Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I just read a very interesting book which I have to share. It is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The book describe how Kingsolver and her family spent a year eating only locally produced foods, most of which were grown or raised by her family. I love Kingsolver's fiction so combining a good author with an interesting food topic was a no-brainer for me. The book made me realize how little I know about where my food comes from. I now make more of a point of shopping at the farmer's market so that I can support local farmers as well as reduce the miles my food has to travel to my plate. I try to buy local meat, milk, cheese, and anything else I can when I shop at the grocery store. I am also so much more suspicious of the things I eat that do not even remotely resemble anything found in nature (soda, store-bought cookies, candy, etc.) and I think that's a wonderful thing. The book is fun and eye opening.

Moo moo brown cow

I'm reading a terrific book called The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I'm not finished with it so I can't speak about the entire book but what I have read so far has definitely changed how I look at the food I eat. The book traces several meals from plate all the way back to the farm/factory where they were originally produced. In a world of processed foods it's somewhat startling to remember that there was an organic component somewhere back in the early gestation of my frozen dinner.

The description of the industrialization of cattle particularly moved me and I have decided that I will only eat grass fed beef from now on. Fortunately, my local Whole Foods carries plenty, and I have found that the grass fed ground beef actually has so much more flavor than the ground beef I used to buy. I made my standard meatloaf and was startled by how moist it was. Additionally, it was no more expensive. Talk about a win-win situation! I won't pretend that Whole Foods provides non-industrialized, local, sustainable foods but some of them have to be a step in the right direction. A cow that is fed by grass, and in turn fertilizes the pasture with their manure, creates a sustainable, mutually-beneficial environment.

I know we live in a democracy but it seems to me that my vote doesn't have a big impact. I vote once or twice a year and it's hard to translate the effects of my vote on my day-to-day life although I am sure there are effects. However, I now believe I cast a more important vote every day, every time I do or don't make a purchase. We live in a capitalist society and my buying choices really do shape the world around me. I have a responsibility to be a thoughtful shopper. I am choosing more sustainable products and I am choosing to buy less.

After 9/11 when the economy started to fall there was talk that spending money was good for America. While our economy certainly benefits temporarily from aggressive spending we can't sustain the level of debt that many Americans are accumulating. There has to be a limit to how much we can buy just as there is a limit to how much we can eat no matter how many different colors of ketchup or different types of fun shaped crackers hit the shelves. I have to think about my daughter's future and in her future I want there to be enough natural resources left that she can enjoy her life and the beautiful planet we inhabit. I try to weigh every purchase we make against the following considerations:

1. How long will we use it?
2. Is the packaging recyclable?
3. How will we dispose of it when we are done with it? (For example, can we resell it, recycle it, donate it, or do we have to toss it?)
4. When it does eventually get tossed, will it decompose quickly?

Some Late Resolutions

I make lists. I believe that without Post-It notes our society would slowly crumble into chaos. How can we remember everything we have do in a day without lists? There are just too many thoughts knocking around inside my head. Up until this point my lists have always contained the mundane: groceries, home repairs, baby feeding schedules, etc. Well, I am starting a new list. I want to break out of the constant bog of daily life and think about my impact as a human. It's so easy to be busy every day, every week, every year and all of a sudden my whole life will be spent without a thought.

My wonderful, amazing daughter was born 4 months ago and her entry into the world has caused me to think for once about what it means to be a role model. Today, I don't feel like a role model; I feel like a how-to manual. If you watch me you will learn how to run a household, how to be a good employee, how to hold a party, how to care for pets, how to travel, how to be a parent. But is that a role model? It's certainly not enough for me. I want to teach my daughter how to be an informed citizen, how to minimize her environmental impact, and how to use our blesings in life to help people who need our help.

So this year I have some late resolutions:
1. Determine the ten most impactful steps we can take towards becoming a more environmentally-friendly household.
2. Pay attention to news outside my bubble.
3. Figure out what charities are important to me and find an organization to volunteer for.
4. Share my journey with anyone who wants to listen and spread the joy of living thoughfully.