Illinois Proves There’s Hope in Every Corner
AUGUST 17, 2007 - The hamlet of Oregon, Illinois (pop.4,000) proves that every corner of North America has both the potential for change, and people with the will to do it. Before last weekend, I knew nothing of this place. But when I spoke to a boisterous tent-full of folk at the Ogle County Fairgrounds, I strongly felt that the grassroots still has a dialogue to share outside the media limelight. The sense of civic duty is lively here in the state where Abraham Lincoln launched his presidency.
The fairgrounds were taken over for the sixth-annual Illinios Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle Fair, started by the dynamo couple of Bob and Sonia Vogl, who live on a nearby heritage farmstead powered nearly entirely by solar and wind power. While they only added the "sustainable lifestyle" bit in more recent years - their core participant is the kind of middle-aged man who know exactly how to install a "PV" system - they have taken it to heart. An organic farmer was onsite selling fruits and vegetables, and I ate my first melon of the year - nearly a month earlier than I would get here at home. Sweet!
The hillsides rolling up from the banks of the Rock River were lush and green. The waters reached the tree trunks along the shore, as the river was swollen with rain. Everywhere there was the music of cicadas, much louder than the occasional passing car. East of the Mississippi, the land is made for agriculture - and early indiginous peoples knew that fact, growing squash, beans and other crops long before Europeans came.
One of the biggest problems the good folk in Illinois face in terms of local eating, one resident said, is that much of this lush farmland is carpeted with corn. Corn for people to eat? Not likely. Mostly cattle feed and the raw materials for the burgeoning bio-fuel market. I won't quibble about that here, but will only say I was glad to see one booth featuring a do-it-yourself home biodiesel kit, so that old restaurant oils can be re-used. These are the kind of folk we have to support as big business starts to take an interest in an industry that was jumpstarted with sheer grit and idealism.
Thinking of idealism - I often find it hard to measure the impact of what I do, but it's easier to assess what I have gained from this unexpected turn in my life, as public champion of local foods. I returned from this trip certain that there are ever so many people who care deeply about the world, even in the most unexpected places. Now it's just a matter of asserting our collective will. You know - true democracy. I think Abe Lincoln would have approved. -ADS
