❖ Use your talents and passions!
Make a documentary, write a song, blog, write a book or work with an NGO you take an interest in. By expressing your ideas and walking the walk you’re helping important movements reach the critical mass necessary to make effective change.
❖ Help los afectados through La Isla Foundation.
La Isla was started by Affected Films and is currently working with existing local public and private institutions in Nicaragua and international organizations in order to bring attention and aid to communities hit hard by Chronic Kidney Disease in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua.These communities are suffering tremendously under the Chronic Kidney Disease epidemic. We need generalists and experts to help in a wide range of programs from organic subsistence farming classes to traditional and alternative medical treatment programs. Reach us at laislafoundation@gmail.com with any questions.
❖ Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
Belonging to a CSA supports local farmers and provides you with a fresh box of seasonal and local produce sometimes as often as once a week.
❖ Buy local, when possible.
Purchasing locally grown and produced foods not only supports locally-owned businesses, but also reduces the transportation and carbon footprint of your purchases.
❖ Buy organic, when possible.
Organic foods use methods which cut down on the use of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers which pollute communities, water ways, and our bodies.
❖ Take note of where your food comes from.
The further your produce and other foods were shipped, the more carbon its transport released into the atmosphere. Also, imported produce is often grown with dangerous chemical pesticides, which during transit have time to "decompose." Once broken down, these compounds are less detectable during testing by organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
❖ Request local, fair-trade, and organic goods from your grocer.
True change is in the hands of the people. Demand it and watch the supplies shift.
❖ Join the 100 Mile Diet Movement.
The 100-Mile Diet is simple. It’s a living experiment in local eating that will reconnect you with your food, your local farmers, the seasons, and the landscape you live in.
❖ Host a potluck and encourage seasonal foods.
A great way to bring friends together and create community. For a list of seasonal foods in your region visit Sustainable Table.