The last time I was at one of our local supermarkets I asked if they had any ethically raised meat. The butcher tried to be helpful, but it was clear she had no idea what the conditions were on the farms from which the store got its meat.
I chose not to buy anything that day. But ethics are only one part of the complex issue of the modern food market. Industrial agriculture poses many threats, both humanitarian and environmental. Not to mention the additives, antibiotics, and pesticides being stuffed into our food and, thereby, our bodies, without our consent. I am desperate for change.
I see CLUCK (Canadian Liberated Urban Chicken Klub) as part of a much larger issue. It is about sustainability, about thinking outside the box, about choice in how and what we feed ourselves. If you are concerned about property value, consider this: perhaps you are your own worst enemy. Not everyone thinks like you, and not everyone sees CLUCK as negatively as you do.
Implementing CLUCK could, in fact, attract more sustainably-minded families to Cochrane, those who are willing to do what it takes to ensure that we are providing the next generation with a better, healthier future.
Urban farming is a solution that we have available right here, right now. Councillors, please allow chickens in our backyards.
Kristy Benz
