Never heard of Spoken City? Neither had I till a couple weeks back, but that didn’t stop me from soaking up a bit of free publicity. Spoken City wants to stick it to the W (you know, Walmart) and other big chains by encouraging folks to buy local.
The main website consists of a Google map with a bunch of icons for local restaurants, coffee shops, bars, theaters and such. Here’s a screen grab from the route to the western North Carolina Mountains from my neck of the woods. You can see how it could be a nice way to plan a post-hike chow-down.
They asked me what I loved the most about Winston Salem. Part of my reply:
The city has a fascinating history — its founders were Moravian Christians who were Protestants for centuries before Martin Luther ushered in the Reformation. The man credited with inspiring the Moravian religion ran afoul of the Vatican in Rome and was burned at the stake for heresy in the 1400s. How many other U.S. cities have roots stretching to the 15th century?
I’ve written about the Moravians after strolls at Old Salem and Historic Bethabara.
Another snip:
5) What does “being local,” mean to you?
It means accepting that everything you do has consequences for your neighbors. Not just what you buy — though that is a big deal — but how you use resources. You don’t have to be a tree-hugger to think our great-great-great grandkids deserve to have a world as great as the one we have now.
Here’s another interviewee who says she likes to hike.
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