You may know that I am passionate about food but you may not know that I am passionate about good quality and ethical food.
Here are a few things that have inspired me to explore the idea of civic agriculture and fair trade...
If you haven't watched Food Inc. you must! You will be shocked at what you see and it will change the way you look at the market and the food you eat. Food Inc. is a documentary that was made in 2008 by Emmy Award winning filmmaker, Robert Kenner. The film looks at corporate farming in the United States. In the end, they find out that the food produced in the agribusiness is unhealthy for humans, harmful to the environment, and abusive to both animals and employees. It's an eye-opening documentary that everyone should see.
In Defense of Food and Michael Pollan
I am currently reading In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan. Pollan's motto in the book is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." This is a motto that I am currently trying to start living out, but of course it is hard. In Defense of Food is about Westernization of food and the American Paradox, which is the more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become. Pollan suggests thoughtful food choices that will change what it means to be healthy and bring pleasure back to eating. So far from my reading, I highly suggest this book.
Black Gold
I am becoming a coffee connoisseur of sorts, or what is known as a coffee snob. I used to hate coffee until about three years ago. Now, it's a part of my daily life. As I've grown more fond of coffee, I have developed an interest in the way that it is farmed, produced and sold, especially the farmers. What inspired this interest was the documentary Black Gold, which was filmed in 2006 by Marc and Nick Francis. The film shines a light on the international coffee trade and its devastating affects on the farmers who grow the coffee. This film was also what inspired me to give up supporting Starbucks because of the way they treat their coffee farmers. If you love and purchase coffee regularly, this documentary is a must see.
Free2Work.com
This past year I got to hear James Brewer Stewart from the Historians Against Slavery speak about the importance of stopping slavery today. His lecture literally changed my life and every time I think about some of the things he said, I get a little sick to my stomach because it is so overwhelming. He suggested many practical ways to stop slavery and one of them was free2work.com. This website allows you to look up many different brands in the consumer industry and see the grade that they are given for the amount of slavery that they use to make their products. With this website you can find out which brands use little to no slavery and then inspires you to buy from them instead!
Community Garden of Shawnee
This year I became involved in the community garden in Shawnee where I go to college. That's me in the picture above. This experience has really changed my life. I have been educated on sustainable agriculture and gardening. I have been able to experience the richness of a sustainable community who works together to help others. And I have seen God work in ways that I've never seen before. Professor Timothy McCollum, my Anthropology professor at Oklahoma Baptist University is responsible for the greatness that is the Shawnee Community Garden. He's done a really great job and I am so blessed to be educated by him. I can't wait to go back to school and get my hands in that dirt again.
So as you can see, if you love food, you really have to love people first. Without people, there would be no food. People are responsible for farming, selling, and eating food. So if you eat food, it's your responsibility to think about the people who made it possible for you have that food, and then do as much as you can to care for those people. If that means not buying from certain brands, then so be it! If that means growing your own garden, do it! I recommend it.
Be a good steward to what and who God gave you!
xoxo
Aves
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