Slow Money And Nurture Capital: A New Vision Of Food, Money, …Tasch+-+Fi… · It's really important to say these deals vary in size from a few thousand dollars, probably most of

“ SlowMoneyAndNurtureCapital:ANewVisionOfFood,Money,AndSoil”

Woody Tasch

*FULL TRANSCRIPT*

Hosted By Marjory Wildcraft www.TheGrowNetwork.com

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© 2019 Copyright The Grow Network / Grow Your Own Groceries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system without the express written, dated, and signed permission from the author. DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES: The information presented herein represents the view of the author as of the date of publication. The author reserves the right to alter and update his/her views for any reason and at any time. This report is for study and discussion purposes only. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this report, neither the author nor his affiliates/partners assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning legal or related matters is needed, the services of a fully qualified professional should be sought. This report is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. You should be aware of any laws that govern business transactions or other business practices in your country and state.

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“ SlowMoneyAndNurtureCapital:ANewVisionOfFood,Money,AndSoil”

Woody Tasch

Marjory: HelloandwelcometotheHomegrownFoodSummit.ThisisMarjoryWildcraft,yourhostandthissummitisbroughttoyoubytheGrowMarket,whichisthepremiercommunityofpeoplewhoaregrowingourownfoodandmakingourownmedicine.Andalittlewhileago,Iwasreallyprivilegedtobeableto...Iwasattendinganeventandhappenedtoendupatafarm-to-tabledinnerrightnexttoWoodyTash,whoisthefounderofSlowMoney,theSlowMoneyInstitute.

AndWoodyandIhadafabulousconversationtogetherandIinvitedhimtopresentatourHomegrownFoodSummit.Thisisnotnecessarilyaboutgrowingfood,buthowwecanchangeourmonetarysystemtosupportsoilandorganicfarmers.LetmereadyoualittlebitaboutWoody'sbackgroundandIthinkyou'regonnabereallyimpressed.

Heisthefounder,ofcourse,oftheSlowMoneyInstitute.He'salsotheauthorof"SlowMoney:InvestingasifFoodFarmsandFertilityMattered".Andthatbookactuallysparkedamovementandledtosofarmorethan$66millionthathavebeeninvestedinhundredsoflocalandorganicfoodenterprisesaroundthecountry.Andin2017,hepublishedhissecondbook,called"Soil:NotesTowardtheTheoryandPracticeofNurtureCapital".

Woodyisnostrangertomoneymanagement.HewastheformerchairmanandCEOofInvestorCircle,wherehesteeredmorethan$200millionintoearly-stagecompaniesfocusedonsustainability.ReadernamedWoodyasoneof25visionarieswhoarechangingyourworld.IreallyfeltthatyouneededtoknowaboutthemovementofSlowMoneyandtheworkthey'redoing,theunbelievableworkthey'redoing.

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AndIhavemetquiteafewofthoseorganicfarmerswhohavebeentouchedbythisprogramandtheyareincrediblygratefulandalotofthemcouldnotbeinbusinesswithouttheworkofSlowMoney.So,watchthispresentationandIhopethatthisinspiresyoutoinvestintheseprogramsifthat'swhatyouhaveavailable.

Woody: Hi,thisisWoodyTasch.I'mthefounderofSlowMoney,andI'mreallydelightedtobeabletosharewithyouvirtually,thestoryaboutSlowMoney,whatwe'redoingaroundthecountry.

Thispresentationwillhavetwomajorelements.OnewillbeabouttheSlowMoneymovement,what'shappeningaroundthecountry.Oureffortstodoatthecommunitylevel,inasensewhateachofusisalsotryingtodoatahouseholdlevel,that'smakeourselfmoreresilient,morehealthy.Ofcourse,thoseofusinSlowMoneythinkthathealthylocalfoodsystemsarevital,andthathavingourownfinancialhouseinordermeanssupportingourlocalfoodsystems.I'llbetalkingalotaboutthatvisionandwhat'sgoingonaroundthecountry.

Thenalsoaboutmybook,Soil:NotesTowardstheTheoryandPracticeofNurtureCapital,whichcameoutlatelastyear,andit'skindofthenextstageinournationalconversationoftheseissues.Thetermsoil,alsostandsforSlowOpportunitiesForInvestingLocally,whichisournewestprojectintheSlowMoneymovement.

Ialwaysstartmypresentationswiththispicture,andsoI'mstayingtruetoformtoday.ThisisactuallyahogonaNiemanRanchfarminIowa,acompanythat'ssetthestandardforanimalhusbandry,raisinghogsoutside,asyoucansee.Justcuttingtothechase,Ialwaysasktheaudience,I'llaskyoutoday,spendasecondstaringthispigintheface,thinkingaboutknowinginthebackgroundwhatindustrialhogconfinementis,andalltheillsofindustrialagriculture.Takealookatthiscute,IthinkIcanusethatterm,animal,andthinkforasecondaboutwhereyourmoneyisandhowit'saffectingallotherlivingthings.

