Last spring, right on the heels of one of the biggest events in his life, his son's wedding -- and with the eyes of the world upon his family -- Prince Charles came to the United States to deliver a speech at Georgetown University about the future of food.
There's nothing like sitting in an audience and getting goose bumps listening to a great visionary tell it the way it is. They say lightning doesn't strike twice, but when I heard Prince Charles's speech that day, I felt the same kind of jolt I got the first time I saw Al Gore's slide show on global warming. Gore's power point stood out because it was the clearest, most concise explanation of our climate crisis I had ever heard.
Now, another elder statesman, Prince Charles, is boldly speaking out about another crisis that we urgently need to address. With eloquent words, clarity and heartfelt passion, the prince explained, what's gone so terribly wrong with our food chain -- and what we can do to make it right.
The prince's speech was both terrifying and uplifting. Terrifying, because we really have screwed up our food system -- and our food system is, as a result, screwing us up- our health, our environment, our climate.
But the speech was ultimately uplifting because, as the prince noted, "There are alternative ways to grow our food ... which would go a very long way to resolving some of the problems we face."
It was truly impressive to see Prince Charles use his considerable clout to promote a vision for a more ecologically enlightened food system. He has been living and breathing these issues for decades, a brave public voice against massive, aggressive interests. I was so inspired that I wanted to help the prince's speech find a wider audience. Happily, the folks at Rodale Books, assisted by the Grace Foundation and Patrick Holden, shared my enthusiasm and helped publish it.
The Prince's Speech is actually more of a booklet -- just 48 pages, even counting the moving forward from Wendell Berry and an equally inspiring afterward from Will Allen and Eric Schlosser.
It's a lovely paperback with a cover that manages to evoke both Michael Pollan and Peter Rabbit (thank you, Kelly Doe). You could breeze through it on your lunch break or read it in an evening, and you'd be up to speed on all the ways you can support a saner, less fossil-fueled food chain and as Prince Charles declares, "put Nature back at the heart of the equation."
It won't be easy. But, as The Prince's Speech emphasizes, we can still do this, we do not have to continue to do things the same old way, especially since we can clearly see it is unsustainable. This booklet is truly a labor of love, so I think it's only fitting that its official publication date is Valentine's Day. As a friend said to me recently, "I like that it's being released on February 14, because it's like a love poem to the future."
Please read this booklet, share it with friends and family, tweet, talk, and blog about it, buy copies and hand them out, do whatever you can to help spread the word. Because the future of food is the future of us all. Learn more at OnTheFutureofFood.org.
Follow Laurie David on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Laurie_David
That said, working toward a sustainable lifestyle for the future is all any of us can do. At least those who will survive the collapse will be able to eat.
Not bragging, just stating a fact.
We're surrounded by acres of green grass.
Green grass, all heavily fertilized and all heavily watered.
It's like a contest-
to see who's yard looks the nicest-the most verdant plush lawn.
And this IS the reality all across America. Inner cities too.
I've often thought- wouldn't it be great to just tear up the front and back yards-
and plant large fruit and vegetable gardens instead?
Just how COOL would THAT be? Very.
Organic fresh food, and less fertilizers polluting-
the outcrops and wetlands and other green spaces.
And with the HUGE rise in food prices?
Yet many suburbs have zoning ordinances prohibiting-
such forward and common sense thinking.
What is required is less government-
and more individual choice and self determination-
when it comes to our OWN-
food choices and utility of OUR own land.
2--> Prince Charles' position is laughable. He claims that we must turn our backs on the improvements made by the Green Revolution, which is to say, modern agriculture. Without the advances in fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, the world wouldn't be able to support its current population. Billions of people would be without reliable access to food, with hundreds of millions dying of starvation (if not billions).
These are the words of a savvy man? Or are they the words of a hypocrite who cautions the world about global warming as he flies around in a taxpayer-funded private plane? What has Prince Charles ever done that has made the world a better place, and why should anyone take him seriously when he advocates policies (including prohibition on genetically modified crops that can save lives) that make the world a better place?
First, livestock is not a top contributor of GHG emissions. (Here in the USA it only represents 3% to 4% of GHG emissions.) Forget what you've read about "Livestock's Long Shadow". That report contained some serious flaws, as one of the authors (Pierre Gerber) has admitted.
Second, just 11% of farm land can be used to grow crops. The rest can only be used as pasture or to grow forage crops for livestock. The only way to increase the amount of land that can be used to grow grains, legumes or vegetables would be to clear more forests.
And finally, crops can't be cultivated without destroying habitats. That is a fact. On the other hand, there are ways to raise livestock that improves habitat by building topsoil, recharging watersheds and increasing biodiversity. Pastures also act as carbon sinks.
You might find this link interesting-
http://www.soilcarbon.com.au/case_studies/pdf/08TL_SCCPPP_En.pdf
I watched this video, “One Cow, One Man, One Planetâ€. In this video I found out that we can actually sustain our food system in a simple process of organic farming. Soil is meant to be planted and not for building livestock factories. The reason why we screwed up not only our food chain but also that of our health and environment is because of not living in harmony with nature. People in leadership and power have taken more than what nature has provided for them.
It's interesting to know that Prince is looking into this problem seriously. I have not read yet the whole speech though but I would like to have one. This must be a very interesting read. Thank you.
Would you like one square or two?