t r o p p u S r u o Y l a c o L p o Co By JR Riegel, La Montañita Co-op
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Cooperatives of all kinds are united in their commitment to the same set of seven cooperative principles, but most co-ops go a step further and make their own unique commitments based on their community’s needs and wishes. At La Montañita Co-op, our mission goes beyond just cooperative economics, extending to positive impacts on food access, local agriculture, the New Mexico economy, and our cooperative commu32 April 2021
nity. This commitment is made official through something called our “Ends,” maintained by our member-elected Board of Directors. Through these Ends, La Montañita Co-op is committed to increasing access to healthy food, promoting regenerative agriculture and sound environmental practices, having a positive impact on our local economy, and strengthening our cooperative community. When it comes to personal environmental impacts, food is a major part of the picture. Fac-
tory-farmed beef has an enormous carbon footprint relative to other foods, but beef from cows farmed with regenerative agriculture practices like rotational grazing can actually be carbon neutral. Some advocates even think the beef industry could actually reduce global carbon emissions if all cattle were farmed with regenerative practices. Changing an entire industry overnight isn’t realistic of course, but each one of us still has the power to make more positive personal food choices for the environment, and every lit-
