By: Emmalee Krieg

Fort Collins, Colo. — Distribution is inevitable. We hardly think about one item we buy and the complicated chain that stretches through different continents and resources to land in our lap.

Fort Collins is no exception in these extensive supply chains, however, we can further examine some of the initiatives and progress along the way.

Fort Collins does have a considerable amount of local businesses that prioritize local sourcing of goods such as food. This includes LoCo Food Distribution which offers, “Colorado retail establishments an easy way to offer products from local growers, ranchers and manufacturers.”

LoCo Foods currently deliver local items to grocery stores, independent retailers, and institutions from Fort Collins, all the way down to Colorado Springs. This sustains small businesses and institutions in our community by delivering goods and creating jobs. Moreover, it lessens carbon emissions. By keeping our distribution of goods within one state, there is less traveling with fewer vehicles. It also reinforces the jobs of local farmers. 

Restaurants that choose to source locally in Fort Collins such as Spoons, partner with local farms. They locally source a lot of their ingredients, “working closely with a variety of Colorado farms whose values align with our own, which is to serve only the cleanest and freshest produce.”

Buying local produce has a positive effect on our carbon footprints. According to Columbia Climate School, buying food locally could, “ reduce the average consumer’s greenhouse gas emissions by four to five percent at best.”

While there’s a whole lot more that goes into reducing our carbon footprint than just buying locally, having places that source from these institutions for better distribution is a good start for the environment. 

By: Macy Kramer

Fort Collins, Colo. — In Fort Collins, Colorado, the distribution of food has caused a massive uptake in protests and community events to propose alternatives to the current methods of food distribution. The importance of more environmentally friendly options for distribution is explained in both Annie Leonard’s, “The Story of Stuff” as well as, “A case analysis of a sustainable food supply chain distribution system” by Validi, Sahar; Bhattacharya, Arijit; Byrne, P.J. Leonard. The article describes the importance of better methods by explaining how bad the current methods are. 

Leonard focuses less on food, and more on big companies like Amazon, Walmart, and H&M, going over the amount of environmental damage caused by those companies shipping using semi-trucks and container ships, the amount of fuel and energy they use is increasing constantly.

In Fort Collins and surrounding areas, most notably Denver, there are plans in place to better the shipment methods of food products and household products. 

The Fort Collins community has come up with, “The Growing Project”, an initiative that promotes an environmentally and socially just local food system through direct agricultural experiences, education, community building, economic opportunities, and advocacy.

The Growing Project aims to protect our environment and provide alternative methods to what is currently used in distribution, with a tagline of, “Food, People, Justice” — they are not only helping the environment, but also the people. 

One of the most interesting parts of their community, is the commons garden, a garden open to all that includes information on how to grow your own food, as well as provides food for local Fort Collins residents, reducing people’s impact on the environment by removing the need for trucks and boats to deliver the food, and only requires someone to walk to the garden to get their produce. Their Commons garden is not only beautiful but resourceful to reduce global Carbon Dioxide emissions and energy consumption.

By: Darcy Keown
Fort Collins, Colo. — LoCo food distribution is a company that has worked for over ten years to streamline the process of local food sourcing in Colorado. LoCo Foods not only helps retail establishments offer local food from growers and ranchers, but it also helps said growers, ranchers, and manufacturers reach wholesale buyers in the state of Colorado.

In delivering locally grown and processed foods to restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses along the front range, the Fort Collins-based company is actively strengthening the connection between producer and purchaser so that Fort Collins has access to the finest produce.

Most global and national food distribution companies have one goal: to sell the cheapest low-quality products (at a high volume) as fast as possible. This is the kind of ‘convenient’ produce you’re most likely to find at your nearest grocery, and you may not be surprised to discover that a large portion of that produce is thrown away.

● Supermarkets are responsible for 10% of food waste, and up to 40% of food in the US is lost from farm to fork (Natural Resources Defense Council)
● More than 29 million Americans live in neighborhoods where they cannot buy healthy food to feed their families (USDA Economic Research Service)

On the flip side, LoCo encapsulates both healthy food and local economic development. Not only does local food distribution bring more attention to local farmers and their produce, but it also helps with larger-scale issues of global competition.

According to Navigating Impact, global competition has led to extreme consolidation and geographic concentration of both agricultural production and distribution–which in turn has placed a limit on employment opportunities–and raised the demand for low-wage labor.

In the last few years, LoCo has moved four million dollars worth of products within the Colorado Front Range region. According to CNote, that included a hefty number of new jobs and millions of dollars kept in the local economy. Additionally, buying local food reduces food waste, because it reduces the amount of phases that some fresh produce goes through to get to your table.

Now, more than ever, Colorado consumers are focusing on buying healthier produce. Why should consumers pay for cheap produce that only supports big companies, and not grocery store workers or growers, when they could pay for quality, locally sourced ingredients, and have their purchase benefit growers and producers in their community?

