The next step towards sustainibility: food.

Local foods. Sustainable eating. Awareness of where your food comes from and what that means for the earth we live on. It's the next step for the environmentally conscious, those of us who already take the bus, skip showers to be outside and have been vegetarians since before it was cool.

I finally finished The Omnivore's Dilemma, and I'm taking a long, hard look at what I eat and why. My environmentalism, prior to now, has largely consisted of rhetoric and changes only insofar as they didn't require effort. Yes, I've been a vegetarian since I was nine, but that really doesn't take much work. I drive everywhere. I don't take particularly short showers. I can justify it all to myself, and I'm comfortable with my lifestyle for the most part (other than the size of my house, but that's not what we're talking about right now). Except for my food. Because there are glaring inconsistencies between what I want to be and what I eat. In spite of the rhetoric, a good percentage of my daily caloric intake comes from high fructose corn syrup, frozen foods imported from all over the country and produce imported from Latin America.

With food prices rising, with the amount of petroleum it takes to grow crops and ship them across the country, I can no longer justify eating the way I do. For my own health, I can no longer justify my diet to myself. In spite of the fact that I don't live by myself and can't control everything I eat, I'm going to try. Starting now, I want to implement these rules for myself:

1) Frozen food entrees are not an acceptable meal. Once we run out of the ones in the freezer, I will not buy any more.
2) I will not eat more than one dessert item (sweet stuff, potato chips) per day, in a reasonable sized portion, and not more than one other pseudo-dessert item (bagel/pita chips, goldfish, etc.) per day. Exceptions for parties and special occasions.
3) Eggo waffles are not food. Seriously.
4) All food which can be produced locally should be bought at farmer's markets in Seattle.
5) Whenever I have the option, I will only eat produce and food that is locally in season.
6) Tea should be made from stuff I illegally steal from Discovery Park, not from herbs picked by people living on other continents and paid substandard wages.
7) No more Starbucks. Coffee should be GV coffee and I should learn how to make frappucino-resembling beverages myself.
8) No more fish that isn't local and caught in environmentally-friendly ways. Exceptions if I'm traveling in redneck states and there's no other food I can eat.

I don't expect to follow any of those rules perfectly. Why bother? Because change can happen, gradually, and I know I am capable of changing my diet far beyond what I think is possible. When I went vegetarian, hot dogs were my favorite food, and sushi was a close second. It took me a few months to quit the red meat, because I loved it so much, and two more years to give up fish. But I did it. And now, I can look back and know that it was worth it. If I get into these habits now, paying attention to my food and developing consciousness, it will be second nature by the time I'm living on my own. Or so I hope. And I know I'll be better, healthier, and greener for it.

Incidentally, I should also learn how to cook. But unlike eating locally, that probably is going to take a miracle.