OPINION
When looking at ways we can be more sustainable and environmentally conscious in our everyday lives, dietary changes are a frequent suggestion. However, food is a very personal and fraught subject.
While a plant-based diet is generally touted as the most Earth-friendly option, opinions differ as to optimum human nutrition. We are exposed to a lot of advertising and influence around food, and it can be difficult to disentangle facts from fads and feelings.
One feeling I have is that it’s important to have a positive relationship with food, especially in a culture where eating disorders are an ever-present issue affecting people of all ages and genders. I have come across a lot of rhetoric around the class-based nature of gardening and foraging. I don’t subscribe to the idea that eating fresh plants is an exclusively bougie activity.
While tenancy rules and housing insecurity can make it hard for people to establish a garden, there are lots of ways to grow and/or harvest food that circumvent the dictates of a landlord.