I have been lucky enough to be involved in Food and Drink and Agriculture for over 30 years. One of the many concepts that I have learned is that we have to be good stewards of the planet – we are but a part of a much larger community on this globe, and it is all interconnected – people, animals, plants, land, sea and air. But, we are in danger of not fulfilling our roll as good stewards of this much larger community. Climate change on our planet is putting every living thing in peril, including ourselves. Just looking at the challenges in California in the last few years – wildfires, floods, and the impact of a pandemic – should be enough to make everyone take notice and realize we need to makes changes for the better.
Why now is the time
If we had been facing just one major challenge in the past year – let’s take the wildfires in California, for instance – it is not hard to see the major impact they had on lives of everyone. The smoke in the air, the disruption to agriculture, destruction of preserved open spaces, and the loss of housing and life are but a few impacts from just this one event. But, add to that an already out of balance food system (in which some people have access to quality food while others do not), and combine a global pandemic (making availability of some food scarce, as well as some of the lower wage earners having to go to work with the chance of catching a deadly virus, and possibly without access to proper medical care), and events highlighting the social injustices to underserved and marginalized communities (generally, Native Tribes, Latinx, African-American, to name a few), and it is not hard to see that now is beyond the time for real change – change to correct climate change, change to make sure all members of the community have a say in how communities are run, and change in how we make quality food and drink accessible to all.
The Power of AND
While climate change, and social justice, and food equity have been issues of concern for decades, we have often seen single issue, or even sub-issue, groups working on a narrow agenda. For example, carbon emissions are contributing to increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (which is bad long term, on so many levels that I won’t explore at this time. For too long, some advocates for cutting carbon emissions have focused on one solution – wind power OR solar. It’s time to replace OR with AND.
The same goes for food production and land use. For many years, some thought that we had to use land for either agriculture OR open space/preserved/protected lands. In fact, sometimes land can be best served by a thoughtful, multi-use approach (managed farm animal grazing land can be on National Park Service land, or desert ecosystems can live and thrive along with photovoltaic instillations). The same can be said of social justice. By bringing together many voices from many groups in a community, the real issues affecting some of the groups can be discussed, and workable, just and equitable solutions can happen. A small thing in the town I live in was the change from At Large election for city council to District seats. In the first election cycle, we now have a much more diverse council, representing a wider range of residents from the diverse cultures in our town. Since the new council has taken their seats (5 months ago), the city finally adopted resolutions on climate change action and joined with the rest of the cities in our county to start climate mitigation measures. By being more inclusive – this group AND that group, as an example – more discussion can take place, and more solutions can come about.
Education and Information is Key
We are at a critical juncture on some many levels (climate, social disparity, food equity, open space access), that it is easy to get lost in the weeds. It is also easy to say “if only I had some information, I might be able to help – but I do not know where to look”. I am hoping that this forum – my blog, to start with, as well as resources I post, and ideas that can act as a springboard to spark your own thoughts – can be a place for people to come, get some information and ideas, then go into their own communities and start making a difference. If something on curbing climate change sparks you, then go with it. If something on helping with food equity and accessibility prompts you to help out in your locale, go for it! Working with organizations in your community, no matter if they are about assuring access to open spaces or making sure people of different social backgrounds feel safe and heard in the larger towns (as just a few examples), is the way to get involved. The more people that want to help out, and the need is all around, the more we all benefit, as our communities get more connected and strong.
I will be highlighting people and producers who make a difference – whether it be the dairy products company who is capturing methane from cow waste to turn into electricity to power vehicles at their facility; or the places that are creating spaces for bees to thrive – bees that, in turn, pollinate plants that are needed to take in carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. In addition, I will write about the groups that I work with – groups that strive to serve underserved communities. I am a real believer that if the information is out there and the education is provided, then more people will get involved in making their communities better for more people.
Some closing comments, for now
As I close this opening blog, I paraphrase a line (from a very long running program) – “we’ve tried nothing, and we’re all out of ideas”. My hope is that this is a place that you can find some education, get some ideas, and go out into your own communities and support those who are already working on making this world better – from a climate standpoint, from a food and drink standpoint, and from a social standpoint. The last time I checked, we only have one place – our planet – that has air we can breathe, food and drink that can nourish us, and an amazing diversity of interesting people. Together, we can make our communities strong, healthier and more inclusive and just for all. Community is such a complex concept, but taking the first steps – wanting to know more and wanting to work together – is where it starts.
These are all complex issues, and will not have easy answers. The wonderful Anthony Bourdain once said “If I believe in anything, it is doubt. The root cause of all of life’s problems is looking for a simple f@#$ing answer.” I whole heartedly agree – we do have complex issues in our world, and no simple answers. But anything worth doing, be it reversing climate change, tackling social issues or finding long term solutions to food needs, is worth doing together, as a community.
Until next time,
Keep an open mind and a curious palate
David
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