Go ahead, hug a tree.

This is a food blog, but some messages are so important that they transcend themes.  Tonight I heard an important word of encouragement for anyone who dedicates time and energy to a cause that might, at times, seem overwhelming.  The key is to not feel defeated, but instead to do the very best you can with your resources and talent.  It sounds so simple, but it’s a real urging that everyone can take to heart.  And it comes from Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai:  a Kenyan woman who has engaged women to restore her country’s forests.  Through The Green Belt Movement, she has proved that there is a connection with the environment, peace, and democracy.   Dr. Maathai talked about global warming and sustainability, but she also broke these huge issues down to an individual level.  We can do things that make a difference like turning down the heat when you leave the house, turn off the lights when you leave a room and replace incandescent bulbs light bulbs with compact flourescent bulbs.  You can buy wood furniture that is environmentally and socially responsible; just ask the dealer.  Greenpeace offers a great guide to timber sources.  She also says that if we all plant ten trees, we can counteract our contribution to the CO2 rise.  Until we do, she challenged us to think about how we’re living in debt to the environment. 

So how does one go about planting a tree?  The National Arbor Day Foundation is a good place to start.  The official holiday falls on the last Friday in April, but you don’t have to wait that long to get started; their website is packed with information on how to plant today. 

Bringing it back to food, Dr. Maathai’s tree growing efforts speak to living sustainably and recognizing that our decisions today will affect the next generation.  That’s a message that The Food Project is always bringing to conversation; and in a similar response, they encourage people to think about the reality that each of us take a stand by our actions.  We vote with our forks at every meal. Where do you put your money?  Giant corporations that ultimately streamline the food grown in this country?  Or farmers and local business who can offer variety, keep our money in the local economy and cut down on fossil fuel consumption.  These choices can actually make a difference.  You can make a difference.  As Dr. Maathai says, just do what you can. - sy

Comments

[Katherine]

Hi Suzie

I'm convinced! Is there any way to buy his product, not at the Lexington farmers' market?

Love your blog,
Katherine K.

[Jessica]

Amen! Every time we spend money on a product we are directing the course of food and consumable production. Think about the other items you purchase. Are they overpackaged? I've found a fabulous company here called Lush that makes bath products into solids so they don't need all those plastic bottles--shampoo, conditioner, the lot! Fun stuff!