Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Food Justice ?!?

Hello blogmmunity!

I wanted to let you all know that over the last few months you have inspired me to take a deeper look into my relationship with food. For the first time I have extended my pursuit of justice to include environmental care, sustainable living, carbon reduction, slow food movement, farming, and other areas of "food-oriented justice."

In an attempt to hold myself accountable to this pursuit, I thought I would make some of my findings & struggles public via this blog. I know many of you have been involved in this pursuit for a long time...so I hope you can lend some advice & encouragement as I seek to move ideology to praxis.

Here are a few of my hopeful ventures:

Erin and I have bought into a cooperative organic farming community. For $100 (pays for water & seed), we will join 10 other people (mostly from the Sparrow Bakery, including our good friends Cole & Amy) twice a week to work on an organic farm. Weeding, planting, tilling soil, and harvesting will be new to this "city boy," but the end result will be local, organic, farm to plate produce for the entire summer. Other perks include: a new trade (farmers look out!), new friends, and local produce (not dripping with the petroleum it took to get it into the supermarket- thanks to my friend Ivy for the imagery). I went to the farm for my first experience Sunday, and a crazy experience it was...pics to come soon.

On another food justice note, I am going to read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I attempted this once, but am going to try again. I know a few of you have read it already, but if anyone is up for a group read let me know!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

So is the co-op full? I hadn't heard about it.

Ashley Owlita said...

Yeah, I think they wanted to keep it super small- although there may be some opportunity for friends to come out and help harvest on sunday afternoons...I'll keep ya posted...

Wait...you posted anonymously...who is this?

It's me said...

Tis me :)
(although you don't know me. Yet.)

Anonymous said...

On a sort-of related note: did you like "In defense of food"? I'm re-reading it now. And becoming incensed all over again. I should try the one you talked about in this post.

Anonymous said...

I too am trying to get through in defense of food ... it has been on my cue for awhile... I am glad you are becoming a justicetarian... i will try to call you this week.

Lewis Cash said...

OK, so I just requested it from the library (hold number 4 of 4, ugh). So once it comes, I'll join you in reading it.