Food & Advocacy

I find food to be one of the most pressing environmental issues, since it is easily creates some of the largest demand on the natural world. It’s an issue that’s right in front of us, and one we can influence just by deciding what kinds of things we want to put on our plate. Food is an environmental issue, a human rights issue, and an animal rights issue. It’s a topic that cannot be separated from values or morality. The way we get our food says a lot about our priorities and values, and unfortunately it’s a topic often ignored because of its difficult (and often depressing) nature.

When we buy tomatoes grown in Florida, we’re probably supporting slave labor (read Tomatoland). When we buy seafood, we’re likely supporting the death of thousands of other animals that were thrown away as a result of destructive and unsustainable practices, wasting a resource that the majority of humans rely on for their primary source of protein. We’re forcing the poor people of Ghana to hunt bush animals, killing 90% of lions because fishermen can’t compete with industrial fishing fleets from developed nations. We cause endless suffering with almost every bite we take, and yet those of us living in developed nations often don’t give it a second thought.

I liked the revolt article. I can’t stress how important it is for people (scientists, educators, everyone) to be politically active – to be advocates. The article mentioned urging scientists to get arrested if necessary, since their findings indicate that we live in a time of unfathomable consequences.

“I couldn’t maintain my self-respect if I didn’t go,” Box said at the time, adding that “just voting doesn’t seem to be enough in this case. I need to be a citizen also” (revolt article).

To be a citizen. I loved this quotation because I think we’ve lost the meaning of citizenship in this country. We live in a time of self-obsession and apathy. We’ve forgotten that what is good for the community is what is good for our selves. To be a citizen is to be informed and involved. I think this is why I loved India so much. I noticed that Indians appreciate what it means to be a citizen. They appreciate what it means to be a community.

“To do nothing is to do something” – Jonathan Safran Foer

Anyway, to end this long post with something more hopeful, I’ll post a few pictures. These photos are from my junior year when I met an amazing group of college graduates in Baltimore, who started the Baltimore Free Farm. They cleaned up an abandoned lot full of drug paraphernalia and turned it into a farm where community members can grow their own food. They sell the food they grow (and give what they don’t sell away for free) so that they can buy out the abandoned building pictured to provide housing for the poor, who will be able to grow food in the garden they’ve created. They’ve created a safe place in the community where people can be united around food. They hold workshops, join political movements, and form partnerships with bigger organizations in Baltimore. This amazing group of people gives me hope.