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TheSlowMoneymovementisnow10yearsold,nextyearisthebeginningofourseconddecade.Itstartedwith,thiswasmyfirstbook,cameoutDecember2008,calledInquiriesIntoTheNatureOfSlowMoney:InvestingAsIfFood,Farms,AndFertilityMattered.AsI'vesaidmanytimes,Ireallywasn'ttryingtostartanything,muchlessamovement.Thiswasjustmecollectingmythoughtsafter30yearsofworkinginsociallyresponsibleinvesting,impactinvesting.Before,itwascalledimpactinvesting,orwhatfoundationscalledmissionrelatedinvesting.

Itooksometimeofftotrytogetdowntokindoffirstprinciples.Whywasitmoreofourmoneywasn'tdoingwhatwereallywantedittodo?WhatIarrivedatwasthesoilaskindoftheultimatemetric,thatweneedtobringsomeofourmoneybackdowntoearth.It'skindofsummarizedinthesentence,thekindofpropositionissummarizedhere,"Asitcirculatestheglobewitheveracceleratingspeed,moneysucksoxygenoutoftheair,fertilityoutofthesoil,andcultureoutoflocalcommunities."

Afewmonthsafterthebookcameout,therewasademandforakindofone-pager,forpeoplewhodidn'twanttoreadawholebook.Iresistedforawhile,butthenIsuccumbed.WecameupwiththeSlowMoneyprinciples.Thisisthelastofthem.Thefirstis,"Wemustbringsomeofourmoneybackdowntoearth."Thisisthesixthone,itsays,"PaulNewmansaid,'Inlife,weneedtobemorelikethefarmerwhoputsbackintothesoilwhathetakesout.'Recognizingthewisdomofthesewords,letusask,whatwouldtheworldbelikeifweinvested50%ofourmoneywithin50milesofwherewelive?Whatiftherewereanewgenerationofcompaniesthatgaveaway50%oftheirprofits?Whatiftherewere50%moreorganicmatterinthesoil50yearsfromnow?"

Thosequestion,principles,conversationsthatsurroundedthem,havebeenbringingpeopletogetheringroupslargeandsmall,inscoresofcommunitiesaroundthecountry,sinceDecemberof2008.TensofthousandsofpeoplehavecometolocalSlowMoneygroupsallovertheplace.Quiteafewthousandshavecometonationalmeetings.Thisisreallyjusttokeepapartofwhatwe'redoing.

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We'renotafund.Wedon'ttakecontrolofanybody'smoney.It'sveryimportanttousthatthisbeasdirectandaslocalaspossible,anddecentralized.Wedon'ttakeanyfeesforanytransactions.Thisisreallyaboutpeoplecomingtogether,mostlylocally,occasionallysomeoftheselargermeetings,tosharelearning,shareavision,affirmtheircommitmenttocollaboratetogethertoputmoneytoworklocally,insmall,diversified,organic,localfarms.

Iamverypleasedtobeabletoreportthatallofthesemeetings,andtheconversations,theprinciples,thebook,allthatstuff,hasledtotheflowofover70milliondollarstoalmost700smallfoodenterprisesindozensofcommunities,allviaself-organized,volunteerledlocalwork.

It'sreallyimportanttosaythesedealsvaryinsizefromafewthousanddollars,probablymostofthemareinthefewtensofthousandsofdollars,severalpeoplecollaboratingtogether,tomaybeloan$50,000asagroup.Sometimesit'safewhundredthousanddollars,andinafewcases,afewmilliondollars,butit'sreallyimportantforeveryonetohear,thisisverygrassroots.It'snotjustforangelinvestors.Infact,thereareafewangelinvestorsineverylocalgroup,butit'smostlywhatIliketorefertoasjustplainregularfolkswhowanttoknowwheretheirfoodcomesfromandwheretheirmoneygoes.

Youcanseeonthismap,it'sgotitacrosstheUnitedStates.ThereareafewgroupsinFrance,Australia,Vancouver,andNovaScotia.

Now,I'mgladwegottothisslide,becauseI'mrealizing,nowthatI'mgettingintothispresentation,it'sthefirstoneI'vedonethisway,recorded.Ofcourse,Imuchprefertobewitheveryone,sowecanactuallyhaveaconversation.Also,sowecanhavealittlefun.Havingfunwhiletalkingaboutmoneyseemslikeanoxymoron.Itprobablyis,andthat'swhywe'redoingSlowMoney,becausewe'retryingtoaddressthatalittlebit.

