California Sustainable Food System? Check. Now what about the rest of us?
Adam Starr’s article in GOOD magazine eyes a California initiative to have a sustainable food system by 2030. Supported by Roots of Change, Alice Waters, and a bevy of academic insitutions and NGOs, the plan is even finding an ally in the Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom - who has partnered with Roots of Change to develop a sustainable food system for San Francisco.
California is certainly a shovel-ready choice for developing a sustainable food system. The state is, “the fifth largest producer of food in the world.” The abundance of fruits and vegetables, dairy, and livestock produced in California could fill even the pickiest of cupboards. Although — unless someone is growing coffee beans in controlled conditions — a California sustainable food system might result in a generation of caffeine-deprived residents.
Even California is not perfect. There is a strong reliance on water from other states. So while California develops its own food system, will it also “give back” the access to water? And if it does, will residents forgoe manicured green lawns for xeriscapes and locally-grown tomatoes?
Aside from the water and coffee issues, California is poised to make a sustainable food system a reality. So it begs the question, what about the rest of us? I grew-up in the Hudson Valley in New York and currently live in Colorado. These two very different environments offer good access to locally-grown food 3-8 months of the year. But even New York gets a little challenging late in the Fall when I am craving vitamin c and have a garden full of kale. Yes, I know kale has vitamin c, but it certainly doesn’t taste as good when you squeeze it. And this is my second point (water was the first if you weren’t keeping track), while Californians may have to adjust to a lack of caffeine and bananas, the majority of us will have to adjust to looking to “unusual” sources for our daily nutrition and will have to get educated to make these choices. And, oh yes, we will also have to forgo our green lawns.
