Ep 29 Kirsten Larsen + Serenity Hill building open source localised food systems

Kirsten Larsen + Serenity Hill are proof that two minds are better than one.

As the founders of Open Food Network, a game-changing open source technology at the centre of building valued and fair food chains, they think globally, act locally and are actively encouraging a culture where whole-self is present in the workplace. 

Hear how these two values-aligned women brought their shared vision for fairer local food systems to life -- and why the rest of the world is excited.

*keep it rolling right till the end for Futuresteading listener shout outs*

SHOW NOTES

• Social justice from an early age
• The impact of ‘coming out’ 
• The freedom of the natural world
• The value of independent thinking as a central value
• Having the tools and empowerment to challenge the system
• The power of knowing you were loved as a child
• A desire for purpose is in every one of us
• From a broken state of deep ecology to a place of believing in the power of conscious capability
• Identifying technology as the missing piece for connecting eaters with growers
• Learning how to unlock problems by listening to the needs and filling a gap
• Structuring things to disable centralisation of power 
• The critical role of aggregators/food hubs in a local food system that are locally relevant and transparent 
• The power of collaboration for efficiency, capital ownership, accessibility, logistics
• The myriad of ways that all tiers of the food chain can embark on change
• The value of “open source” as a language which is not constrained in its ability to adapt and leapfrog
• Offering opportunity for knowledge commons 
• The privilege of having the psychological knowledge that you have ‘back up’
• Transvestment - recognising that you are drawing money from the old economy and placing it into the ideological vision of a new future
• Getting to a point where work that conflicts with ideology is no longer needed
• Building space for others to step into positions of influence where they may not have previously had a voice 
• Having a baby to ‘turn off’ from ideological responsibilities
• Consciously creating a culture where people bring their whole selves to the work place
• Creation of a ‘heart channel’ in the workplace for frank, open, personal story telling
• Being honest with kids about the truth of the world
• Evoking joy and aliveness in the next generation
• Nature based education as a central cog in our communities

LINKS YOU'LL LOVE

• Open Food Network
• CERES
• Food Connect Brisbane
• Joanna Macy 
• Deep Green Resistance - Derrick Jensen, Aric McBay, Lierre Keith
• Treading Lightly - Karl Erik Sveiby, Tex Skuthorpe