Zee Ahteecal

Chickens: Localism in Your Own Back Yard
India Emerick


In the past few years, as environmental troubles have come into the spotlight, sustainability has evolved into a nationwide issue. Suddenly, average Americans are looking for ways that they can personally contribute to the conservation of our planet’s resources. “Localism” is the simplest way for everyday people to reduce their energy consumption. With organizations like Idaho’s Bounty, The Banburry Institute and The Sustainability Center cropping up left and right, it seems that Sun Valley is jumping on the localism bandwagon. In February of 2009, the city of Hailey passed a law allowing residents to keep three chickens on their property as part of a group of sustainability ordinances.
Even before that, educational institutions such as The Community School and The Mountain School were including chickens as part of their curriculum. Says Mountain School head Katharine Woods, “Giving the children an opportunity to be in contact with farm animals is immensely beneficial to their understanding of respect, appreciation and environmentalism.” Although The Community School’s program of raising chickens and then eating them was controversial, Sun Valley residents have stood behind the concept as an important learning process.
Recently, the Wood River Valley’s interest in localism and chickens has been apparent. On January 30th, 2010, The Banburry Institute held a Chicken & Egg Workshop on longtime bird owner Arden Schmidt’s farm with over 60 people in attendance. The workshop allowed those interested in chickens to share resources, information and birds. Kaz Thea, with Idaho’s Bounty, says that there has been extreme increase in both the availability and the interest in local eggs, proving that even those not willing to raise their own eggs feel the need to stay local. “We never have enough eggs; they’re so much more nutritious!” she says, “Eggs and winter greens are always in huge demand.”
Owning your own chickens is not difficult; in fact, it is one of the easiest things one can do to contribute to localism. The common motivation is the desire for organically grown, free-range eggs, a “farm feel,” or pets. Chicken owner Brian Yager created a “Chicksaw” coop, a mobile chicken coop that fertilized his lawn while housing his chickens. According to his family, having chickens wasn’t too hard nor a big responsibility, and the process increased their understanding of the circle of life. He states firmly, “Backyard chickens are advantageous to the community; local agriculture, independence from corporations, lack of environmental effects and the usefulness of chickens as fertilizers make them such valuable part of our lives.”
Although Sun Valley is generally thought of as an isolated bubble, in this case it is the microcosm to the macrocosm of the nation. We are mirroring the trends that are cropping up all over the country, such as community gardens, personal chickens and local food centers. Although we’re making strides in the world of sustainability, we’re still not doing as much as we could. Thea remarks with strong conviction, “A lot of people don’t walk the walk… We should be creating local economies. Not just the food but everything should be localized. It’s about getting people to care enough to do something about it, and if the masses take little steps, we conserve a lot.”