All these questions with which I’ve been wrestling here over the last couple weeks—questions of how humans can minimize their harm in the world, commit to the land around them, build communities with both people and the larger ecosystem, and develop sustainable food systems—these are what inspired me to break ground in my backyard.
I don’t want to turn a blind eye to my species’ destructive systems and just keep consuming whatever’s convenient regardless of the long-term consequences. I don’t want to float along passively in the industrialized economy, just another part of the problem.
Instead I want to be part of the solution.
So what can I do?
Can I help change the world?
Changing whole systems seems impossible in my lifetime. The question of where to begin as just one person is daunting. But, faced with that lifelong challenge, and all the frustration and despair that seem inevitable along the way, I can start by empowering myself with this practical, positive step: learning how to grow my own food from scratch, in ways that are healthy for the soil and the local environment, and therefore for me and those around me.
This much I know is possible. And who knows where this first step can lead on the journey toward sustainability for all? I sense a whole world of possibility out there.