Cultivating America's Values

Some of the goodies I got from the Cultivate Fest.

Last weekend I went to the Cultivate Fest in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Created by Chipotle, the festival sells food and has activities to spread information about their cause. Their mission: “help fund initiatives that support sustainable agriculture, family farming, and culinary education” (www.cultivatefoundation.org). Through their festivals, they raise money to donate to their partner organizations like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Veggie U, and Farm Aid. To read more about the Cultivate Foundation, click on this link.

More than the food and activities, the foundation itself struck me. Their dream for the future gave me hope for a better America. A group of individual people came together with a common value. Through this organization, I saw people putting others before themselves. In history, corporations have focused on profit and personal gain. For example, many competitors in the meat industry have lied about the origin and the impact of their products. Heading a different direction, the Cultivate Foundation is being a responsible corporate citizen. Corporations like this are undoing the damage done by past foundations. From being exposed to this organization, I see change in values. Instead of focusing on “I” and the present, their actions focus on “we” and the future. They are using their resources to educate "future farmers" on how to cultivate America. History has made us believe that we must pass with something significant to our name. Instead, the Cultivate Foundation and its partners are pursuing to leave America in a better state before they pass.

So is this foundation a model for what Americans should start to value, or is this just a cover up to gain profit and promote Chipotle? Will our values ever consider others, or are we too deep into history's mindset of personal gain? Leave your comments and thoughts below!