Step By Step Sustainable Food

If we can think of sustainability as a measure of making a number of small, capitalizing changes in our current lives (despite perceptions of how sustainably we already live, or even aim to live) we will be able to attain a stronger, more coherent level of sustainability across the board in a shorter time frame.

The reason it is necessary to bring it up is because sustainability is fairly trendy these days.   And trends can certainly motivate a movement, but also can be competitive which sometimes leads to feeling overwhelmed and arrest the motivation to do anything at all.

To be most effective in sustaining any change is to take these changes in steps; a good place to start making these changes are in the kitchen. Here are some proven strategies for greening up your kitchen.

• Don't overstock your refrigerator or pantry.  This is the first and most important change a person can make. Just because it is on sale doesn't mean you need all of it. Real food has a shelf life, so it's important to buy accordingly.


• Consider ingredients. Currently, the use of GMO technology in food products is not required to be labeled; therefore, the only way to be sure any product is not made with GMOs is to buy certified organic.


• Consider organic. Organic is only as good as those we trust to make the certification. Further, organic may also use pesticides if necessary; certification depends on not using synthetic pesticides. Buying organic should be used only as a second option to buying from a local, accountable source.


• Consider Local. For people living on the coast of California, for instance, "local" can be a shifty word because 25% of US food is grown well within a distance of "local" terminology but may also be industrial farms. Therefore, whenever possible get to know your farmer, visit the farms and ask questions about the production to help make better-informed decisions.


• Consider Seasonal. It's sometimes difficult to tell what is in season and when. If you have a local foods advocate group, check their website for an in season list.  Here is an example Harvest Calendar for hardiness zone 6B. If you primarily shop at grocery stores, the in-season produce is often (but of course, not always) the least expensive.

Here is a video by Dr. Bill Chameides, dean of Duke University's environmental school and lead blogger of www.thegreengrok.com. Here he gives some advice for newcomers to the sustainable movement in the supermarket: