This was originally a 2 second FB rant because I was studying for my Organic Agriculture and Sustainability exam and I realized we spend so much time preaching "organic, organic, organic", but what we really need to be saying is "sustainable, sustainable, sustainable". Organic doesn't mean anything if it dies every year or can't be adapted to different environments. In Europe, hydroponics isn't considered organic because the plant needs to be in direct, unimpeded contact with the soil. There can be no barrier to the roots and any soil, so if you have contaminated soil (let's say in an urban environment) and you put a waterproof membrane down and clean soil on top, you can't call it organic....how pedantic is that?
I'm reading a paper today and they spend half a page explaining "EcoSystem Services". EcoSystem Services means farming in a way that keeps us from dying because of loss of habitat, biodiversity, water and soil retention, etc. So basically, IT KEEPS US FROM DYING. Why make it more complicated than that? I read all these reports and papers and such from class and I feel like we are making things more complicated than they need to be when discussing with the general public, who, to be honest, don't really care most of the time. So, let's make things easier to understand.
We currently grow enough food to support around 11 billion people. The problem comes in two forms: distribution and quality. Anyone who lived through a war will tell you a person can survive on bread, but we need properly balanced nutrition to keep famines at bay. So, how do we go about getting the right food to the right location?
I personally think we need to relook at our city/urban space development and start putting in sustainability measures: solar, rain catchment, vertical and rooftop gardening, hydro and aquaponics, allotments in 'dead' zones (empty lots, schools, roadways, etc), leave the weeds and flowers alone for a little longer so pollinators can use them, plant fruit trees/bushes and nut trees in public spaces, allow public access to these areas, encourage foraging and growing in small spaces in homes, parking areas, and other zones, use semi-permeable paving stones instead of concrete, and TEACH what is actually good for you. Stop subsidizing things that are bad for our health.
WW2 Britons were healthier than most modern Americans and if you start to think about your little piece of the world and what you could accomplish if you just had the time and drive...well, it puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Here's my mini-example, and I know there will be someone who says that doesn't work in Africa or in place "X", but the idea is to really look at your location and then see what the possibilities are. *Gasp* Yes, we will need different ideas for different locations.
I live in a shipping container dorm provided by my university. No, seriously, I live in a big metal box. What frustrates me is that I see so many missed opportunities for 'sustainability' on a bloody Sustainability-minded University! There are large open areas here and a slanted metal roof over our building, but they don't have solar panels or water catchment in a country that rains 219 out of 365 days a year?! The grass is full of comfrey and dandelion and plantain, but they mow these down and don't eat them. There are wild blackberry, currant, and strawberry plants, not to mention cattail and dock and rocket. They plant trees that are not edible and we are not allowed to keep chickens or rabbits for meat consumption. Why? They focus on recycling and compost, but we can't do any of the other things that could make this an AMAZING place to practice sustainability.
So, there is my mini-ish rant. I'm sure I've missed things and have probably annoyed someone, but I just don't get it. The students here would totally go for an allotment scheme. They would PAY to be part of an allotment scheme. I think it's a waste of money for the housing company to continue to mow an area we would be willing to pay to manage. I'd love the opportunity to stumble downstairs in my wellies and pjs and tend my allotment. Maybe 2-3 chickens. That would be awesome and way healthier than the grocery store and before you say there are options in my area (there are...on the other side of campus and I don't have a car, yup, shovels back and forth on a bike would be swell *sarcasm*).
And for the subsistence farmers and 'peasants' of the world? I think we really need to look at putting the right animals and plants in the right areas, establishing clean water catchment systems, herbal remedies for pest management, and ways to bring in sewage-treatment, clean energy for light and cooking, access to healthcare and education, and ways to make money. This last one can be co-op styled for smaller villages and I really want people to start asking the actual 'natives' what they eat and drink and how they currently manage because I don't know everything and neither do you. So let's pull our resources (money, time, energy, & KNOWLEDGE) and actually stop all the bullshit political/religious issues and focus on the whole NOT DYING part.
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