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Sustainability and Food Shortage?

Is there really a food shortage in sustainability?  The answer is no.  I am going to share with you some amazing facts that I have known for a while, but have not shared.

When I first got out of the service, and was living on Oahu I became homeless.  The housing was expensive and even though I had a job, the money was not that great.  I could rent a room or a couch every once in a while so that I could stay clean, but to eat, that was another story.  There was fast food, but I could only eat so much of it, not a steady diet.

garden blocks
I would pick up coconuts on the beach, but too much coconut would cause me to have to go to the bathroom a lot.   After I had not eaten for a couple of days, I started looking in dumpsters at different grocery stores and restaurants.  The “throw away” food was tremendous!   Some of the food was fresh and of great quality.  Potatoes that were a little small, fresh heads of lettuce, tomatoes and even boxes of bananas that were just starting to turn too ripe for their sales bins.

What brought this back to the front of my mind, was a story on CBS Sunday Morning on 18 November 2012.  They shared how much food is thrown out annually by Grocery Stores, Restaurants, as well as by food left in the fields and plowed under because of the lack of transportation.  There are actually TONS of food left to rot in this nation.

Sustainability, to me, means to be able to maintain an operation or a way of life.  Sustainability is a way to keep life healthy and happy through proper nutrition.  This includes people, animals, water, food and the earth.  There has been much talk about energy, unemployment, food, water, air, land and life in general in the last year here in the United States because of the elections.

But now that the elections are over, do we not pay attention to the same things anymore?  Sure, there are many other things that are in the news, but nothing hits home more than being hungry, truly hungry to the point that there is no food in the house.  How do you feed your children?  Where do you go for help if you have a “Special needs” diet? has shared some more information on food waste in this story here.  With all of this waste, what is it that we can do to help feed all of the people that are going without.  Lots of things, but the most difficult of all will be this:


Yes, I am talking about making the things that are increasing our costs for living and creating waste in our lives and those who are looking for help.  Here is a list of items that have been used to cut energy costs, and to stop food waste all while helping feed people who need a hand up.

Sustainability and Food waste is greatly affected when you buy local food.  Another great way to lower waste and make a great contribution to the health of not only your family and the environment, as well as your money, is to grow your own food.

Food4Wealth is a way of growing your own food that is less time consuming and you do not have to dig up the earth.  It has been a great way for my wife and I to grow 2 gardens this year, both in extreme conditions.

Get involved and be part of the solution.  You never know who you may meet and become great friends with while you are volunteering or growing your own food.  Life is a Journey, embrace it!

Turning Your Dreams into the Life of Your Dreams 

Chris Downs, the Caretaker 
