By: Mateo Bandera

Fort Collins, Colo — The mass distribution of “stuff” throughout the globe is one of the most directly and indirectly hazardous systems in existence during modern times.

Every teddy bear, t-shirt, and grocery you have ever bought was likely made or grown thousands of miles away from you, then shipped in enormous cargo ships encompassing three football fields in length alone, crossing the ocean for months at a time, all to meet the ever-growing demand of the consumers, us.

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with how we get all our “stuff.” People work in factories to make things, and then those things get shipped to wherever they’re needed, right? Yes, but it’s when you look closer that the thinly-made wall crafted by all the people who profit from this system crumbles away.

Extreme environmental damage is a result of constant CO2 emissions being pumped into the air from factories and vehicles alike. Social and cultural destruction, with organizations like the WTC casually displacing thousands of people at a time in order to increase trade. And even complete ecological breakdowns and the subsequent re-molding of foreign nations, for example, Haiti, which has been pressured into becoming what is essentially a personal workshop for people in the U.S.

But how does Fort Collins rate when it comes to its distribution practices? Well, I‘m happy to say that, at least comparatively, Fort Collins is pretty dang good.

First of all, Fort Collins is a carbon-neutral city, a measurement that includes the daily Target trucks and Walmart shipments. And in addition to that, it is very friendly towards local suppliers and restaurant owners. Eating locally reduces all the negative effects of transporting products drastically, while also fostering a tight-night social community. And Fort Collins has more than its share of locally-owned restaurants and markets.

That doesn’t mean that Fort Collins is perfect, of course, there are plenty of non-local stores too. But as of right now, FoCo is a leader in environmental and human sustainability, especially when it comes to product distribution.