As I continue on my journey toward a more sustainable life of growing my own food, living a low-carbohydrate/ketogenic lifestyle, and empowering myself to learn more about what I am consuming, I find myself driven to work harder to supply my own needs. This can be illustrated by the fact that I make most of my own beauty products (e.g. shampoo, toothpaste, makeup remover) but also that I grow my own food (e.g. sprouts, Tower Garden).
However, as I reflect on what I am learning about sustainability through community courses I am taking related to Kalamazoo Valley’s Community College‘s Food Innovation Center/Culinary Allied Health Program, I becoming empowered related to how much I could do to be more sustainable, while also simultaneously being overwhelmed by this fact. I have come to the conclusion, however, that I can’t do it all. So, instead, I am choosing to start somewhere, just like you can.
Where I Started
For me, my journey with sustainability began with my hair. Random, right? I didn’t like the chemicals that were going into my “natural” shampoo. So, I started making my own. That then led to making my own cleaning products to be further sustainable and natural in my lifestyle. The rest is history.
Related to food, I grow my own sprouts, cultivate organic food in my indoor Tower Garden, recycle, and compost. I save the precious bacon grease from when I make bacon to use as a delightful cooking oil later. I make my own Lacroix so I don’t have to buy it. I use the bones from a rotisserie chicken and make a low-carb, immune-boosting chicken zoodle soup that would kill any cold or flu. I work hard to honor my food and not be wasteful. For instance, I have also phased out plastic in my kitchen by using these amazing reusable, freezable, BPA-free storage bags, in addition to only using glass food storage containers.
The Reality
The reality is, however, that I don’t want goats. I don’t want to build my own raised flower bed. I don’t want to raise my own pigs. I don’t want to render my own duck fat.
Does this make me “less sustainable?” Yes. But, here is how I see it:
I value my time. I value my self-care. I value the time I am able to spend with other people. And, the homesteaders I know, while I greatly admire them, have time for practically nothing.
I want to be able to go on vacation. I don’t want to have to slaughter my own chickens. I can’t grow avocados given that I live in Michigan. Because I have had such a long journey with me health, I am ready to get my life back!
Two Kinds of People
There are two kinds of people: consumers and producers. The later would be your sustainable homesteader. Homesteaders produce out of joy and consumers are okay with trading money for goods and not investing in the actual process of creating the goods themselves. The focus, instead, is on the “stuff.”
Now, my focus is not greedily on the “stuff.” (Although I admit that, when I want an avocado, I want an avocado!) But, I am okay with being a consumer in the sense that I will trade money for goods made by someone who shares my same values about being sustainable, organic, and ethical.
I’m Okay with It
And, guess what, I’m okay with that. Just like we can’t be good at everything, I can’t do everything. I have a life, a career, and I want to have free time. So, as long as I am choosing to be a conscious consumer and trading my money for goods from others who I know are as committed to sustainability, the ethics of eating, and the love of food and Self, as I am, I am proud to give them my money! In fact, in many situations, I am eager to give them my money as it’s a win-win: I have a way to honor my time (by not making a canoe from scratch) while also economically supporting someone who is bettering our Planet! And, I am okay with that!
I will GLADLY pay my local organic farmer money for the chicken eggs they have lovingly (essentially) created with their own two hands. I will NOT go to a chain grocery store and simply buy a Tyson product (not only for sustainability concerns but also ethical ones, as well!). I will pay a seed company money to purchase their seeds in order to avoid the science behind harvesting them from the plants that I am growing. I will happily enjoy a low-carb/ketogenic meal out at a local restaurant who I know has quality, locally-sourced products that have been treated ethically. I will purchase grass-fed organic meats for holidays from either my local butcher or a quality mail-order organic distribution company (U.S. Wellness Meats and Greensbury Market are the two best that get my vote here!). I will make my own bone broth instead of buying it in order to do my part to honor and use all parts of the animal.
To get to where we want to be with sustainability, we have to start somewhere. So, find your first step, which may be some or none of the above, and experiment. Find what works for you and what fits into your life. You can’t be fully sustainable but don’t let that be a bad thing. Let that propel you into making thoughtful decisions about what you are willing to produce and what you are willing to be a consumer of, voting not only with your fork, but with your dollar, as well.
A special thanks to Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Community Education programs, which have helped me to develop and think critically about what sustainability means and how to incorporate it into my life.
