Sustain

Sustain, whether you are speaking of renewable energy, food production, or a lingering guitar chord is a very good thing. This weekend at the Houg Ranch saw both food and fuel sustainability in action. Sam Kvale with assistance from Katie Houg, Sam Larson, Dennis Nordine, and Wendy Kvale butchered 80 of the now infamous "Urban Chickens" that Sam raised within the city of Bemidji. These chickens became the focus of attention after the City revoked Sam's permit and gave them 24 hours to vacate the City limits after a neighbor felt they were causing her health issues.
The big picture in all this is Sam and others are trying to show that healthy, sustainable lifestyles can be undertaken in urban as well as rural settings. This challenges dated concepts of what a "City" should allow in their property use ordinances. For example, a city may find the noise, pollution, aesthetic degradation associated with a commercial business acceptable but not the presence of chickens, goats, or rabbits raised for one's own healthy food source. Perhaps changes in the economy will help these sorts of decisions to be made.