THE SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES ITS…
“TRUE COST OF FOOD” CAMPAIGN
The United States, with less than 5% of the world’s population, consumes over 25% of its resources.
And that's not even the bad news. The really scary news is that the rest of the planet is scrambling to catch up with our lifestyle. If all 6.4 billion people did so, we would need four more Earths to accommodate them!
In response, the Sierra Club Sustainable Consumption Committee has launched a new, national grass-roots campaign to educate on sustainable food, wood production, energy use, water consumption, and related issues.
The first focus is on the one major aspect of American consumption that’s the easiest to change: our dietary lifestyle. American food production has a huge impact on the environment:
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Agriculture is the largest source of water pollution in the U.S.
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Industrialized farming poisons the soil, encourages pests, and destroys biodiversity.
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Seventy-five percent of the land in the continental United States is devoted to agriculture or grazing, and much of the cropland produces grain for cows, not people.
The Club expends enormous resources fighting the symptoms of unsustainable agriculture, from water pollution and toxins in the food chain to loss of habitat and species. We do this without challenging the root cause of the above: American food consumption patterns. Our diet completely ignores the true cost of food.
We’re responding with the “True Cost of Food” campaign to make the Club a leader in sustainable eating:
- Plant based.
- Organically produced food.
- Locally grown food when practical.
The Sierra Club will:
1. Build a nationwide network of activists who target local markets to provide more food that is organically grown, locally produced, and reasonably priced. These goals are practical and doable. There already exists a pent-up public demand for organic. Rapidly growing numbers of local farmers want to give up their dependence on poisons. And the Sierra Club already has the ideal structure and experience to galvanize this movement.
2. Show environmentally minded persons how they can immediately make a big difference in their everyday lives. That’s empowerment. And empowered people are already halfway to becoming activists. Consider the value of this one fact on someone who is trying to conserve water: It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce only one pound of beef. This equals a five-minute shower every day for six months!
3. Popularize the concept “Sustainable Sunday.” On Sundays (or some other day), we encourage everyone (not just activists) to make a fun-filled effort to live more lightly on our Planet. Involve friends, family, and co-workers in Sustainable Tuesday with activities such as:
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Turning the thermostat up or down, depending on the season.
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Having outings for prearranged sustainable meals at local restaurants.
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Hosting a sustainable potluck dinner with family/friends.
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Walking or using alternate transportation.
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Hiking in the park instead of shopping.
The club's traditional work on forest, habitat, clean air, etc. can be strengthened by addressing the major root cause of these problems, wasteful and excessive consumption in our society.
That's where the Sustainable Consumption Committee comes in. Switching consumer demand to low-impact food is our current focus area, but we will also educate on sustainable wood production, energy use, water consumption, and related issues. Furthermore, we plan to talk about the Madison Avenue-driven, buy-and-consume craze that has virtually become our national religion.
We’d love to have you get involved with the Sustainable Consumption Committee at your level of comfort. Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Terry Jensen, sierra@dfwnetmall.com or metro 972 988-8687, ext 3104.
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