Why Bother?- Eating for a sustainable future

Take a look in your kitchen and ask yourself- How much food is produced outside of your region? Or perhaps it would be easier if you asked yourself the opposite question. The reality is that much of the food that we purchase from the supermarket is imported and/or produced using large industrial farming techniques. Examination into the current food system reveals the implementation of cheap food policies that provide cosmopolitan countries with plenty of food regardless of the season. Not only does this system have significant costs to the environment and to human health, but it also affects the food we eat (both in quality and quantity) and how it is produced. 

In the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (2007), co-author Stephen Hopp states that the majority of the fossil fuels used in the current food system are consumed during the distribution process. He explains "Each food item in a typical U.S. meal has traveled an average of 1,500 miles. In addition to direct transport, other fuel-thirsty steps include processing (drying, milling, cutting, sorting, baking), packaging, warehousing, and refrigeration". Further down the page he goes on to exclaim that "If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country's oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week." 

As this oil-infused number soaked into my mind, it became more and more apparent that small changes in our consumer habits can make significant differences. Consequently, I have come up with a few steps that will enable you to make these changes within your life that will in turn, increase sustainable development at the local and national level. Based on my personal experiences and others who have shared their stories with me, these changes can be challenging, often requiring some degree of sacrifice, but they are generally rewarding in the long run. So the next time you are buying your groceries think twice before putting the container of  strawberries from Florida or that pineapple from South America in your basket. Instead, perhaps you could replace these fruits with some of the delicious apples that are grown in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. 

What do I mean by sustainable development? 

Sustainable development is a complex and highly critiqued concept. I am by no means an expert on the topic nonetheless, I think it is important to be transparent about my current understandings of the term.

In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) published a report entitled Our Common Future (also known as the Brundtland Report). The publication of this document led to important developments in the world's understanding of sustainability. 

Within the report, sustainable development is defined as "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable- to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The concept of sustainable development does imply limits-not absolute limits but limitations imposed by the present state of technology and social organisation on environmental resources and by the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human activities. But technology and social organisation can be both managed and improved to make way for a new era of economic growth...Sustainable development is not a fixed state of harmony, but rather a process of change....We do not pretend that the process is easy or straightforward. Painful choices have to be made.Thus, in the final analysis, sustainable development must rest on political will.

(WCED, 1987)

Turnip Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped onions
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup chili sauce or 4-6 tbsp. chili powder 
• 1/4 cup water (or more if using chili powder)
• 4 cups steamed turnip, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1/2 grated Swiss cheese (I used Canadian Havarti) 

 Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350˚F. Butter a 1 ½ quart casserole dish.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add onion and cook until lightly browned. Sprinkle with flour, salt, pepper and chili powder and stir to blend. Remove from heat and add water, stirring to blend.
3. Return the blended sauce to stove and heat at a medium temperature, stirring until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in cook turnip and flour and place the mixture into the prepared casserole. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Creating a Wholesome Diet with Whole-meal Products

Grain is an important source of energy from which we also obtain essential nutrients. According to the Canadian Food Guide (2007), adults (>19+ years) should consume 6-8 servings of grains a day depending on your sex and physical activity. Yet it is important to distinguish whole grains from the processed grains that appear to proliferate in the aisles of the supermarkets.

Whole Grains vs. Refined Grains
Whole grain foods include all three edible layers (i.e. bran, endosperm and germ) of the grain seeds or crenels, each of which provides a combination of nutrients and vitamins. Unlike whole grain flours, refined flours are steel ground which removes both the bran and germ layers from the grain seeds therefore reducing the flours nutrient content. In Canada these refined flours are often enriched with minerals and vitamins to replace the ones that have been lost during the refining process. These nutrient levels are only approximate and do not restore the flours original nutrient content.  

One of the major reasons that Adrienne and I chose not to follow a 100-mile diet was due to the limited supply and access to whole grains in Sackville. Although it does not fall within the 100 mile radius, the Speerville Flour Mill, located in the Saint John River Valley near Woodstock, NB, does supply the Atlantic provinces with an array of tasty, and nutritious whole grain products.

Operating since 1982, the Speerville Flour Mill founding mandate is to provide a market for local farmers who produce grains. In this sense the mill not only supports the local economy but it also promotes a regional food system. Speerville products can only be found in the Atlantic Provinces and will only sell to retailers who allow them to personally deliver their products to the site. This not ensures that products are fresh upon arrival at market locations, but it also reduces the amount of fossil fuels used during production and distribution. According to the Speerville website, less the 1% of the cereal and grain products sold in the Atlantic region are actually grown and processed here. With upwards to 30 to 40 local farms supplying the mill with grains, their efforts may be seen as an important stepping stone that increases food security within Canada at both the local and national level.

Speerville offers a variety of organic and in-organic whole grain food products in varying quantities. You can purchase Speerville products at the Cackling Goose Market (located on 38 York St., Sackville) or if you have a car and do your grocery shopping outside of Sackville, you can purchase their items at Sobeys supermarket. Aliper’s Hearth (located within the Cackling Goose) is an organic bakery that specializes in freshly baked goods that uses Speerville flour. Their bread cost $5 but if you are a student they will give you $0.50 off your purchase.  You can also purchase Speerville products directly from the mill or in various health food markets around the Maritimes. Check out their website for more details. 

 http://www.speervilleflourmill.ca/index.htm

The Canadian Food Guide (2007)

Sackville Community Supported Agriculture

Community-supported agriculture of Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSA’s usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetable and fruit, sometimes including dairy products and meat.

CSA’s are a definite movement towards food sovereignty, providing producers with the support of their local communities, and providing nutritious, fresh, sustainable foods to consumers. Participation in a CSA goes beyond out individual dinner plates; it promotes environmental sustainability and strengthens local economies.

The website for the Sackville CSA provides useful information about the fresh foods available seasonally and year-long in our area, the farmers who grow them, and where YOU can purchase them. Information about membership is also provided.

Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From?

Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From? Preview this video about Canadian agricultural imports and exports: great incentive to eat local!

Presenting the Challenge

As a research project for a Cultural Ecology seminar with the Anthropology department at Mount Allison University, we (Adrienne Kasdan and Rachel Willis) were challenged to conduct a project based on how our personal behaviours and choices affect both global and local ecologies. After discussing our interests, we decided that we wanted to begin eating locally in Sackville, making observations about how our consumption affects us, our community, and the environment.

Originally we wanted to do a 100-mile diet. Research into the available foods located within this radius proved very limiting, and upon further reflection of our primary goals we decided to base our diet not purely on radius but on a few criteria which we felt addressed our goals more realistically, particularly given our social and economic circumstances as students in the dead of winter.

We opted for foods firstly that had procured a minimal carbon footprint for travel (local), secondly whose cultivation and manufacturing reduced uses of harmful chemicals (organic), and thirdly that had not proliferated social inequalities in communities elsewhere in the world (fair trade). Our aim was, through consciousness in where we were investing our dollars, to withdraw support of food manufacturers acting unethically whilst supporting local producers and global agencies who are providing sustainable alternatives.

We dieted strictly for two weeks, we continued to purchase locally, and we learned a lot. We created this space in hopes of inspiring others to learn about and practice eating locally in Sackville (and in the world). We want to share experiences, recipes, and any relevant information that will help us to be environmentally conscious while we eat!

YOUR comments and ideas are very much encouraged!