Oneofthewayswedoitiswith,Iguessyou'dcallitasenseofhumor.I'dliketothinkthatthislittlepoemherehasalittlehumorin

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it,meaningit'snotanofficialpoem,it'skindofapoeticmusing.Ifyoujustlookatthis,thislittlekindofweirdlittlepoeticconstructionappearsattheendofmyfirstbook.It'scirculationversuspercolation,monocultureversusdiversity,transactionversusrelationship,andprofitabilityversusfertility,andthereisarhymeinthere.Ihopeyoucanseeitandhearit.

Ifyoulookatthislist,youseethatthelistontheleftisthecurrentparadigm,ifyouwill,ofbothfoodandfinance.It'saboutcirculation,andmonoculture,andtransaction,andprofitability.We'realltryingtomovethedialtowardspercolation,diversity,relationship,andfertility.

Alittlewordplayfromtheprecedingslideisagatewaytoalotmorewordplay.Inmycurrentbook,Soil:NotesTowardstheTheoryandPracticeofNurtureCapital,nowthat'skindofserious,butthesubtitle,orthesubsubtitle,ifyouwill,OfEarthworms,Billionaires,AhaMoments,MythicImplications,andTheConsiderableVirtuesofBringingOurMoneyBackDowntoEarth,NotAllOfItOfCourse,ButEnoughtoMatter.

Wordplay,imagination,thebookisintwoparts.Thefirstiscalled,PoeticallyIncorrect.It'sa20pagepoem.It'squirky,provocative.Ireallyenjoyedreadingitonmybooktour,it'sbeengreatinteractingwithpeople.It'sgotmythic,it'sgotgodsandgoddessesinit,allkindsofstuff.

Theprosepartofthebook,whichmostofitiscalledImagination.BecausewhatthisisreallyallaboutformeandwhatI'velearnedfromtravelingaroundthecountry,talkingtopeopleaboutSlowMoney,isthatmanyofus,I'llsaymillionsofus,arehungryforareimaginingoftheeconomy,ofourrelationshiptomoney,ofourrelationshiptooneanotherandtotheland.Todothat,weneedtohaveanewlanguage,anewstory,anewsenseofhumanity,Iguessyou'dsay.I'veneversaiditthatwaybefore,butlet'sjustsayitthatwaytoday.

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BeforeIgetintothebook,justaquick,respectfulnoteonsoilingeneral,whichI'mguessingmostpeoplethatareparticipatinginthesummitunderstandthisalready.It'sjustgoodtorealizethatPresidentsofpasthavenoticed,fromThomasJeffersontoFranklinDelanoRoosevelt,havecommentedontheimportanceofthesoil.I'llletyoureadtheslidewhileI'mspeaking.

ThethirdquoteisfromDavidMontgomery,whoisaMacArthurFellow,andhaswrittenthreebooks,verycurrently,onvariousaspectsofsoil,geology,humanhealth,thecentralityofsoilfertilitytocivilization.

ThetermnurturecapitalcamefrommyrespectforWendellBerry,theinspirationhe'sprovidedmeandsomanyothers.Theslideyou'relookingatisapieceofpaperthatfornineofthelasttenyears,Iactuallycarriedthispieceofpaperaround,anditstartedtofallapart.That'swhyit'stattered.It'salsoreferencedonthecoverofmybook,withthekindoffrayedbackgroundthere.

ThishasaveryseminalpassagefromWendell'sbook,TheUnsettlingofAmerica.I'lljustreadsomeofit.Iwon'treadthewholeslidehere,butitsays,"Icanseethestripminertobeamodelexploiter.Asamodelnurturer,Itaketheold-fashionedideaoridealofafarmer.Theexploiterisaspecialistandexpert,thenurturerisnot.Thestandardoftheexploiterisefficiency,thestandardofthenurtureriscare.Theexploiter'sgoalismoney,profit,thenurturer'sgoalishealth.Hisland'shealth,hisown,hisfamily's,hiscommunity's,hiscountry's."Thenthepassageendswith,"Theexploitertypicallyservesaninstitutionororganization,thenurturerservestheland,household,community,place.Theexploiterthinksintermsofnumbers,quantities,hardfacts,thenurturerintermsofcharacter,condition,quality,kind."

It'sanamazingpassage.Thebook'samazing.Ithinkmanyofyouhaveprobablyreadit.Thoseofyouwhohaven't,pleasecheckitout.Itwaswritteninthe70s,andreallyhasinspiredawholegeneration,twogenerationsnowmaybe.Checkitout,WendellBerry,TheUnsettlingofAmerica.

