Sustainable Being

I remember as teenager frequently seeing my dad working in his garden. Other than floating in his pool this was something that he really loved to do.

One day, I figured I’d go see what he was up to in his sacred area. Upon my arrival, I was immediately shooed away.”Get out of here, this is poison!” he bellowed. He was given his vegetables their regular dose of Miracle Grow. Yay, I can’t wait to eat those tomatoes!

This encounter sticks with me until this day.

This was the first time in my life I began to question what was truly in our food, besides food. What kind of effects was this poison going to have on me? Was the poison going to destroy the dirt? It just didn’t feel right.

As I moved into my early adulthood years I still carried those questions, but regretfully did very little about it. In fact, I joined in as I started my culinary career.

Fast forward 30 years and there are millions of people with the same types of questions and concerns I had all those years ago. I believe it is largely due to social media channels and the connections they create. I too began asking the questions again.

Two of the hottest taglines for these types questions/concerns are “Going Green” or “ Being Sustainable”. It is a concept that has become trendy in recent years and has become quite a popular movement. Even to those outside the hippie group.

Today as a society we change out incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient ones, recycle like it second nature, and turn off the water while brushing our teeth. All because it is best and we are doing our part. Unfortunately, many tend to think this is enough. In reality, this is not even the tip of the iceberg. (Pun intended)

However, the biggest impact one can make towards being sustainable remains a mystery for most- Truth is- Animal Agriculture, by far, has the most adverse effect on our world.

Some examples:

• Meat production is responsible for deforestation, desertification, water and land pollution more so than any other industry.
• Raising livestock takes up more than two thirds of the world’s total agricultural land.
• The industry over exploits the limited fresh water supplies leading to excessive droughts.
• Factory farming accounts for 37 percent of the worlds methane. Methane is a very large contributor to global warming.
• The destruction and eroding of soil is caused by the pesticides and chemical fertilizers used of to grow the feed.
• Manure waste ends up in groundwater, rivers and streams which destroys natural aquatic systems and pollutes drinking water.

Clearly it is not possible to truly care about making a difference for the environment while still consuming animal products three times a day. There is a difference between “doing” sustainable and “being” sustainable.

It is my belief that if we as a society don’t strongly consider then adopt meaningful sustainable eating habits soon, our health care concerns, education system shortfalls, political dysfunction, and our financial deficits simply won’t matter in the end.

One thing is crystal clear. Growing vegetable gardens will be part of the solution. Those without Miracle Grow of course.