As the end of 2012 draws near, Sustainable America would like to thank you, the readers of the Sustainable America Blog. In this, our first year, we have posted on topics related to the nexus of food and fuel in this country. As a result, many of our posts address both food and fuel issues, but stories about our food system in particular seemed to resonate with our readers.
Here are 2012’s top five posts on food issues. If you haven’t already read them, please take the time now. We hope they provide food for thought and fuel for change!
1. How To Compost In Your Apartment - Our Illustrated Guide For Beginners
This was by far our most popular post in 2012. Our illustrated guide was shared heavily on social media and featured on Good Magazine’s website. It seems that with all of the talk this year about America’s huge food waste problem, people are pretty interested in the food upcycling that composting offers! Waste not want not!
2. Believe It Or Not, It May Be Illegal To Grow Your Own Food - Recent cases where home gardens were considered illegal…
This post was a hit on social media! It was heavily shared on Facebook and sparked some heated comments! Click through to read about some recent cases where home owners were told they couldn’t grow vegetable gardens in their own yard! Of course, we recommend checking city ordinances before building a big garden or a chicken coop. Some laws are sensible, like those that limit livestock in certain residential areas because of noise or disease potential. However, home vegetable gardens are a fun and tangible way to reduce the amount of oil used to transport our food, which is the kind of change that Sustainable America is all about!
3. How To Have A 100-Mile Thanksgiving (And other tips for a more sustainable holiday)
Thanksgiving is in some ways the ultimate food / fuel holiday! Millions of Americans travel long distances, just for the weekend, all to eat a huge seasonal meal with friends and family. We offer plenty of tips in this post that can apply anytime of the year, but the infographic is all Thanksgiving fun. Travel, seasonal foods, food waste… this infographic is right up our alley!
4. The Farm Bill Has Expired - This is why you should care
It’s heartening to see this post at number four on our list. The Farm Bill dictates government policy on everything from food stamps, to organic growing research, to corn subsidies and rural development. The Farm Bill affects every American, and at Sustainable America we’re glad that our readers are paying attention.
5. Seattle’s First Food Forest
Way back in May we covered Seattle’s groundbreaking urban food forest. The plan for the food forest calls for a 1.75 acre test zone to be completed in 2012 with a $100,000 grant. If the test is successful, the remaining seven acres will be developed in a few years. Since we reported on the food forest, volunteers have been hard at work planting the first stage of the food forest! Seattle’s food forest is a model for other cities (and all of us) to watch.
Here’s to a Happy New Year, and a more sustainable America in 2013!