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Thesenextfewslidesjusshowyouafewinteriorpagesofthebook.Ijustwantedyoutoknowthatit'saveryvisualbook.Alotofworkwentintothedesignofit,becausethisisaboutseeingthingsdifferently.It'salsoaboutthebeautiful,andsmallisbeautiful.YouhaveSchumacher'sseminalphraseandseminalbook.Weputalotofworkintotheaestheticofthebook.

Theimagesontherightmargin,youcanseearekindofadramaticcontrastofindustrialmilkproduction,versusregenerative,orsustainable,orrestorativemilkproduction.Thepicturesonthebottomrightareoneofmy,heisoneofmyheroes,JackLaserofButterworksFarminVermont.Onefamily,onefarm,350acres,growsmostofhisownfeed.Justareallybeautifuloperation.Theymakeaboutamilliondollarsayearofyogurt,someofthebestyogurtyouwillevertaste,ifyou'reluckyenoughtotasteit.

Iknowit'skindoftrickygoingthroughactualpagesofthebookhere,butI'lljustnotetoyouthatthegraphsontherighthere,oneisthe...Thegraph,I'msorry,ontheright,wasdonebyredefiningprogress,andjustshowsthetoplineisthegrowthofGDPintheUSsincearound1960,andthebottomlineispeople'sactualqualityoflife,howpeoplefeel.Dotheyfeelmoreeconomicallysecureornot?WhileGDPhasgrownalot,wedon'tfeellikewe'reanybetteroff,basically.

Thebottom,Ican'tgetintoitnow,IwishIcould,butthosearepre-muddedjeans.Iforgetwhattheycost,somethinglike$300forjeansthatcomewithmudonthemalready,tomakeitlooklikeyouwork.Whyisthatinhere?Iwouldattempttosayuseyourimagination,butIdon'tthinkittakesmuch.It'sjustaboutthedisconnectbetweenconsumerismandlet'ssayreallifeandrealwellbeing.

Nowwe'regettingtosomemorefunstuff.Thetitleofthebook,thenumber,thewordsoiloverthenumber2017,MCEscher,thoseareMCEscherprints.Onthenextfewslides,we'llgoalittledeeperintothis.

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Hereitisagain,thesoiloverthenumber2017.KindofabitofaTrumployfiguregroundishimage,butmostimportantly,awordoveranumber.Ijustwanttoshareoneparagraphfromthebook."Thisisnotaboutnumbers,doingthesenumbersversusdoingthosenumbers.Thisisaboutreaffirmingtheprimacyofwordsovertheclaimsonourattentionmadebynumbers.Reaffirmingtheprimacyofrelationshipsovertheclaimsoftransactions.Reaffirmingtheprimacyofnutrition,overtheclaimsofcheapcalories.Reaffirmingtheprimacyofplacesovertheclaimsofmarkets.Reaffirmingtheprimacyofgenerationsandseasonsovertheclaimsofmillisecondsandalgorithms.Reaffirmingtheprimacyofputtingbackin,overtheclaimsoftakingout."

Here'salittlecloserlookatoneoftheMCEscherprints.Anotheronecomingrightup.Oneofmyprincipletakeawayswhenlookingatthesefiguregroundimages,isthelessonthatweshouldavoidfalseeither/orchoices.It'snotabouturbanorrural.It'snotaboutblackorwhite.It'snotaboutyou'reatechnophileoraLuddite,oryou'reforeconomicgrowthoragainsteconomicgrowth.

IanSchumacher,whowrote,"Smallisbeautiful,"famously,saidonce,"Ifeverythingweresmall,I'dbearguinginfavorofbig."Thepointbeingthisisaboutbalance.Theproblemwehavetodayisthattheeconomy,theinvestmentcommunity,whatwe'retaughttodowithourmoney,we'retaughttobelievethateverythinghastobefasterandfaster,biggerandbigger,moreandmoreglobal.Ithinkmostofusknowdeepdown,ormanyofusknowdeepdown,thatthereneedstobethecounterbalance.Thereneedstobethesmall,andtheslow,andthelocal,ifwe'regoingtobehappy.It'snotaboutchoosingoneortheother,it'saboutmakingsurewehaveboth.

Whattheheck?Here'sanotherpictureofJackLaser,Ilovehim.Smallisbeautifulindeed.Dowethinkthecountrywouldbebetteroffifwehad100ButterworksFarms,100onemilliondollaryogurtcompanies,scatteredacrosstheland,orifwehadanother100milliondollarorganicyogurtcompany.Again,wewanttoavoideither/orfalsechoices,butIthinkwehaveallthemoneyismovingtowardsthenext100milliondollaryogurtcompany.Ofcourse,Slow

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Moneyismovingtowardsthenext100JackLasers,ifwewouldeverbesolucky.

