Let’s see: what else can I take on?

Thinking. Thinking. That’s it, let me investigate sustainability. Or not, as the case turned out to be.

So much has been written, and will be written about this extremely important subject that it makes my head ache just thinking about them. All 95,400,000 items in .18 seconds according Mr. Google.

How can any of us keep track of the latest information or danger? The short answer to that is that we cannot.

The dictionary defines to sustain as a verb:

verb (used with object)

1. to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.

2. to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).

3. to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding

And defines sustainability as the capacity to endure. Huh.

I wanted to put this into the context of food, and how we all can have some affect on that, but the subject is just too big, and quite frankly others have already done a fine job of chewing on this subject.

Don’t get me wrong: sustainability in our food system is a good cause to hook on to, I am just saying that for me I need to bring these BIG subjects closer to the ground. There are a million, well actually 95,400,000 pieces of information, that can guide you to more info on sustainability. Here’s one I like a lot: www.sustainability.org Wait, don’t go yet. Read on and then visit!

This all started when Jackie Church at  asked me again to participate in BBQ Bonanza. A resounding yes was on its way before I could read on to see that our theme would be sustainability at the grill, and I would be in the company of such experts as Becky Selengut, Chef and author of Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes of the Pacific Northwest, and Mark Scarborough, author of many cookbooks, and general all-around bon vivant. Plus a host of other great cooks and writers.

Again, my hesitancy is not because I don’t stand behind all of these sustainability principals 100%, I do, but is rooted in “what do I know about them”? Well, I finally decided on my point of view for this particular piece, and am quite happy with it.

I turned in my recipe for pulled pork tacos for BBQ Bonanza piece last night,  but have been thinking about what I could put on my blog all day, but always come back to the same question: what do I know about these sustainability issues?

The real answer is: probably a lot. I think that for most of us, all the really big issues: The debt crisis, global warming, human rights, global foods issues, come down to common sense. I didn’t say dumb it down, I said make it simple, because in a very real sense, it IS simple.

Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are,

and doing things as they ought to be done.

Josh Billings (1815-1885) American humorist

Debt Crisis: You can’t spend more money than you have. Anyone who balances a check book knows this. And you cannot let certain groups not pay their fair share. That’s just common sense.

Global Warming: Don’t get me started. Common sense says that if you keep screwing around with that carburetor, eventually you are going to lose a part and it will not work.

Human Rights: Really? If my brother got to do it, so did I. I got treated the way I treated my brothers. That was the rule in my Mom’s house, and it’s just common sense to extend that to EVERYONE, no matter what their income, color or inclinations. Doesn’t anyone work off the golden rule?

Global Food Issues: Come on. If I eat all of it tonight, there will be nothing left over for tomorrow. If I don’t use the resources that I have with thought for next week, I may not have enough left to feed my family, my neighborhood, my world.

Common sense.

But then again common sense isn’t very common anymore… but that is another blog post