Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Things aren’t always as they seem. My latest “opportunity” to see things differently arrived compliments of the U.S. government who recently passed what is known as the “Monsanto Protection Act”, despite hundreds of thousands of e-mails, telephone calls and signatures from citizens calling for its veto.

For those of you unfamiliar with this latest development, in a nutshell, this unrelated bit of legislation was slipped into to a bill designed to keep the U.S. government funded over the next six months. That funding came with a very high price in that it also granted the biotech industry the right to plant untested genetically modified crops without accountability. Up until now, there was a mechanism in place whereby the courts could intervene to halt these plantings pending an environmental impact study if there was enough evidence that one was warranted.

To say that I was distraught about this news would be an understatement. Quite literally, I cried. You see I believe that food is life and the evidence continues to mount about the unhealthy side effects from eating these altered substances. Add to that the genetic pollution that is being created along with its potential damage to our planet and there is definitely cause for concern.

Now, here’s the pearl: in order to begin to make positive changes we first need an awareness that our current structure may not be serving us. When viewed from this perspective, the self-serving and potentially harmful behavior of corporations and their sponsors in government is clearly providing the necessary catalyst to propel us forward.

The awareness being raised around the issue of integrity in our food supply has been phenomenal, which, in turn, is generating much movement around creating alternative, sustainable solutions. People are growing their own vegetables, shopping at their local farmer’s markets, joining CSA’s and, in general, becoming aware informed consumers. They’re working together in their communities and, in some cases, even planting food instead of lawns. So, what appeared on the surface to be a disastrous turn of events can actually be an extremely powerful catalyst for change.

Since my husband isn’t quite ready to tear out our front lawn to plant a vegetable garden, I’m introducing the idea more gradually. “Oh honey, are you OK with us planting a few blueberry bushes in the front yard?”  How could he refuse? He loves blueberries! Next I will ply him with ripe juicy tomatoes.

Wish me luck!