There'sanotherbeautifulexampleofsmall,ZoeBradburyinLangula,Oregon.Justtogiveyouaroughidea,theseslidesareheretogiveyouaroughideaofsmallfoodenterprises,howsmallissmall?There'snodefinitionexactly.ImentionedbeforetheLaser'sandButterworksFarmearnaboutamilliondollars.Zoe,andhersister,andhermomaregrossingabout$250,000fromapproximately10acresorsoofdiversifiedorganicproduction,inruralOregon.

Howarewegoingtogetmoneytothesesmallfoodenterprises?Whatwe'vebeendoing,untilthelastfewyears,isjustgettingpeopleinaroom,aswe'vesaidbefore,peoplegettoknoweachother.Theydeveloptrust,adirectrelationship,andthenmoneyflows.Thatisaverybeautifulprocess.It'salso,it'sinefficient.That'spartofthebeautyofit.Thatsaid,we'dliketofindwaystokindoftweakitalittlebit,seeifwecanjustaddlittlebitsofstructuretotheprocess,thatcanhelpmorepeoplebeinvolved.

Truetothenameofthebook,here'sSoil,SlowOpportunitiesForInvestingLocally,apermanentnon-profitrevolvingfund,making0%loansbymajorityvoteofmembers,tolocalorganicfarmsandsmallbusinessesthatbringtheirfoodtomarket.Now,I'mgoingtostayonthisslideforasecond.IwantyoutohearhowthisisplayingoutinBoulder.

ThesamemodelhasbeenusedforthelastfewyearsinthemountainsinColoradoandCarbondale.There,there'saclubcalledThe2ForksClub,thenumbertwoandthewordforks,fortheNorthforkoftheGunnison,andtheRoaringForkRiver.Youcancheckthesethingsoutontheweb,obviously.InBoulder,we'vetakenthesamemodelandwe'recallingitSoil.Thebeautiful,I'msorryIkeepusingthewordbeautiful,Ihopeyousharemyviewsthatatleastwe'retryingtobebeautiful.It'sagoodtargettoshootfor.

Oneofthemostbeautifulpartsofthisisthatwehavepeopledonatinganyamount,staringwith$250,andthelargestdonorsofar

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hasputin$50,000.We'veraisedabout$250,000fromapproximately100members.Ifyou'reafarmer,youcancomeinfor$25.It'simportantforyoutohearthattoo.Thenthepunchline,ifyouwill,isthatwe'remakingloansbymajorityvoteofmembers,oneperson,onevote,whetheryouputin$25,ifyou'reafarmer,or$250,or$50,000.

Thenbymajorityvote,we'remaking0%loans,andthemoneyisdonated.Yougetataxdeductionwhenyouputitin,that'syouronly,"return."Thisisaboutbuildingsomethingslowlyforthelong-term,forthebenefitofthecommunity,andthelocalfoodsystem,andthesoil.

InBoulder,ourtargetis$250,000ayear,cominginfromabout150people.Wehaven'tquiteachievedthat.It'stakenusafewyearstogetgoing.We'llkeepyouposted,andI'malsopleasedtoreportthatafewotherplaces,Charlottesville,Virginia,Durango,Colorado,Portsmouth,NewHampshire,andafewothers,arestartingtoadoptthismodel,andsettingupsmallSoilgroupsintheircommunities.

Iknowit'salittlehighfalutintobeputtingourlittlecampaign,0%ForSoil,nextto1%ForPeace,whichistheoldBenandJerry'scampaign,and1%ForThePlanet,whichwaslaunchedbyPatagonia,andnowhassomanywonderfulcompaniesinvolvedwithit.Welovethoseeffortsandrespectthemgreatly.AdaptingitforSoil,we'remaking0%loans,so0%ForSoil.Wehaveafewplayfultaglines,BecauseWe'reAllIn,isoneofthem.Theotheroneis,BecauseTheDifferenceBetween1%and0%is100%.

Thesenextseveralslidesjustgiveyouanidea,bringingallthisdowntoearthmeanswho'sgettingthemoney.Here'ssomesamplesofsmallfoodenterprisesinColorado,mostlyintheBoulderarea,thathavegotten0%loansintherunuptotheformationofSoil.

Youcanseefromthese,theprecedingwasa$43,000loan,andyou'llseetheamountsrangefromtensofthousandstoafewthousanddollars,aswegothroughthese.

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RevisionisanNGO,that'sdevelopingafoodco-opinafooddesertinDenver.MarkandKennaGuttridgeatOlinFarmsinLongmount,farm11acres,anddoallmannerofcommunityoutreach,children,education,farmtotabledinners,awonderfulsmallfoodenterprise.Thecommunityisveryluckytohavethem.

