“What is the one mass produced and used product that you wish to change or eliminate for good to make our environment greener and safer?” - EcoTrain QOTW
Phew, there are a lot of potential answers for this question. As a passenger aboard the EcoTrain, I want to improve the world in any way I can and as a member of the Steemit homesteading community, I’m continually thinking in terms of growth and natural lifestyles. So what mass produced “product” has a hugely negative impact on both areas of my personal passion?
Of course I wanted to say plastic at first! I’m slowly learning more and more about the negative side effects of its’ inability to biodegrade. I hate watching nature documentaries and seeing the swollen corpses of animals stuffed with plastic spoons and shopping bags… bleck. It’s just depressing.
But I was also looking for a different answer. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for until it clicked… my answer is food.
No, I’m not talking about eliminating junk food. I’m talking about changing the mindset of mass producing our food (the healthy AND the junk) by using the quickest and cheapest method(s). Now I will be the first to admit that I am ignorant of the methods used for food production and that I need to do a lot more research. But some of the first practices that come to mind include large, industrialized farming that abuses the animals, liberal amounts of food waste, and a general lack of knowledge/education about the system.
I don’t think it’s constructive to sit here and complain about a problem or draw attention to it without at least brainstorming some ideas for improvement.
The first choice we can make to help change our unsustainable food production practices is to shop local and support small farms. This method can be slightly more expensive but I believe every purchase is a vote for your values… so if you can afford it, it’s a good place to start. However, the more practice you get concerning what to buy and when (don’t forget to consider when produce is in season), this lifestyle can actually save you money!
The second choice we can make is to cut back on meat consumption. This may be an unpopular decision for carnivores but speaking logistically, meat/dairy production is incredibly unsustainable. It utilizes much more water, land, and resources to produce than plant alternatives (and produces a lot more greenhouse gases). I don’t mean to argue that everyone should become vegetarians or vegans because your lifestyle is your choice (and bacon is delicious). I am simply recognizing that if we each cut back slightly, we can collectively make a huge impact!
The third idea I have will help increase our population’s general knowledge about food production and nutrition - improving our education system. Instead of feeding the young minds with garbage (trust me, I remember cafeteria food), we should be feeding their potential. I think teaching children about food production is incredibly important and there is no better way to do so than through practice. Having a garden and letting students work the earth will teach them more about food (and help produce better food for school lunches) than any classroom setting. I wish I had had the chance to experience these types of settings in school rather than a fluorescent lit room with a book in front of me.
The fourth thing we can promote to help with fix the food production system is reducing food waste / composting. I’ve heard about the food trucks that take “waste food” (ie. not perfect or pretty fruits/vegetables) from restaurants and grocery stores in order to make excellent cuisine and feed the hungry with it. I think this is a great idea that fixes a lot of problems - food waste, hunger, employment, etc. I also think more restaurants and businesses should incorporate a composting routine.
Now I would like to open the floor for discussion because there is no better way to improve than to share the difference of opinions and ideas! Do you believe the mass producing mindset of food production needs improvement? In what way(s) and how would you go about beginning those changes?
Photography from Pexels and used under the CC0 license.
well, if even half of us did what you have suggested, then wOw what a difference that would make.. Keep spreading the wise words!!
Nice ideas! I would like to add that moving food production to be more in harmony with natural conditions could help enhance the topsoil, farm ecosystem and food.
Current methods of using nitrogen fertilizer are a leading cause of large dead zones in the ocean near major rivers. You can see them on satellite photos.
Many methods to improve soil conditions without the use of nitrogen fertilizer are known but cheap natural gas makes them expensive to use by comparison.
Great stuff @kiaraantonoviche! I did consider this angle for the qotw but somehow ended up writing on eliminating cigarettes because they have hurt me a lot more lol. I agree with what you said and if we do start changing our mindset about food, we would slowly be able to bring about a huge difference in the society.
Good answers. For me, it would be to never need a plastic bag of any kind again. I'm working on it, but still have a long way to go.
Wow - and yes!
I did not consider this angle to the question of the week! This is a vast terrain of mass-produced nonsense - and the deeper we get into industrialized food systems the more people think we couldn't survive without it!
How to start - thats a great question. I would say taking a few days off from food. Fasting is healthy, if you go about it the right way that is. Lets all take a few days, after a bit of research, to remind our stomach's who is in charge.
The seat of my wisdom and power is not in my digestive track!
Apart from that - I like the idea of things like No Meat Mondays, and other efforts that take a step-wise approach to changing people's habits.
Our food systems sure are on a slippery slope, and one that we as humans need to be back-filling as fast as possible before we roll right off the edge!
Love and Light!