A friend of the devil is a friend of mine.

I was asked yesterday if I was comfortable being part of a social movement. I wasn't sure what that really meant. I always considered what I and my company do as part of a community movement- a sort of build it and they will come model of social change. So, I responded with an emphatic "I guess so."

The fact is that while I wish to see political and social changes that align the world with a more holistic view of food, community and the environment, I have never felt confident that organizations could effectuate this change without in some way co-opting the vision.

I feel deeply that our relationships to food and each other need to change. My way to effectuate this change has been to speak about and encourage the consumption of sustainable seafood and sustainable food in general. I support local communities and ignore large industrial food concerns. My hope has been that these efforts will motivate others to do the same, just as I am motivated when I see or hear about others doing work similar to mine. A friend of the devil is a friend of mine.

I keep thinking about the "social movement" question though. I realized that in fact the time may very well be right for social movements. The current economic conditions have and will continue to have drastic effects on people's lives, including impacting whole communities. Economic recovery seems unlikely to be quick and when it does come it will be limited. Thus, a large part of America is now re-evaluating what success will mean and what is most important to them. Do we pay the mortgage on the McMansion or invest in our kids education? Do we eat at Burger king or cook a healthy meal for ourselves? Do we invite our neighbors to share a community garden or do we buy peppers from Holland? In this context, and with sufficient awareness, I believe "social movements" can have tremendous impacts on people's lives today.

As Grouch Marx said, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." So while I would still be a reluctant member of a social movement, I sure would like to see the world change in such a way that we can all eat better while enhancing our sense of community.

So sure, I am comfortable being a part of a social movement. I do not however want to abandon my personal connections to people and the planet. I suspect that that in a "movement" there is success and failure, while in personal interactions the actual relationship is the success.