This weekend, the 2014 Edible Institute was held in NYC. This event brings together some of the most progressive minds in the food industry to conduct seminars and roundtables on topics in the food movement. I wasn’t able to attend, but happily the organizers live-streamed a number of the events (yay, interwebs!), and I was able to watch from the comfort of my couch while sipping a cold iced tea, in between trips out to the garden to plant another pepper or tomato. And Twitter provided a running list of sound bites and recaps through the hashtag #Edible2014.
For me, the most interesting event by far was the opening address by Mark Bittman, who touched on a lot of points rationally and intelligently in his allotted hour. The session served to refocus my thoughts today, this day in May, on the many ways I can make a positive contribution the food movement — some at the community level, some larger scale and public, but even more in my quiet, everyday life.
I spend a fair bit of time thinking about — stewing over, really — the food industry and the many micro-issues within (in no particular order): antibiotics in our meat; unfair wages and conditions for farm workers; the mistreatment of animals in CAFOs; industrial ag’s completely suspicious practices (and intentions); the utter crap that processed food has become; the decline of farming (in terms of numbers); the consequences of monocultures; the warping of the meaning of “organic;” Monsanto Monsanto Monsanto; the puzzle of GMOs; the limitations of farmers’ markets and small farms; etc., etc.
It can be overwhelming, quite frankly. These are big problems — big, hairy, intertwined problems that people far smarter than I have yet to unravel and set aright.
But, I realized long ago that, while we’re, societally, wrestling with these global issues, there’s something you and I can do every day that will have a real, sustainable impact. To borrow the overused, slightly cheesy (and, in fact, sloppily paraphrased) Gandhi quote: be the change you wish to see in the world. If we all take small steps together, the forward momentum will change everything.
(...)
Read the rest of 3 Simple – but Powerful – Ways to Make a Lasting Impact on the Food Movement (1,012 words)
© admin for SoupAddict.com, 2014. |
Permalink |
No comment |
Add to
del.icio.us
Post tags:
Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
The post 3 Simple – but Powerful – Ways to Make a Lasting Impact on the Food Movement appeared first on SoupAddict.com.