Food: A Thumbnail Sketch
Eating locally, eating organically, eating out in moderation, eating less or no meat, eating simply, lightly, and creatively, and, as far as possible, growing one’s own fruit and vegetables – these are some of the key characteristics to food production and consumption in the lives of many simple livers.[1] Given some thought and a little discipline, a nutritious, environmentally sensitive diet can be obtained at a surprisingly low cost.[2]
The ideas introduced in this very short post – among other food related issues – will be developed at length in future posts.
For an introduction to Henry Thoreau’s views on food, click here.
[1] Motivations for ‘eating simply and locally’ are diverse, and the reasoning, at times, complex. Two important considerations are reducing ‘food miles’ and increasing ‘food security.’ See generally, Alison Blay-Palmer, Food Fears: From Industrial to Sustainable Food Systems (2008).
[2] See Elise McDonough, Sustainable Food: How to Buy Right and Spend Less (2009). See also, www.slowfood.com. Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with over 100,000 supporters in 150 countries who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment.
An awesome website for taking action on this topic is Locavore365.org.
It is an international site with a local focus on trading your surplus of fruit and veg for other peoples surplus.
Christchurch, New Zealand has a strong community already using the site.
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Thanks James, I’ve just checked out that site, http://www.locavore365.org/
You’re right, it’s a fantastic site. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the problems our world is facing, but sites like Locavore give me – and I hope many others – hope that things are turning around.
Thanks for the link and please keep sharing your thoughts and comments. My experience when engaging with members of the Simplicity Collective is that there is a great wealth of knowledge waiting to be shared.
Thanks again for your contribution.