By Ashley Fink
Sustainability Studies student
When it comes to sustainability, the entire concept is dependent on all people possessing a healthy and happy future by allowing or providing access to the most basic needs. While the definition of “basic needs” may be debatable, there is no confusion surrounding the need for a healthy diet. By modifying the ways that we obtain and/or prepare our food, we can take the necessary steps to provide a sustainable future.
There are many approaches a person can take to make this an achievable goal. First, it is important to preserve the resources that we do have, because it’s a lot easier to maintain something that is already present than it is to recreate it from nothing. One resource that is essential for all living beings is water, and it is becoming increasingly scarce. We’ve even gone so far as to start depleting our aquifers, to replace what we’ve lost due to excessive use. Industrial agriculture utilizes water in every step of the food process. From watering the crops, to spraying the pesticides, and even to run equipment. All of this water usage has led to it being sold as a commodity. Farmers are given a certain allotment and should they exhaust it, they are forced to either purchase a part of someone else’s or bypass the entire growing process by shipping it in from another country. As absurd as this sounds, this is not uncommon. But there are ways to curb our water usage. Something as simple as collecting rainwater in a barrel, goes a long way towards protecting our water sources. After all, didn’t Mother Nature do an adequate enough job of watering the earth before we started interfering with it?
Another key resource hog in agriculture is oil. It’s used to power farming equipment and to ship crops to their final destination. Petroleum, which is one form of oil, is used in pesticides. Then we have to consider oil’s role in getting the food to our homes, refrigerating said food, and finally preparing it. We can’t frack this stuff fast enough. If we find ways to curb our oil dependency, it could ease the strain on our environment significantly. Try biking to nearby places. Your cardiovascular system will thank you for it. Growing as much of your own food as possible also cuts down on oil usage. Whatever produce you can’t grow, see if there is someone local who can. Walking next door to borrow some tomatoes uses a lot less gas than driving to Wal*Mart for them…and they’ll taste better too. If meat is what you’re looking for, ask around to see if there is a local butcher shop. Chances are that your neighbor cares a lot more about his or her meat than a CAFO will.
In our growing society, it may not be possible to completely forgo the use of all resources, but if we all are more mindful of our purchases and consumption, they may just last a while longer.
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