Message from Grow Sheffield

From Leon Ballin

"I enjoyed the meeting yesterday and with that coupled with looking at the blog it's clear your getting stuck in with the ethical issues around food in a creative way.

I suppose what I was trying to get across is that the project is about sustainability (of all kinds) and what may or may not be included in the Network should reflect this standpoint. The standpoint being, what you as a group, believes sustainability should be about. It's not that important to me what the view of the project is, just that it should have one - collectively. I know ideas around telling people what to do and top down imposition of ideas are contentious but in reality we all do it in some way. It comes from advertising, government, peer pressure and social norms. Whatever ethos the network has it will come from your own beliefs, prejudices and social conditioning etc whether you like it or not. I'm not against making that ethos explicit and discussing it. A good example might be the 'Rough Guides' travel books. Hotels, restaurants etc get in there for a reason. That reason is based on the writers criteria. Travelers trust (or not) those guides because those criteria have been applied.

If no set criteria - what's to stop everything being in the Network? My example of the Turkish restaurant wasn't very good - but then I thought if it acted as an unofficial Turkish community centre meeting place (as Zahid's grocers for Pakistanis on London Rd) it has an element of social sustainability.

I really like what your doing and these discussions your having with each other and myself are exactly what Grow Sheffield would be doing at this stage - though you have less time. The idea of different levels of 'approval' is interesting. When the project is back with GS, and hopefully with funding, we will be sending out people to meet restaurant/shop owners and validate any claims they may have. Your ideas will work well while resources are limited and builds in sustainability if resources weren't forthcoming in the future.

The groups ideas are definitely making me think about the project in different ways and in the end GS would rather you explored ideas freely and not feel restricted by, well, what I've written above. It's just my addition to the discussion. The wider consultation will be the best way to test ideas out I think.

see you all soon

Leon"

and

From Anne-Marie, Leon's predecessor

"HI J

Looks great! -
Would be nice to link up with www.fallenfruit.org in the USA at some point artists/foragers with similar interests/mapping etc and nice t-shirts!!!:-) "