and Gloom" ... or "Creating Collaborative Relationships" -Dave
Guiding Information
Mission: Why are we here? -To create a healthier local community
-To co-create a healthy community through compassion, education, and consideration of all
-To define local natural limits and practice temperance (healthy moderation)
-To create a controlled (deliberate) uninterrupted future
-To Plan in an adaptive manner
-To re-educate ourselves and our community to be self-reliant
Who do we serve?
-Upper Russian River Watershed (and points beyond)
-Active Partisans
-Youth
-People coming to the community
-Each other
-Businesses, individuals, co-ops, schools, churches
-The collective interest
What do our Stakeholders value?
-Quality of life
-Jobs and Housing
-Practical life skills
-Local self determination
-Ecological Integrity (local and global)
-Local self-reliance
-Community Cooperation
-Economic integrity
-Peace, health, and safety
-Light "footprint"
-Lasting continuity
-Equality in the valley
-Joy, celebration, dancing
-Permanent Agriculture "Permaculture"
-Preparedness
-Opportunity for meaningful contribution and participation
What are the results our stakeholders want to see?
-Reliable sources of food
-Community self reliance
-Meeting people's basic physical, spiritual, and emotional needs not at the expense of others
-Means of exchange to acquire what's needed
-Sense of belonging
-To be a successful example
-To practically apply what we learn
-Increased cooperation and communication
-"Ecotopia"
-Restorative Community Justice
-Balanced community
What is our plan to achieve those results?
-Educate
-Practically apply our learning
-Create specific projects with measurability and follow up
-Break our addiction to energy (Learn new habits)
-Build better houses and create better jobs using recycled and local materials
-Self-Responsibility coupled with community support
-Get started so we can learn as we go
-Have fun and spread joy
-Involve working groups with existing groups and resources
-Work together with a human systems perspective
-Not "Do it all" (Utilize partnerships and networks)