Elizabeth Mozer, founder, and CEO of LoCo food distribution, strives to cater to the people. It’s hard work, distributing locally produced foods throughout the 400-mile radius around Fort Collins, but to Elizabeth, the impact it makes is worth it.

By: Hannah Cantin

Fort Collins, Colo. — When I came to Fort Collins from Missouri, one of the first things I noticed was the trains. Sure, Columbia, Missouri has its fair share of roadway train crossings dotted throughout the city, but they’re only really the empty promise of trains – you never actually see any go by.

Fort Collins, on the other hand, sports three active lines, which frequently see freight trains roll in and out of town. But what are they? And what are they carrying?

Three different railroad companies have tracks and trains that run through the city: Burlington-Northern Santa Fe (or BNSF), Great Western, and Union Pacific. The BNSF, which passes by CSU’s campus as it runs parallel to College Boulevard, coins itself as “one of the top transporters of the products and materials that help feed, clothe, supply, and power communities throughout America.”

Their cars haul the likes of wheat and grains, produce, steel, coal, and vehicles – I’ve even seen pieces of passenger aircraft chugging along. Up until 2019, around 8 or so mile-long trains moved along the BNSF line in Fort Collins every day.

After that, the railroad began sending trains north through the city that were over twice as long. Most of us have probably seen, or at least heard the seemingly endless strings of empty coal cars running through town. You may have even seen them stop.

As trains run along the BNSF line, they may be forced to stop due to congestion on the tracks further north or in the switching yard. Even while running, the 3-mile-long trains can cause traffic stops of up to 15 minutes. When they stop, blockage times can persist for up to half an hour. Since the introduction of the BNSF line’s “double-trains” in 2019, the number of blockages lasting over 10 minutes has increased exponentially. They have even resulted in pedestrian deaths.

And this isn’t just happening in Fort Collins. By 2020, long trains and the blockages they cause had become such a frequent issue that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released its own online reporting tool, where citizens can make note of the duration, cause, and impact of traffic blockages.

At the time, then-FRA administrator Ronald Batory said that the data collected from the portal “[would] help [the FRA] identify where chronic problems exist”, but, even three years later, it is unlikely that rail transport through cities will slow down anytime soon – 28% of the US freight traveled by rail in 2020, after all. For better or worse, it is an indispensable industry for distribution. But that could all be very bad news for the environment – and the people.

While rail transport makes up only 2% of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the transportation sector, it is far from a clean industry. In the current age of rail transport, freight (and passenger) trains run largely on diesel fuel – far from their coal and steam-powered ancestry. They often transport volatile and toxic chemicals; to understand the potential threats of that, look no further than the recent Norfolk derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which has released an obscene amount of smoking vinyl chloride into the environment, creating hazardous – if not impossible – living conditions, and killing over 43,000 aquatic animals.

The incident is nothing short of an environmental catastrophe and the probability of even more occurring can only increase as companies, politicians, and lobbying groups fight against labor reforms and safety regulations — like the an electric braking system that could have prevented the severity of the Norfolk derailment.

Clearly, something has to change. But since municipalities have no direct control over where and when rail lines run, it has to change up top. If we’re lucky, the almost mushroom-shaped cloud of toxic flame and disaster in East Palestine might be the one thing the railroad industry and federal government can’t sweep under the rug.

For the sake of underpaid, overworked rail workers, threatened wildlife, and the safety of communities like Fort Collins – where the risk of another Norfolk derailment runs through Old Town daily – I certainly hope it is.

By: Audrey Brooks

Fort Collins, Colo. — When looking at a place to live, the local business scene doesn’t exactly top the list of what people look for. However, many people who live in a community that contains a lot of local businesses feel a stronger connection to their town and their neighbors through shopping with local businesses and overall having a better quality of life.

The question is how do local businesses improve your quality of life? Spending money even at a local store is still spending money, and for many Americans that is a stressful thing. I know I personally don’t like spending money.

However, when you go to a local business, or even better, a place with several local businesses together, you’re experiencing more than just buying stuff. You get to go out and make a connection with the people in your community. You can learn where your products come from, and if you do choose to buy something, you’re supporting your neighbors in achieving their goals.

So why should you live in Fort Collins? How do its local businesses compare to other places? Well for starters, Fort Collins, according to a study by RewardExpert, as of 2018 ranked 9th in the US for best places to start a small business.

A city that encourages its residents to own and manage small businesses is one that cares about its residents, by promoting healthy eating, sustainable living, and community connection through local businesses. To me, that’s a city worth living in.

So, maybe looking at local businesses isn’t necessarily a “must” when deciding where to live, but if you want to be part of a community, support local businesses, and overall have a better quality of life in your new city, take into consideration the local businesses in the area. Perhaps you’ll find just the place you’re looking for. Who knows? You could even end up in Fort Collins.