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I’m working on a proper write-up of the Slow Money Gathering but there is just so much to say. Until I can wrap my head around it here are my pictures from my 3 day visit to Shelburne Farms and the Hadwick, VT farm tours.
Tag Archive for 'slow money'
Had a good couple days driving. We left the park in Brunswick and stopped by the Farmers Market to grab some grub for the road. Murphy and I had the good fortune of meeting Del and Debra Ferguson, grass-fed cattle farmers from Georgia who had set up their booth at the market in Brunswick for the first time.
I mentioned I was on the way up to the Slow Money National Gathering and a bit about the movement and their interest was peaked to say the least. When you talk about opening up new flows of capital to farmers and entrepreneurs in our local food system people perk up.
I picked up some pre-shaped burgers and a nice T-bone from them along with some “Devil Crab” cakes and a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade from another nice couple. Fat and happy we hit the road and rendezvoused with Kam, Keltin, Michelle and Whit who were attending a bridal shower for Whit’s brother in law’s fiance.
It was great getting to see Keltin and Kamrin. Even though it had only been two days I missed them and getting to hold Kelty girl and kiss my wife really did my heart good. It was a great stop of in Charlotte as I also got to see Leigh and Kevin Mays and their little tike Tyson.
Murph and I headed north along the hilly and pastoral Hwy 81. We set up shop in an RV park in the Shenandoa National Park and pulled the grill out to do a proper “Guys Grill Out”. Following the “Cooking Grass Fed Beef” outline that Del gave I produced a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak. Murphy devoured the bone like a Savannah lion and both of us just have to just say that life on the road is pretty darn good (minus the absence of the lady folk of course).
If you read any of the “green” leaning blogs in Central Florida chances are good you’ve heard about the book and movement Slow Money. Well this summer from June 9th – 11th I’ll be up at the Slow Money’s National Gathering in Vermont to brush shoulders with and learn from some of our nation’s most progressive thinkers.
“Slow money is a new way of connecting investors to local food systems. A new way of connecting money, culture and the soil. A new kind of social investing and philanthropy for the 21st century.”
There are so many things already happening in Central Florida that are a model of the Slow Money ethos and how it stimulates local economies, food systems and entrepreneurship. We are doing a great job investing our social and economic capital in sustainable and thoughtful ventures that provide quality products and services to our local community.
Speaking of which, Dandelion Communitea Cafe and Homegrown Co-op both ranked in the top 10 in the recent Slow Money Business contest. Kudos to Julie and Emily for these recognitions as well as giving so much more of yourselves and your businesses than profit alone would dictate.
It is my hope that other Central Floridians will make the trek to the national gathering so that we can draw strength and encouragement from like minded Americans and bring back new insights for our burgeoning Slow Money movement.
Please let me know if you’re going and likewise for those of you who can’t I will be sure to blog all about it. Please click on the image above or on this link to get more information about the Gathering.
