Foodie in Florence: Defining Sustainability

The most important theme in my agriculture and food classes here in Florence thus far have been based around properly defining sustainability. We all want to live sustainably but do we really fully understand what it means?   

A great way to visualize sustainability is by picturing a stool with three legs. One leg describes a healthy environment, one defines social justice, and the third is economic growth. Whithout one leg of the stool the stool will collapse! These three components are what make up 'sustainability'.

Another way to define sustainability is: living in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future generations to meet their own needs. Like my mother always said, "always leave a place cleaner than the way you found it." 

In our efforts to be more sustainable we can now ask ourselves these questions: 

1. Am I supporting a healthy environment? (Am I recycling, turning off lights, carpooling, composting, eating seasonly/locally, starting a vegetable garden, buying organic)

2. Am I supporting the community? (Buying local fruits, vegetables, meat, wood, involved in a CSA, purchasing from local businesses, farmers markets, and artisans)

3.Am I supporting my community's economic growth? (By making local purchases more money is staying in our towns and cities and is going directly to our producers with no middle man involved in marketing, sales, and transportation of goods!)

Hopefully the very broad term of sustainability has been broken down in a more simplistic way. If you follow the three components you'll be on your way towards this local outlook of sustainability with ease!