ImentionedThe2ForksClubinCarbondale,thiswasthefirst0%loanthatwemade.Itwasa$23,500loantoafouracre,certifiedorganicvegetableandflowerfarminPeonia.It'sonthewesternslopeofColorado,sothattheycouldbuyausedrefrigeratedtruck.

HarperandChristianwerefarminginCarbondale,whenthisfirst$7,500loanwasmadetothemthreeorfouryearsago.Theyhavesincemovedtoalargerpieceofland,andaredevelopingathrivingorganicfarmbusiness.

ThisisareallyexcitingprojectinFortCollins.It'samulti-stakeholderco-op,that'sbeenorganizedtoholdfarmlandforthecommunityandleaseittoorganicfarmers.It'sstillintheearlystages.Asitprogressesandifit'sassuccessfulasitlookslikeit'sgoingtobe,wehopethisisamodelthatcanbereplicatedelsewhere.

Allright,nowwe'regoingtoshiftgears.We'velookedattheinsideofthebook,somewhatearlier,butnowI'mgoingtodomoreextendedreading.Acouplepassagesofproseandsomeofpoetry.Youwillnotethatthere'ssomeplayfulverbiageonthecoverofthebook.Ididrealize,afteritwasfinished,thatthere'sanameformywritingstyle,anditislivelyserious,theoppositeofdeadlyserious.Ican'tthinkofanythingmuchmoreimportantthantakingalittleofthedeadlyseriousness,themakingakillingpart,outofdiscussionsoffinance,andmoney,andwhatnot.There'salotofwordplayinthebook,uptoandincludingpoetry.You'llseethesubtitlehere,OfEarthworms,Billionaires,AhaMoments,MythicImplications,andTheConsiderableVirtuesofBringingOurMoneyBackDowntoEarth,NotAllOfItOfCourse,ButEnoughtoMatter.Livelyserious.

BeforeIdothereading,Ijustwanttosaythisbookismyefforttokindofreflectbackintothepublicalotoftheenergyofthe

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conversationsthatwe'vebeenhavingaroundthecountryoverthelast10years.I'velearnedalot,that'stheAhaMomentspart.We'vehadsomeprettycoolpublicahamoments,sharedlearningmoments.IjustthinkafinalpartofwhatSlowMoneyis,isthisnuanced,authenticpublicconversationaboutwhat'sbrokenandwhatwecandotofixit.Let'sforgeaheadtothelivelyseriousness.

Thebookisdividedintotwoparts,PoeticallyIncorrectandImagination.Thisisthetableofcontents.Don'ttrytoreadthesmallprint.Ijustwantedyoutoseethetwopartsofthebook.Thebookhasanunusualstructure.Itstartswitha20pagepoem,anditgoesthroughafewhundredpagesofprose,exploringtopicsoffinance,financialreturn,howwethinkabouteconomicgrowthandmakingmoney,soilfertility,localeconomies,localfoodsystems.Allofthethingsthatonewouldconsider,aswethinkofnewwaystosupportlocalfarms.

Itgoesfromthepoetrytothatprose,andthenendswitha20pagephotoessayofthefarmersandchefsinBoulderCounty,whichiswhereIlive.Theactualtendersofthesoil,thepeopleonthegroundactuallydoingthework.

Becausethebookhasanunusualstructure,startingwithpoetry,thengoingthroughtheprose,tothephotography,itopenswithafewpagescalled,NoteToTheReader,whichkindofgivestheoverarchingkindofthemeofthebookandapproachofthebook.I'dliketosharethatinit'sentiretywithyou.

"NoteToTheReader.I'msadashellandI'mnotgoingtofakeitanymore.Ourdemocracyisebbingandcarbonisflowing,intotheatmospherethatis,insteadofbackintothesoilwhereitbelongs.I'msadashellandI'mnotgoingtoforsakeitanymore,poetrythatis.Tobesure,quirky,playfulpoetryisanidiosyncraticresponseto100billiondollararmsdeals,nuclearuncertainty,aquadrilliondollarsworthofderivatives,hunger,obesity,andtheinvasionofeveryfacetoflifebymediaandmarkets.

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WhenIwentlookingforameaningfulresponsetothefakeryofourcurrentpredicament,poetryiswhatIfound.Itturnsoutthatwhileyoucan'tmakethisshitupandthetruthisstrangerthanfiction,someonereallydidmakethisshitup,historyisanightmarefromwhichwereallydoneedtoawake,andpoetrymaybetruerthantherealistnews.

