Planting with purpose
awaiting the harvest
Throughout this past spring we “planted some seeds:” we shared some ideas about food—growing it, mindfully choosing what to grow, buy and eat, even how to reduce the amount we waste. Our purpose? Originally, it was to take on the seemingly unstoppable, despair-inducing, “game over” force of climate change by identifying positive, “person-sized” steps each of us can take to act with a “game on” attitude instead—to act in hope. These positive steps included:
Tending a garden (eco-act 003)
Re-growing scallions (eco-act 001)
Intentionally replacing a meat-oriented meal with a plant-based meal, regularly or occasionally (eco-act 002)
“Eating local” as a way of celebrating, supporting and connecting with our local environment (eco-act 007)
Grocery shopping mindfully to reduce waste (eco-act 006)
Enlisting worms to make use of food scraps (eco-act 004)
For those who have taken any of these or similar small steps, may they have (re)kindled a sense of environmental purpose, direction and hope in you. May (re)connecting with the rhythms of planting, growing, consuming and conserving given you a sense of your place in them. If you haven’t yet, it’s always the right time to jump in: there’s still time to plant, always time to shop and eat mindfully, always time to let nothing be wasted.
Of course, this spring unfolded into a season sadder, darker and more discouraging than anyone could have imagined. And we were reminded—or perhaps taught for the first time—that climate change is linked to environmental/racial justice, and that it hits marginalized communities especially hard. Acting with purpose and waiting in hope seems especially difficult here because many corrective actions feel systemic rather than “person-sized.” None of us can single-handedly close a factory that pollutes nearby poor neighborhoods, for example.
But we can leverage our individual power by supporting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)-owned farms, restaurants, organizations, and other businesses. We can vote, show up at budget/council meetings, and ask more of our school boards. What are some other actions you could take?
Support Black-owned businesses & communities on Seattle Good Business Network
Check out the “Food & Beverage” section; be sure to click on “Additional Black-Owned Food Business Lists”—and look in all three sections
Under the “Donate” tab, check out “Black Community Food Initiatives”
Under the “Learn” tab, check out “Local Food/Farm Groups”
Revisit our posts on centering Black Environmental Justice Activists
Learn Native history & recognize Settler Colonialism as the “original sin” of the US, especially in terms of environmental/social justice
Whether it’s gardening, managing a worm bin, adjusting diet and food shopping habits—or taking a step toward environmental/racial justice, we would love to hear what you have been up to. And we hope that your purposeful act has given you hope.