When plants exhibit apical dominance, they climb upward and outward to increase access to (solar) power.
Humans often also exhibit apical dominance.
This video on pinch pruning can remind us to focus energy toward bearing fruit in our lives: de-emphasizing upward mobility in order to increase cultural prosperity.
Let’s branch out a little.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11 — 9.1MB)
So Will, you’re saying that plants give us a model for how to lead our lives. Rather than aiming to sprout a bunch of small plants, plants have the ability to grow bushier and branchier via pruning. In this way the plant soaks up the maximum amount of energy it can from the sun, in the space provided, and branches out from a common root system.
How do humans go about “pruning” so that we build upon eachother’s common roots, bearing fruit together, rather than always wanting to start our own thing and achieving short-lived successes?
One pruning technique is to focus on the Local. When you spend a dollar at a craft market, farmers market or locally-owned store, a greater percentage of that dollar is likely to stay in your community than if the dollar was spent elsewhere. That added value to your community can boost your own well being in return.
Quoting from this year’s State of the World on “Transforming Cultures”:
“A local business tends to generate a higher economic multiplier than a comparable non-local business. In the summer of 2003, for instance, two economists studied the impact of a proposed Borders bookstore in Austin, Texas, compared with two local bookstores. They found that $100 spent at Borders would circulate $13 in the Austin economy, while $100 spent at the two local bookstores would circulate $45—translating to three times the jobs, earnings, and tax collections.”
Also: “U.S. locally owned businesses have been found to give 2.5 times as much money to local charities per employee as non-local businesses do.”
(http://blogs.worldwatch.org/transformingcultures/contents/)
So, in answer to my own question about how to pinch prune community: Support local (and seasonal) business!
other ideas?
Good one John!
The main reasons why people refuse to buy local is that it’s often more expensive or less convenient. In the video about pinch pruning, Chuck says that it “slows plants down.” If you’re trying to encourage fruit instead of legginess, slowing down is a GOOD thing.
The same is certainly true of buying local… spend extra time and money shopping at a farmer’s market, and promote prosperity on all levels other than “efficiency”
Here’s a related idea: “family dinner”
Will,
I have really enjoyed reading all of your blogs. I was anticipating another entry for October, but I guess you have been too busy. You are so creative and contemplative. I met you at the True Nature County Fair a couple weekends ago. I loved your plants and enjoyed the class we took with Chris, from Gateway Farms. I believe that was his name. Would like to have had the gogi berry bushes but I don’t have any land of my own to plant them. My interest is peaked about E.H., I met so many people from there that weekend with so many great ideas. It gives me hope for the future to see so many folks inspired and so passionate. Keep up the good work and would really like to stay in touch.
Great to hear from you Brian!
I’m looking forward to whenever Chris might send out the list of email addresses to connect that group from TNCF… we had a good connection there.
If you’ve read all our posts and feel hungry for more, I recommend looking at compostmodernist’s “index of halfbaked ideas;” this is where we post material that we’re considering to post to the blog.
If you see anything there that looks blog-worthy, say so and your voice will be heard!
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ApInfJwAaiEkdHRYdE9VTnRad3BTZHdrMFBqbTJGT1E&hl=en#gid=0
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