Never has it been so apparent to
me that over the course of our lives we become culturally dependent and become products of a social construction that is geographically specific. When
traveling abroad, we have the opportunity to see how our lives differ from those
with other social and cultural norms. Our absolute truth changes, and this is
very powerful, but not everyone has access to travel as a means of
illumination. How do we break the cycles that are perpetuated by what we
consider to be normal? In an effort to counter this, I share my experiences on La
Tana dei Ghiri in Maratea, Italy. I present five practices I have observed on
this farm that I hope can inspire individual sustainable efforts and break the
cycle of overconsumption and environmental degradation in the US. They are very
simple things, yet are perceived here as very normal and essential to running a
productive, healthy farm. What’s more, I hope to make apparent the fact that
simple changes in day-to-day life can make a huge difference if we collectively
accept sustainability as the new norm.
1. With almost every trip into town, we stop at the dumpsite
to find reusable metals and plastics. One time we picked up a small gear-like
hunk of metal that Francesco, our host, found to be perfect for the stovetop.
Our smallest coffee maker no longer falls through the grates of the gas stove,
and rests nicely upon our recycled piece of metal! Further, minimizing our
consumption of non-recyclable materials is in our best interest because
otherwise we must make more and more treks to the garbage site! There are only
so many hours in the day.
This specific habit does not translate very well to large
cities, but I think references the larger picture of REUSE. Recycling matters
in reducing our environmental impact, but reusing should come before recycling.
For example, why buy an entire new set of silverware at Bed, Bath, & Beyond
when there are thousands of cheap and perfectly good ones at Good Will? The
same goes for clothing – either buy second hand or buy quality products that don’t
have to constantly be replaced. Good Will, Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange, Deseret
Industries, etc. are all my friends!
2. Another, more implicit (yet probably more important)
example of REUSE is compost as fertilizers. All left over food products from
our meals either get placed back in the fridge, given to the 8 cats that live
here, or placed in a compost bin (I especially love taking the compost from the
kitchen to the bin because I get to walk through at least 20 spiderwebs…). When
taking nutrients out of the soil for food, the fertility must be returned in
some way. Otherwise, the net change is depletion. This is the real circle of
life. Francesco trades the grass we’ve cut away from the garden for “sheep
shit…nature’s gold” from the neighbor. I spent 3 hours one day laying the
watery, wormy, maggoty mess all over the farm. I would much rather kneel in and
inhale actual gold, but the production of beautiful, juicy produce makes it all
worth it.
3. The first day we arrived to the farm, Francesco gave us a
tour. Because he utilizes permaculture, it can be difficult to tell exactly
where the intentional and non-intentional plants grow. Danielle accidentally
stepped on a newly planted onion, and I swear Francesco nearly exploded – “They
are like my baby!!” None of the plants grown are sold but instead sustain the
community that lives and visits La Tana dei Ghiri. A couple hours a day spent
in the sun and fresh air maintaining plants produces fresh food that can
minimize costs and maximize nutrition of meals! Granted, we spend more than a
couple hours a day working, but we also produce more vegetables than necessary
to feed a family. I would love to see this way of life popularized in cities.
Not only are gardens aesthetically pleasing, but they also provide nutritious
food to inner-city residents, often deprived of fresh fruit and vegetables.
This also means we put less pressure on farmlands outside of the city and
reduce the amount of total transport (plane, train, or truck). This trip has definitely
inspired me to get to know the dirt in my own back yard.
4. A co-wwoofer of ours was sweeping the ash from the grand
fireplace into a bucket, which I expected to be dumped outside. But instead the
bucket was stored by the garden. I asked why, and apparently ash is another
great source of nutrition for soil! And even more so because the cats used it
as a litter box… Nothing here is wasted!
5. If sheep shit is like gold, then water is like platinum
because nothing matters more than preserving water on this farm. I thought that
I was already pretty conservative with water in Seattle (I only shower every
couple of days, turn off the water when I shave, flush conservatively, wash my
car at the car wash, etc.). But judging by how many times I’ve been yelled at,
I clearly have a lot to learn. Francesco has continuously reminded me of the
neighbor down the road who has no electricity or running water and instead uses
a pump from the nearby well. It is scripture here that we must rarely use hot
water (and if we do, after 7 because heating costs half as much), and only wash
dishes and the like when sanitation is of real concern. Of course, we are much
less conservative with water when giving it to the plants, but never are we to
water when the sun is high. Only a couple months ago did I witness the exact
opposite. When visiting my sister in Arizona I saw a golf course with their sprinklers
running at 1 pm in the afternoon……in Arizona.
My experience on La Tana dei Ghiri has illuminated the power
of cultural norms to distracting and dissuading people from choosing a more
sustainable life. All these habits I described above are simple yet not popular
in America (and most of the developed world). Moreover, my experiences have
fortified my understanding of life as cyclical. (Only two weeks on one farm?!
Imagine how changed my philosophies might be if I actually experience the
seasons on the farm!) Reusing metals, plastics, animal waste, food waste, ash,
water, etc. is all part of producing the best food possible. What goes in, must
come out, what goes up must come down, and spinnin' wheel got to go round. I am also of the philosophy that such changes require both top-down and bottom-up changes, both systemic and individual efforts. We can each make these changes in our home and consumption habits, but cities can also provide spaces for p-patches and bins for compost. We must respect the circle as individuals and as societies! The circle is meaningful, easy to conceptualize, and a positive reminder. It makes for a pretty good series of photos, too.
