greenliving
modifi ed] foods, and with the growth of farmers’ markets nationwide, people are able to buy local more easily.” A focus on food quality is how
Wendy Brown and her husband and fi ve children launched their eco- journey just outside of Portland, Maine. “We started thinking about where our food came from, how it was grown and raised and what we could do to ensure that it was better,” says Brown. “What we don’t grow or forage ourselves, we try to purchase from local farmers.” Living more simply during the past decade has helped the family cut debt and become more fi nancially stable. “Our entry point to sustainable living
SUSTAINABILITY EVERYDAY
Practical Ways We Can Help Out the Planet by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko
F
or many Americans, living more sustainably has become a natural part of their daily routine as they consistently recycle, eat healthy and use energy more effi ciently. It’s just what they normally do every day. Every one of them had to start somewhere,
growing their efforts over time to the point that nearly every activity yields better results for themselves, their family, their community and the planet. It might begin with the way we eat and eventually expand to encompass the way we work.
New American Way “The sustainability movement is large and growing in the U.S.,” says Todd Larsen, with Green America, a grassroots nonprofi t organization harnessing economic forces to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. “Half a million people turned out in New York City to march for action on climate change. People also are working in their local communities to oppose fracking and pollution, and to support
green building and clean energy. Many businesses now include sustainability as a core business practice, including the 3,000 certifi ed members of Green America’s Green Business Network.” This month, Natural Awakenings
profi les the experiences of representative individuals from around the country that are helping to both make the world more sustainable and their own lives richer and more meaningful. From growing and cooking family food and line-drying laundry to powering their business with renewable energy, their approaches are as varied as the places they call home.
First Steps “Many people start with something small at home, particularly if they’re concerned about the impacts on their family’s health,” says Larsen. “More Americans are approaching sustainability fi rst through food. It’s relatively easy to change spending habits to incorporate more organic, fair trade and non-GMO [genetically
30 Central Florida natural awakenings
was to grow tomatoes on the steps of an apartment that Kelly and I once called home years ago,” echoes Erik Knutzen, who, with his wife Kelly Coyne, have transformed their 960-square-foot Los Angeles bungalow into an oasis where they grow food, keep chickens and bees, brew, bake and house their bikes. Gabriele Marewski’s journey also started with what she ate. “I became a vegetarian at 14, after reading Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappé,” says Marewski, who in 1999 turned an avocado orchard in Homestead, Florida, into Paradise Farms. “Forty- seven years later, I’m still a strict vegetarian. I believe it’s the single most important statement we can make about saving the planet.” Marewski’s fi ve-acre farm showcases
certifi ed organic micro greens, edible fl owers, oyster mushrooms and a variety of tropical fruits marketed to Miami- area chefs. Her farm also offers Dinner in Paradise farm-to-table experiences to raise funds for local nonprofi ts providing food for underprivileged city residents, and bed-and-breakfast lodging. Sweden’s Chalmers University of
Technology offers a free online course, Sustainability in Everyday Life, based on fi ve themes: energy, climate change, food, chemicals and globalization. “People can make a difference by making responsible choices in their everyday life,” says Anna Nyström Claesson, one of the three original teachers.
Consume Less “Every step toward sustainability is important and in the right direction,” explains Gina Miresse, with the Midwest
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