Ep 48 - Chris Treter

State of Water

We are thrilled to welcome Chris Treter, owner and co-founder of Higher Grounds Trading Company to State of Water. State of Water host Seth Bernard invites Chris to go on a journey through time, (4:40) back to the 1990s and the formative events of the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, Mexico and the WTO protests in Seattle - both moments of people standing courageously against neoliberal economic policies. (11:58) In 2002 Higher Grounds was born in Chiapas as Chris lived and worked with coffee farmers, rooted in a model of solidarity economics not only about trade but taking into account the well-being of all trading partners. (14:30) From there, the conversation travels back to Michigan as Chris and Higher Grounds find deep community in Traverse City and then back again to (19:55) Chiapas with the launch of the Chiapas Water Project which provided important access to clean water for farmers and communities. (26:10) As Higher Grounds started building relationships with coffee farmers in other regions of the world, they carried the same ethics and values - to be in solidarity and collaboration with their growers and communities. (28:20) Seth and Chris share memories of their Run Across Ethiopia - where runners ran 10 marathons in 10 days and raised over 1/2 million dollars to invest in local communities. Through storytelling, athletics, activism, and the arts, Chris and Higher Grounds have continued to be a force for creating change and building meaningful relationships in the communities that they were sourcing their coffee. (36:45) We travel back to Michigan and hear about the new Common Grounds Cooperative in Traverse City - a real estate development cooperative that has quickly become a hub of arts, culture, and collaboration - a vision of community by the community. (46:15) Finally, Chris shares some powerful thoughts on clean water and peace making and how we in Michigan hold a unique opportunity to be protectors of a future peace that cares for water in a fair, equitable, and peaceful way. Learn more about Higher Grounds at: https://www.highergroundstrading.com/ Learn more about Higher Ground’s nonprofit partner On the Ground at: https://www.onthegroundglobal.org/ Find the full video of this episode and all 2024 State of Water episodes on our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MICleanH2O /// EPISODE 48 / Chris Treter interviewed by Seth Bernard / Produced, edited and mixed by Dan Rickabus and Chris Good / Narrators - Alex Smith, Ben Darcie, Dan Rickabus, Jenny Jones, Angela Gallegos, Rachel Marco-Havens / Graphic by Chris Good / Theme Music - Mike Savina, Seth Bernard & Dan Rickabus / Featured Music - “Homestretch” by Ecotone and “Authors (instrumental demo)" by Dan Rickabus