The food sector, which includes farming, silvopasture, agroforestry, grazing, food waste, and dietary choices—is one of the two largest contributors to global warming, the other being transport. As a solution, it has the potential to be the largest sector in terms of its contribution. It can not only reduce and stop emissions, but it can also bring carbon back home through regenerative land use practices.

- Paul Hawken, editor of Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.

I’m sure you too are being bombarded by health notices from all corners of the internet. I try to put a positive spin on this by thinking that, given the slow down (actually quite nice… were it not for the current health pressures) of life in “transport semi-lockdown,” I CAN invest quality time to reflect on my safe & healthy life connections & actions.

The current virus mostly likely had to do with a far away food wholesale market, also selling live animals, from where it fanned out globally. Food is a primary need at any time and its production & trading & preparation are obviously linked to climate experience. So, focusing on this topic which previous previous PET posts touched upon, Hawken’s quote drew me back to a Center for Ecoliteracy[mfn]”is dedicated to cultivating education for sustainable living. We recognize that students need to experience and understand how nature sustains life and how to live accordingly. We encourage schools to teach and model sustainable practices. The Center leads systems change initiatives, publishes original books and resources, facilitates conferences and professional development, and provides strategic consulting. We work at multiple levels of scale, with local, regional, state, and national programs. One initiative, California Food for California Kids® supports systems change by improving children’s health, education, and the state’s economy while teaching students where food comes from and how it reaches the table.” www.ecoliteracy.org[/mfn] online resource: Understanding Food and Climate Change: a systems perspective.

As mentioned in its introduction, this “collection of essays…is appropriate for a wide audience of nonspecialists, …[and is] intended in particular for teachers wanting to further their own understanding and preparation for teaching and structuring student discussion.” Judging the Park Ecovillage, Findhornand its supporters to be sympathetic to the general ideas of the interconnectedness of the natural world, and that “climate change is real, current rates of change are driven substantially by human activity, the consequences are serious, and potentially disastrous, and the need to respond is urgent”, I highly recommend the time spent to (re-)visit this resource.  It’s a clear and balanced presentation of the issues (and some possible solutions) and the gist is quite transferable to our own geographic and socio-economic situation.

That we don’t want to be subject to more ***demics like the many in this century alone goes without saying. Perhaps it’s time for us to look at our life-choices, what they cause and what they’re telling us about our beliefs? Perhaps we now have time to self-challenge re. being objective, creative & actively ethical?

We have an obligation to lead by example as well as give our best effort toward restoring the health of our planet for the next generations who inherit the earth. That’s why I enthusiastically support the … insight[s presented, as to] how we, as stewards of our environment, young and old, can align our actions with our values.

- Kat Taylor, CEO Beneficial State Bank; Board Chair, TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation

Enjoy a relaxed reading/learning/motivating experience!