Beyond the Potluck
There are many folks who are very visible in the sustainability community in Chico: They go to meetings. They sell locally-made, environmentally-friendly products. They participate in workshops, conferences and task forces. They write letters to the editor. They identify themselves with Slow Food Shasta Cascade, the Chico Sustainability Group, the Friends of Bidwell Park, one of a myriad of CSU, Chico organizations, and countless other groups.
And then there are the Potluckers. Dozens of them, likely hundreds.
And I am not sure that they themselves are aware of their true potential.
The signature trait of a potlucker is that they spend quality time with friends and neighbors multiple times a week, and usually only travel a couple of blocks to do so. Engaging with other members of the neighborhood community is the key element here, not just through food, but also art projects, canning, knitting parties, gardening, celebrations, home construction projects, making music, or practicing yoga or dance.
I try to imagine what Chico would be like if spending time with one's local community was a priority for everyone, and where this might lead.
Tighter-knit neighborhoods would be more invested in each other's health and wellbeing, and this could translate into actions such as advocating adding traffic bumps to residential streets to slow down traffic, or establishing a community child-care program, or households banding together to create buyer's clubs or even enticing a solar panel company to give a discount on installing solar panels on 10-15 houses in a single neighborhood.
I don't see this image as being too far-fetched. Potluckers are everywhere, sharing good, wholesome, home-cooked food, and every week someone new seems to be invited to join in. It is an informal web that continues to grow.
This may be perceived as a more passive, spiritual side to creating sustainable communities, but it is an important element nonetheless. There is power and energy here that should not be overlooked or underestimated.