Comments on: What does Sustainable Food Mean to You?

By: A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches-Part 2

A Fair Artisan Wage: Soldiers in the Sustainable Trenches-Part 2 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:28:34 +0000

[...] ones that will do you and the environment the most good. (A good discussion of what the terms “sustainable”, “humane” and “organic” mean can be found on this site and at the Sustainable Table). I [...]

By: Lorelle

Lorelle — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:13:34 +0000

Wow, I’m impressed with all the fascinating and diverse answers. Sustainability certainly has it’s confusing array of answers. This has also got me thinking about what it means, in accordance with food as well as with lifestyle.

I like Colleen’s answer. If we grew our own food and/or were dependent upon local growers to supply us with what we can’t grow, there’s a sense of balance there.

But then how do these issues fit into our needs to have fresh pineapple and grapes when they don’t grow nearby?

By: Alexander Morentin

Alexander Morentin — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:14:25 +0000

This is my definition of sustainable:

A product can be considered sustainable if its production enables the resources from which it was made to continue to be available for future generations. A sustainable product can thus be created repeatedly without generating negative environmental effects, without causing waste products to accumulate as pollution, and without compromising the well being of workers or communities.

By: Fred

Fred — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:54:11 +0000

@amy I agree with you, sustainability is the ability to survive over time. And, definitely not short time frames measured in wallstreet quarterly earnings marks.

@Kathleen Definitely, good, wholesome food has to be affordable for everyone, not just people of means. In my opinion, if the food movement is to transform our industrial food system into sustainable local and regional food economies, somehow, even those without means still need access to good food. The world is getting smaller, and we are all in this together.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:11:11 +0000

You have to be able to imagine your great grandchildren eating this same food you are when there’s no more fossil fuels, so that means learn to like the stuff that grows near you and grow some yourself.

By: Kathleen McDade

Kathleen McDade — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:52:16 +0000

I would add that sustainable food means that everyone has enough to eat, and that what they get to eat is healthy. And that people cooperate to make this happen, so that an overly-heavy burden doesn’t fall on any one person, family, or organization.

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:29:53 +0000

To me, sustainability in in food is no different that sustainability anywhere else; it has to be “sustainable” economically as well as socially and environmentally.