Back when I had first started working with The Vineyard Team and during the duration of my time with them, I really started having a greater appreciation for farming and sustainability. I’m not just referring to sustainability in farming when I say that, I am instead referring to all aspects of sustainability.
First, the farming.
Farmers work their asses off. I’ve had the opportunity to talk with many farmers over the last several years and for the most part they are an optimistic bunch even though they are dealing with two of the most impossible things to deal with: 1) Mother Nature and 2) the California government’s rules and regulations.
It’s sad that so many of us take our food (and our wine) for granted as intensely as we do. That’s why I love movements like “Thank a Farmer”, it serves as a reminder that these men and women truly do deserve our thanks but also our support. Buy local. Buy fresh. Thank a farmer!
Secondly, sustainability.
Although sustainability is certainly important in farming, which is why I like The Vineyard Team’s SIP Certified Program along with other sustainable programs around California and the country, I am talking about you and I in our day to day living. Sadly, we suck. We suck at reversing the trend of overconsumption and not caring. Whether we talk about water, electricity, the packaging on products we buy, gasoline, or simply purchasing “stuff” because we can rather than having a true need for it…it all sucks.
I’m super guilty of it although due to life circumstance and some changes we made we have cut back quite a bit on water usage, electricity, and gasoline…I know we can do better. It’s not about living without anything. It’s about looking at your life and realizing that every single one of us has room to cut back.
Don’t hose down your driveway
Wash your car less
Turn the shower off once wet, soap up, then turn the shower back on
Don’t flush: if it’s yellow let it mellow
Tear out your grass and put in native plants instead
Turn off lights and any electronics when you leave a room
Watch less TV (because that would make our life better too, TV sucks)
Solar lighting
Drive less, walk and bike more
Buy less stuff: simply put, most of us over consume and have areas we can cut back which means we’re filling the landfills with less
Grow some of your own food on your property
Use your a/c and heat less
I bet you have some ideas too. We could go on and on about things we could do to use less. Again, I’m not saying go extreme with it if you don’t want to. I’m just saying we can all do a little bit more than we are now. That little bit is a great start toward saving this blue marble as well as living more minimally which, coincidentally, will most likely make you happier too.
Last minute thought: food waste
We have got to do better with food waste. I think we could all do better with this and if we have food that we think we will be throwing out let’s make plans to either use it, compost it, or hell, give it to a homeless person. We all have access to homeless people…unfortunately. Food waste is a HUGE issue in America and quite frankly, it’s disgusting.
Right on Matt, I love your enthusiasm on the topic of waste etc, we have become miminalist as well, and I would like to do our yard how you did yours so we don’t have to waste water, since I’ve cut back watering our yard it’s turning yellow our neighbors on the block too with the exception of the ones who have sod grass to keep theirs green. I also appreciate the farmers too, they have a hard physical/mental job. Take care and always remind us of what’s more important in life.
You’re awesome awesome, Beverly…thank you. It’s hard to give up things you are so used to. Whether that’s a green lawn or anything. It’s such an American thing. To not have that (and many other things) just feels “weird”. I think it’s all about changing the mindset and making a new normal. 🙂
I know we are consumers and sometimes it’s hard to break that mentality….but the reality is…we can. I don’t know if I’ve shared this documentary with you previously, but if not, it’s worth a watch. Dive! I saw this film screen at the SLO Int’l Film Festival a few years ago and it completely opened my eyes and changed my perspective on blatant food waste in this country. So much time, energy and resources are wasted on the production of food that eventually ends up down the garbage disposal or in land fills. http://www.divethefilm.com/
Elizabeth, SOOOOO sorry I missed this comment. Thanks for sharing the link with me, I will check it out. I agree with you that is can be hard to break but it absolutely is doable. I have spent my entire life in the “consume economy” (I’m 37 years old), and I think we really need to shift to a “less is best” economy. We don’t need all the crap they are throwing at us. Whether it’s food, gas, water, or “stuff”…we simply need to be smarter about how we’re using stuff.