Thisisacalltofarms,acalltoallwhoplant,grow,harvest,eat,hug,argue,clink,putup,squirrelaway,fritteraway,layaway,andotherwiseregretthatstabilityandcommunitywentthataway.Acalltogatherourwits,onefarmatattime,onetownatatime,onecountyatatime,onewatershedatatime,onerefusaltoargueaboutpoliticsatatime,onesleeverolledupatatime.

Justwhyisitanyway,thattheeconomykeepsgrowing,militaryspendingkeepsexploding,drugpriceskeepsoaring,thestockmarketkeepsliftingoff,butthestrengthofourmarriages,thehealthofourkids,thevitalityofourMainStreets,andthefertilityofoursoilkeepgoingdown.

Mysearchforanswers,encouragedbyconversationswiththousandsoffolksaroundthecountry,leadsmetoexploretheboundariesbetweenheartandmind,betweenfinanceandpoetry,betweenfiduciaryresponsibilityandfreerangeimagination.

Istheskyreallyfallingthistime?Ithasfallenbefore.TheHolocaustandHiroshima,theassassinationsofJFK,RFK,andMLK,thewarinVietnam,KentState,Watergate,BlackMonday,Enron,9/11,shockandawe,BernieMadoff,theGreatRecession.Nowintheseconddecadeofthe21stcentury,climatechange,terrorism,wideningwealthinequality,andfakenewsareclampingdownonourconsciousness.Weneedtodiscovernewwaystobendentropy,befuddlement,andviolencetowardsbeauty,health,andpeace.

That'swhatbunchesofushavebeendoinginverysmallways,since2009,intents,barns,theaters,performingartscenters,farmer'smarkets,restaurants,andothergatheringspotsinscoresofcommunitiesaroundthecountry,andafewinCanada,France,and

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Australia,undertheloosebannerofSlowMoney.Morethan70milliondollarshasgonetoalmost700small,organicfoodenterprises.Yes,weareputtingalittleofourmoneyintolocalfoodsystems,butwhatisdrivingusforwardissomethingmore,animpulsetowardsbeauty,health,andpeace.

There'salsoamorebasicimpulse,it'stheimpulsetoberealneighborsratherthanfakeneighbors.Fakemeaningourcarsareparkedhere,ourkidsareinschoolhere,weshophere,ourroofsarepoundedbythesamehailstorms,butmostofourmoneyisdoingGodknowswhat,Godknowswhere.Ourpoliticalenergiesareswallowedupbynationalandinternationalshenanigans,andourbondsascommunitymembersarewanting.

Asthisvolumewasbeingputtobed,RichardHaas,PresidentoftheCouncilonForeignRelationsstated,"Wejusthavetofacethefactthatourgovernmentisn'tworking."AddtothiswhatNobelLaureate,JosephStieglitzsaidafewyearsback,"Wearen'tfixingthestructuralproblemsoftheeconomy,becausewedon'tknowwhatthestructuralproblemsare."

Wesensethatmacroeconomicfixesandnationalpoliticaldebatesarenotenough.Wesensethatwhatwearebeingfedisnothealthy.Wesensethatourculturalcompassisnolongerreliable,whichiswhywe'reallgoingalittlebitcrazyrightnow.Ifwearegoingtochangecourse,reallyandtrulychangecourse,wemuststartbystandingourgroundagainstthingsdumbeddown,watereddown,Twittereddown,trickleddown,andhunkereddown,againstthingsoverlypoliticized,polemicized,marginalized,externalized,rationalized,systematized,professionalized,fiscalized,intellectualized,andanti-intellectualized.

Inthispursuit,I'vegonepoeticallyincorrect,becauseIharborthesuspicionthatdeepdown,deeperdownthantheOglalaAquiferandthedeepestrecessesoffear,millionsofuscanstillfindthewherewithaltoallowrhymetoflirtwithreasoninthelandofthefreeandthehomeofthepeaceablyinclined."

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Inthelastsectionofprose,I'dliketoreadtoday,istheopeningofthechaptercalledReturn."Salmonreturn,boomerangsreturn,Hindusreturn,whenthingsworkout,investmentsreturn.Letterswithinsufficientpostagereturn,sodoinfections,mosquitoes,prodigalsons,wanderingeyes,sidewaysglances,thehandsofaclock,circularreasons,notquiteinfiniteseasons,pendulums,memories,criminalstothescenesoftheircrimes,andstoriestowheretheyleftoff.

PriortotheadventofColonyCollapseDisorder,beesreturned.Heroes,realandmythic,returned.Odysseus,Columbus,GeneralDouglasMacArthur.Toomanywinks,verdicts,andtennisserveshavebeenreturnedoverthecourseofhumanhistorytobecounted.ThesamegoesforsweatersafterChristmas.Aslongastherehavebeenneighbors,economists,democraticentanglements,andgovernments,therehavebeenmanyhappyreturns,diminishingreturns,electionreturns,andtaxreturns.

