At some point a couple of years ago I started reading about a bunch of crazy people who were "moving toward sustainability". What the heck does that mean? I decided to dig into it a little deeper.
I started to do something very dangerous and dare I say......rebellious.
I started questioning. I was testing everything that I knew about food. What is in the food I eat ? Where does it come from? Who makes sure it is safe? Who harvests and prepares this food and what are their working conditions?
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| Chicken Sandwich anyone? |
Armed with a boatload of questions I turned to.....Google and YouTube of course and then stumbled onto blogs. I discovered there were a lot of people out there who had the same questions I did.
I watched documentaries like Food Inc.,King of Corn and others. I read books like "The Omnivores Dilema".
Who knew I was eating fresh fruit that was anything but fresh, laden with pesticides and shipped from thousands of miles away.
Even though learning about my supermarket fruits and veggies was awful, it was nothing compared to finding out what the rest of the "food" I was buying contained.
Then I started to wonder where my fast food burgers came from and what was that "meat" made of.
Then a funny thing happened....I got overwhelmed. In fact, I got so overwhelmed that I did nothing for a while. Then I realized what I needed to do, so....
The most important step to become more sustainable?
It's the first one!
Don't try to do it all at once and never compare yourself to other people. Simply start where you are and move forward with one thing. Start small and plant a few veggies'
One of my first gardens at my current house
Time to start the journey!
It's okay to look ahead at where you want to ultimately end up but don't expect to get there overnight.
Wise words. I have met people who either don't do anything because they cannot see themselves making dramatic changes - or who do try to change dramatically and then get overwhelemd and quit. Change happens step by step and incrementally. I am a big advocate of mastering small changes and making them a habit before tackling the next thing on your list of desired changes. Gardens are always the best first step. :D
ReplyDeleteI know it, yet I have to continue to remind myself that it is a process :)
DeleteWhen I get discouraged about the foods we are eating I try to remember "before" and realize all the wonderful changes we have made. It is a journey and we are enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteGood point. The trick is to consistently do that :)
DeleteThanks for your comment too.
hey i admire yer making the decision , keep strong , keep growing the good stuff!!
ReplyDeleteIt is the good stuff! Can't believe how much better it tastes.
DeleteI have just started a blog myself to keep track of my gardening experience. I will be stopping in to ceck out your ideas as well!
ReplyDeleteLarry good for you! And wow that rockery behind your raise beds? Just begs for some raspberries at the top...they would absolutely love that good drainage and warm feet. So would strawberries, btw which would fill in all the pockets between those rocks. :)
ReplyDeleteI never though about strawberries in the rocks. My tomatoes and peppers love the heat from the rocks. I like the idea of raspberries above. I have a large area up there above the rocks but I have two problems with that area , first, it is steep and has mostly rock and second, it is only accessible by a ladder. Do raspberries need a lot of care? If i could water them from below with a hose and only have to drag the ladder out once a month or so it might work. I could build up dome dirt in a raised bed type structure. The funny thing is I have been thinking about a place to put raspberries.
ReplyDelete