A Letter from Jackie
A few weeks ago I took the Metra from Elgin to Union Station. I’m a big fan of the environmental and communal benefits of public transportation but am an occasional rider as a rural resident. I happily relaxed in my seat and watched the journey unfold out my window, and became a tourist in a world I rarely see.
I saw the backs of strip malls with their overflowing garbage dumpsters and huge stacks of empty pallets. There were mini-mountains of pea gravel and railroad ties in hidden, pothole-filled lots. We passed by car graveyards, and at the foot of numerous municipal water towers, and by mile after mile of invasive species-lined tracks while being almost continually surrounded by enormous webs of electrical power lines. Railroad tracks run through a forgotten, neglected and yet extremely integral space to our lives. My Metra trip laid bare what I rarely get to witness and therefore easily forget: the backside of consumerism and the degradation that is often a result of its efficiencies we hold so dear.
On my return trip to Elgin, it struck me that our food systems are equally as mysterious and hidden from most people’s everyday experience. Food and farming is integral to our existence yet the immensely complex web of farmers and farmworkers, urban and rural farmland, food-related transportation, marketing and sales, layers of industry-specific rules and regulations, financial markets, governmental programs, food waste and system-specific inequities is the product of efficiency and the unseen backdrop to every single meal on our plate. What is the backside to our food choices?
A sudden voice yelling, “TICKETS!” interrupted my musings on the Metra but is also relevant. Do you have your tickets to the Gather & Grow Farm Social? October 1 is right around the corner and we can’t wait to visit with you as we enjoy a magical evening celebrating food, farmers, and the great work being done at the Learning Center. By joining us, you will help us build and strengthen local food and farm systems to ensure the backside to eating is just, healthy, sustainable, visible and valued.
Jackie de Batista
Executive Director
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