Sunday, January 3, 2010

one small change


I have been so inspired by all the one small change projects that I have seen popping up on various blogs. Recognizing the power in little acts and always enjoying good company, I decided to jump on board. Hip Mountain Mama started this project to encourage folks to pick one small thing each month to change in their lives to make a "positive green impact and follow through with it" for the next four months.

So what to change?

We do a fairly good job of living in a sustainable way, but we are always striving to do more and enthusiastically embrace new ways to become more so. It's my nature to stretch the boundaries of any assignment...so stretch your definition of environment when you consider my one small change.

My small change for January will be making and consuming fermented foods. Now at first thought, you might not consider this eligible. How is making fermented food better for the environment?

When we begin to take care of our internal environment and consider the interconnections among what we consume and our personal health and well being, even on emotional and spiritual levels, we inevitably begin to see the interconnections in the external environment in which we live. We support an internal environment within our bodies. My desire is to nurture organisms within my body (and in the bodies of my husband and son) that will coexist peacefully and healthfully.

"Your environment becomes you, as you invite microbial populations you share the Earth with to enter your diet and your intestinal ecology." -Sandor Katz



Additionally, taking the time to mindfully prepare food always connects me more to the food. I cannot grate a carrot without thinking about where it was grown (even if I am not sure where it was grown). Fortunately, a large portion of our food comes from people we know or that we have grown ourselves. Those connections are significant and help us not only appreciate the food but the environment from which it comes and of course the people who grew it.

To be completely on the record, I consume fermented foods from time to time already. The change will be to begin making them for my family so that they are always available and to make them a regular part of our lives and our meals. By making them, it will also cut down on packaging and expense.


I've had intentions for this small change for this for a long time. In fact, I have a little friend in this bag that has been waiting patiently to become part of my life... I'll introduce you to them in the near future as well as offer a super easy cultured veggie tutorial this week because even a small change takes commitment and accountability on some level.

blessings~

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for joining the One Small Change Challenge! I think this is such a great and original idea! I am so excited to hear how it goes and read about more changes!
    Thanks!
    Suzy

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  2. I always appreciate your mindfulness Elizabeth, I look forward to reading your tutorial!

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  3. what a very thoughtful post.
    have you watched "mind walk"? it reminds me of what your saying here. it's based on systems theory - interconnectedness.

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  4. I think that this is amazing Elizabeth, and I can not wait to both read the tutorial, as well as hear how this goes for you.

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  5. this is beautiful and really resonates with me.

    especially this...

    "When we begin to take care of our internal environment and consider the interconnections among what we consume and our personal health and well being, even on emotional and spiritual levels, we inevitably begin to see the interconnections in the external environment in which we live."

    can't wait to learn more about lacto-fermenting. many people in my extended family are really into it, but i've not really taken the plunge. i'm looking forward to reading along and learning from you.

    xo

    ~erin

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  6. Awesome! Can't wait to see what you post about it; I LOVE fermented food, but haven't done much of it. I can't get Hubby to eat it; he has the most sensitive palette of anyone I have ever met. But I will definitely try what you post! I firmly believe in the health benefits of lacto-fermented foods, so I would really like to learn more about it.

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  7. Your change sounds delicious to me! And so true, everything starts from our food..how it was grown to how it is prepared...such a delicate balance. My husband makes his own Kombucha, although we need to get another batch going.

    :)Lisa

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  8. That sounds like an excellent idea - adding one new habit a month! lacto-fermented foods is definately on our list aswell - although yogurt and kombucha has been a fine addition to my kitchen habits - i'm a little nervous of the lacto-veggies...gotta get over that and get going. look forward to hearing how it goes!

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  9. Hello,
    Just found you through the One Small Change project. I enjoyed your post (and your site!). We eat fermented foods, and have been wanting to learn how to make my own. I have that book by Sandor Katz, too. :)

    I'm looking forward to reading more.

    Blessings,
    Stacy

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