Sustainable Table: What you can do

I posted last week about The Sustainable Table.

Here's their top 10 'What you can do' points:

1. Change the way you shop
2. Instigate household meat free days
3. Buy local, seasonal, certified organic produce
4. Reduce waste and buy a compost bin
5. Ethical and sustainable meat and seafood
6. Eat whole foods, not processed foods
7. Grow your own food
8. Avoid packaging
9. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
10. Ask questions

It can be hard to know what steps would make a difference, and which are the most significant ones. So I really appreciate lists like this, because it's really hard to find time to do all the reading and research myself. I like the look of what these guys are doing, and how they are thinking - lots of their arguments are backed up with stats and quotes from relevant organisations.

However #1: It's never productive to feel overwhelmed and like that long list of things would take too much effort to ever implement in your shopping choices. Much better - and more gracious - to choose one new step at a time, implement those changes, and then come back when you're ready for another step. In the long-run, you're likely to make more progress than if you try to do them all at once and get exhausted.

However #2: I always feel slightly nervous taking any organisation's recommendations as true, and not looking into them for myself. My preference is to read a bit more broadly, listen to different views, and try to come to my own conclusion. I've said above why I think I like these guys, but I might not agree with everything they say. Taking one step at a time is good also because it allows you to research and become more informed about those issues. Organics and food ethics is an area where there is a lot of hype, and not always a lot of critical thinking - so I'd suggest that enthusiasm and careful evaluation of what actually makes a difference should go hand-in-hand.

That being said, I think these are really important issues and a significant way that our generation is responsible for stewarding this earth and loving future generations. So please let me encourage you to pick one of the areas above, become more informed, and implement some changes!