Zone Zero

Per•ma•cul•ture (pərməˌkəlCHər): an agricultural system or method that seeks to integrate human activity with natural surroundings so as to create highly efficient self-sustaining ecosystems.

Merrian-Webster.com

This semester, we are learning about permaculture and its principles, one of which is the concept of zones. Permaculture can be boiled down to working with nature, and not against it. If you can fit your life into nature’s flow, you save a lot of energy you would have spent trying to change the flow. Smart design that uses the land efficiently is key. One principle of permaculture design is dividing your land into zones of use. Essentially, put the plants, animals, and buildings that you will frequent the most nearest to your dwelling, starting with Zone 1, and the ones that you will visit the least farthest from your home (the higher the number, the farther away and less frequently you visit it). This method of planning saves you time and gives you easier access to the things you need most. But we mustn’t forget the most important zone of all: Zone 0, your body.

This fall, my HECUA Environmental Sustainability classmates and I took a field trip to Lily Springs Farm in Wisconsin, where permaculture design is being implemented. Lindsay Rebhan, a professional permaculture design consultant, taught us about zones. She explained the concept by using our relationships as an example. Zone 1 would encompass the people closest to us, like our family, and the places we are at most often, like home. Zone 2 might be our classmates or colleagues, and our school or workplace. But then she brought up the idea of Zone 0: our own bodies. Lindsey talked about the sacredness of Zone 0 and keeping it healthy because without a healthy zone 0, we can’t effect healthy change in our outer zones.

This semester, I have been thinking about how to do sustainability sustainably. It’s been hard to find the right balance between challenging myself to live more conscientiously and having grace with myself while on the journey to a healthier life. When I went vegan last fall, I did so out of a feeling of personal responsibility for climate change. It was one thing I had agency over. But the thing was: I enjoyed eating meat. I felt like I was sacrificing for the sake of the earth and potential climate refugees, like I was taking one for the team. So I got upset when other people around me continued to eat meat.

I was a crabby vegan and truth be told, I, as an individual, could not bear the weight and responsibility of ecological disaster all by myself. It was exhausting and creating emotional pollution in my relationships. I was so strict with myself in order to maintain my righteous environmental fast to save the world. I felt as though I was a burden to the planet, and this kind of thinking led me to even consider removing myself from the world in order to save it. But then I wondered, what was it all for if it wasn’t for us to enjoy our one and only life? I decided I needed to do sustainability differently. My Zone 0 was suffering and it was affecting my interactions in my outer zones as a result. I was spreading fear and anxiety instead of hope and kindness. Instead of focusing on the end goal, I needed to focus on the process — otherwise I would continue to go through a binge and purge cycle that was unsustainable for the very sustainable life I wanted to live.

Fast forward ten months to today and my mindset has changed. First, the earth doesn’t need me. She will be just fine, if not better, without us. And second, taking care of myself is not selfish. In fact, if I am taking care of myself and showing myself love, it is easier for me to show love to other people. And the love that I spread will do more good than judging others for eating meat. That love will spread to and through the people in my life and extend to the earth. My love changes a culture of hate — self-hate, hatred of others, and hatred of the earth. Such an antagonistic attitude towards the earth is what got us into this mess in the first place, isn’t it?

So is this post all about justifying my omnivorous diet? Maybe. It’s more about being honest with where I am. I deeply respect vegetarians and vegans. I just know that I cannot care for the earth in that way right now. But I am still journeying, cultivating my Zone 0 in order to spread positivity outward into my Zones 1, 2, 3, 4…