(B)LOGBOOK

It seems paradoxical to speak of a local economy in reference to goods that come from overseas, but in the absence of harmful emissions, which are avoided by sailing ships, the concept of "zero kilometers" can be revisited in terms of "zero nautical mile." Exclusively local consumption automatically implies a rejection of many of the great achievements of human ingenuity, and those who wish to counteract its harmful side effects easily fall into the error of demonizing globalization itself.

Local supply chains are absolutely preferable to limit the devastating effects of the EXCESS globalization we see today, but they should not be considered the only solution to a life of complete sacrifice and renunciation. It's clear that highly complex products, like a cell phone or a computer, cannot be exclusively produced locally, and neither can tropical products like coffee. However, transported within a “zero nautical mile” by sailing ships, the latter acquires a renewed value, brought to awareness and imagination by that long, authentic journey in which one can also participate firsthand: that fascinating journey that these exotic products must undertake to benefit the lives of those living in another part of the world. The product itself emerges ennobled, elevated to a luxury lost due to its excessive availability, which has over time made it banal, obvious, unworthy of the attention it deserves and the respect deserved for the effort required to be able to have it.

The concept of local economy is also experienced in another way, bypassing the gigantic networks of global trade and large-scale distribution through "direct trade." One of the Brigantes green coffees, for example, is imported directly from a Nicaraguan/German cooperative, which cultivates direct relationships between farmers/producers and roasters and consumers. This creates a chain of trust, one that does not require labels, which, in addition to generating additional costs, are not always as reliable as they should and would like to be. Trust is closeness, as the great sociologist Bauman used to say, and closeness is cultivated through direct relationships between people.The sailing ship unites not only countries and their needs, but also people, today rich in virtual contacts, but perhaps increasingly in need of sharing even just a glass of something to drink together.