Category: 4. Lifestyle, Organic Farming & SDGs
Lifestyle change is the biggest challenge to most people living above the poverty line and is the starting point for many in becoming committed “ecological citizens.” Daily living is often filled with single-use plastic and overconsumption at the cost of the environment’s capacity. As everyone is essentially part of the problem, it is our responsibility to push against the waste-based economy. While we would do well in calling for change, we must not forget to look in the mirror and adopt simpler lifestyles where having enough is a feast in itself.
Organic farming is one way of seeing the value of this approach. When we personally grow even a little of our own food it becomes a way of life, outside of the food and the physical exercise it is psychologically healthy and occasion for forming new friendships in search of a better world. We also contribute to a healthier landscape that relies less on much of the chemical-reliant commercial agriculture that brings cycles of hardship to many farmers.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development brings a holistic way of looking at development issues, recognizing that “social and economic development depend on the sustainable management of our planet’s natural resources.” By being a language through which we may all relate, the Sustainable Development Goals may be utilized as a means or process of engagement that link community efforts with government programs and also highlight local and global actions where the economy becomes more synonymous with people and the environment.