Dear friends, allies and skeptics,

It's been quite a long time since I've sent out "Where’s Wicks?" I’ve been busy cooking something up. And now it’s time to give you a taste!

I started All Together Now PA because I'm deeply concerned about climate change and know that the only way to address the challenge is to find ways to work together.

I'm also troubled by the division between rural and urban communities, amplified by our national politics. It didn’t used to be this way. There was a time not so long ago when rural and urban communities co-created regional economies built on mutual respect and trust. Farms and cities were connected by local supply chains that provided regional self-reliance in basic needs.

Corporate globalization changed all that. Local supply chains were severed, ending the interdependent urban-rural relationships that once bound regions together and provided good jobs in both farming and manufacturing. Like communities around the globe, we have become largely dependent on carbon-intensive corporate-controlled global supply chains to deliver what we need to survive - food, clothing, building materials and energy. Severe weather and social upheaval caused by climate change will soon disrupt global supply chains, making our communities vulnerable.

The mission of All Together Now PA is to unite our urban and rural communities to build sustainable regional economies that will mitigate carbons and prepare for the climate crisis by producing our basic needs locally. Local production will also increase community wealth, with the opportunity to build more inclusive, just and sustainable regional economies.

The survival of future generations will depend on what
we do today to build self-reliant regional economies.

Though I have been working in the local economy space for over 20 years, I am acting now with greater urgency. The survival of future generations will depend on what we do today to build self-reliant regional economies that produce our basic needs close to home. Local economies not only reduce the carbons of long-distance shipping, but also increase community resilience in a changing and unpredictable world.

Building regional economies is also an opportunity to address rising inequality and the growing power of large corporations, which are extracting wealth from our communities. Through local production of basic needs – food, fiber and fuel – we can move economic power from distant corporations to our local farms, businesses and communities.

All Together Now PA has six priorities for our regional economies:

Local Food
Industrial Hemp
Plant Medicine
Renewable Energy
Zero Waste
Local Culture & Tourism

In each of these areas, All Together Now PA is developing projects that will support local ownership and strengthen local supply chains to increase the supply of local products, and at the same time increase the demand through education and special events. When we identify a gap in the local supply chain, we work to catalyze a cooperatively owned social enterprise to fill that gap and provide opportunities for marginalized communities.

Most of us want to do our part in addressing the climate crisis, but the problem is so immense that it's hard to know how we can make a difference. But even though our single acts may seem insignificant, collectively our everyday decisions shape the world we live in. When we work together, we can bring change. And we can have fun doing it!

Please go to our website AllTogetherNowPA.org and sign up for our mailing list. We’ll be sending newsletters to show all the ways we can address climate change, and make Pennsylvania a model of how citizens can work together to build restorative, inclusive, and caring economies that will support future Pennsylvanians.

WEBSITE

Where Wicks? Speaking at these upcoming events:

March 4, Keystone Hemp Conference
Lancaster PA, Keynote Address
Keynote address: “Building a Values-Led Local Hemp Economy”
https://keystonehempcon.com/

March 11, Business of Cannabis
Penn State Lehigh Valley
2809 Saucon Valley Road
Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Breakout talk: “Building Local Supply Chains for Industrial Hemp”
http://www.cvent.com/events/meet-the-experts-the-business-of-cannabis/event-summary-9b5fee0c80e84a7a97fbe5a741434f59.aspx

March 21, 10:30-noon SEEDS conference
1030 Main Street, Honesdate, PA
Keynote Address: “Building Resilient Regional Economies”
http://seedsgroup.net/resilient-regional-economies-with-judy-wicks/

April 18 all day, OpCanna Conference
Swanee Inn, Delaware Water Gap
Co-produced by the Hemp Coalition of All Together Now and The Hempstead
Welcome and opening remarks, 9am, Saturday, April 18.
(Hemp Coalition meeting 4-6pm, April 17)
https://www.opcanna.com/

April 23 - 24, American Independent Business Assn
National Conference
The Banquet Room at Harley Davidson of Madison
6200 Millpond Road, Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
Plenary and breakout on building values-led regional economies
https://www.amiba.net/2020conference/