Throughitall,however,throughallthesephysical,spiritual,emotional,postal,historical,mythical,electoral,recreational,andcommercialgoingsandcomings,thereisonethinginourinfinitewisdomandpioneeringspiritthatwehavenotreturned,carbon."

TheverseofpoetryI'mgoingtosharewithyoucontainsthethoughts,theinteriormonologueofthegoddessSymbiosis.ThesettingisthesefewdozengodsandgoddessesandafewrealpeoplehavegottogetherneartheContinentalDivide.Youdon'tknowforafact,buttheimplicationistheyhaven'tbeentogetherforthousandsofyears.Allthathappens,theonlyeventsofthepoemarethattheycometogether,shareafewthoughts,butmostlysitinsilencearoundthefire.Thepoemsharestheirthoughts.Oneofthegod'sisnamedMoolahMullah,rememberlivelyserious,MoolahMullah,Hermes,ZeroChief,Esgima.They'refromallovertheworld,fromdifferentbackgrounds,differentcultures,andthey'vecometogethertoseewhethertheycansavemankind.

HereiswhatthegoddessSymbiosisisthinkingwhileshesitsaroundthefire."ThensighedSymbiosis,northofthoughtandsouthof

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emotion,herinnerworking'sword.Echotradedstorieswithmemory,whisperofsweetnothing,exchangedsecretswithmysteriousattraction.Everywhere,twosideswerelookingfornocoin.Routeexiteightandcolloidalcadine,concentrationanddiffusion,ultrabiologicalandfusion,andsubterraneancollusion.Osmoticacceptanceandconjugalembrace,lastcallandfirstimpression.Micorisalmakebelieve,andmicrobialcommotion,andthensome.Allconspiringonfecundity'sbehalf,inearthasitisinhumus.

Overlymysterious,andunderlieobvious,andutterlypervious,asiffromherrightamygdalatoleftacurious,fearlessarbitrageoflightandfight,afterflowingforsomanymillenniahadsuddenlyceasedwithoutatrace."

Truetocontrarianform,I'mgoingtoendtoday'stalkwiththeveryfirstwordsyouseewhenyouopenthefrontcoverofthebook."Ifit'struethatwearewhatweeat,mayitalsobetruethatwearenotwhatweTweet."

Thereyouhaveit,SlowMoneyfromthepoetry,totheprose,tothedeals,toslowopportunitiesforinvestinglocally,whichIhopewillintrigueyouasamodelgoingforward.It'simportanttorememberthatwhatwe'redoingisreallydrivenbygrassroots,self-organized,volunteerledcollaboration,communityaction.Itreallycouldn'tbesimpler,justgroupsofuscomingtogethertomakesmallloanstolocalfarmers,inamountsrangingfromafewthousanddollarsonup.

Coulditbesimpler?Unfortunately,weliveinatimewherethesimpleseemscomplicated,andthecomplicatedseemssimple,butthat'sawholeotherstory.Fortoday,I'djustliketothankyouforlistening.Ihopesomeofthespiritofwhatwe'redoinghascomeacrossinthispresentation,andIhopeyou'llconsiderjoiningusonrollingyoursleevesupinyourowncommunity.Peace,thanks.

Marjory: Well,thereyougo.We'vegotanewformofinvestment.WoodysayswehavetoslowmoneydownandbringmoneydowntoearthandIcouldn'tagreemore.Thewholeideaofexponentialgainsandrapid,

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fastmovementisreallyburningoutalotofthingsandofcourse,weallknowthatouragriculturalsystemsaredestroyingoursoils.So,ifyou'reaphilanthropist,whetherit'sonalargeorsmallscaleoraninvestor,haveanendowment,anytypeoffundingthatyouwouldliketogivetohelptheSlowMoneyOrganization,clickonthatbuttontotheright.

Orifyouwouldjustliketostayontheirmailinglistandlearnmoreabouttheactivitiesthatthey'redoinginyourlocalarea,clickonthatbuttontotherightandthatwillgetyouintouchwithSlowMoneyandWoodyTaschandwhatafineorganization.Ijustreallyamveryexcitedthatthiskindofthingexistsontheplanetandwedefinitelyneedtoencourageitandhaveitgrowmore.

Downbelowthat,ofcourse,isthebuttontowhereyoucanpickuptheentiresummitpackage.Youcouldownthispresentationalongwitheveryotherpresentationinthesummitandsupportanawesomemission.ThepurposeoftheGrowNetworkistostopthedestructionoftheearthandhomegrownfoodoneverytableisourcatalyzingstatement.