The Lexicon of Sustainability

In my travels across the internet, I found a website that has really left an impression on me. There are a lot of really excellent groups doing amazing work to spread the word on the need for nutrition education in schools, the dynamic between obesity and hunger, and sustainable food practices.

The Lexicon of Sustainability, is a project that's premise is that people can’t be expected to live more sustainable lives if they don’t know the basic principles that define sustainability. They explain these terms in beautiful and dynamic ways. It is perhaps the lost photographer in me that is so drawn to the work that filmmaker/photographer Douglas Gayeton and producer Laura Howard-Gayeton are doing. Right now, this group is in the process of creating 20 films that will explain these terms and show you the people that are affected by them.

Here's why I think this is important and beautiful and something worth supporting:
I was once, and still do find myself, confused by what I see in the grocery store. A cage free egg sounds good right? Free! That should mean that the chicken isn't stuck up in a cage somewhere, unable to move. Right? I've seen the videos of the living conditions of factory farm animals (have you? google it if you are ready to feel sick to your stomach). Cage free chickens get sunshine and physical movement. Right? Well, no, as it turns out. Just because the chicken isn't in a cage, doesn't mean it gets to see daylight and stretch its legs. Well, certainly we should go with a free range egg, then? The words free and range certainly sound to me like the chicken is in the idyllic farm setting. Oops, no again. The USDA regulations only indicate that the animal has been allowed access to the outside. There are no specifications for the size of said range or the duration that Miss Chicken is out on that range. The Lexicon of Sustainability has taught me that I should look for pasture raised eggs if the health of the chicken is important to me. Oh, and if you weren't sure about that either, you should very much be concerned about the health of those chickens.

Those are only a few examples of the many terms that are explained by this project. What is a CSA? GMO? How do you define food security or fair trade? Does your beef come from a grass fed, antibiotic free cow? Should it? Why? Moreover, what does sustainability really mean anyway?

Education, education, education. The beautiful simplicity of knowing the right words and their definitions. Look, I'm working on my words and using my voice. That's why I started this whole thing.  On this one though, please see for yourself.  As I mentioned above, this group is in the process of making 20 shorts. They don't have enough funds.  At the moment, I don't have enough either, so my contribution is spreading the word. You can look at the campaign here. For now, watch this video: