In Retrospect: Sustainability Student Xuan Du
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Better Farm is a testament to how
easily anyone can implement green practices. From indoor aquaponics and
hydroponics to rainwater catchment systems, it doesn’t take much to reduce your
carbon footprint. Better Farm’s initiatives may be on a small scale, but its impact
spreads. Community members and visitors who wouldn’t otherwise care about sustainability
are exposed to all of our various initiatives, whether through conversation,
workshops, or tours of the grounds. I’ve heard so many guests marvel at the
uniqueness of this place and what a lovely respite it is from city life. After
staying on the property, it’s hard not to share what you’ve learned with your
own friends, family, and community.
I’ve never felt more connected to
the land than during my time at the farm. Working in the garden gave me a whole
new relationship with my food, and I derived so much satisfaction from harvesting
the vegetables. Even though I picked snap peas nearly every day, I was always
excited to see a new pea tucked under the stalks and leaves. It was really
quite something to witness the growth of a crop every step of the way.
A passage from What We Leave Behind by Derrick Jensen
and Aric McBay, one of my assigned readings (and now favorite books), stuck
with me: “Any working definition of sustainability must emerge from and conform
to a particular landbase – to what that landbase can freely give forever – and
not be an abstract set of principles, or rationalizations, imposed upon the
landbase. The landbase is primary, and what we do to it (or far more
appropriately, with and for it) must always follow the landbase’s lead.” The
land comes first. Whatever industrialized society we have permitted can only go
so far as what the land allows. At Better Farm, we work in tandem with the
landbase. Pesticides and fertilizers are never used, and we do everything with
the understanding that everything goes back to the land. The food scraps from
the kitchen go to the chickens, whose soiled bedding is used to mulch the
garden, which provides us with our meals. “You feed me, I feed the soil, the
soil feeds everyone, the soil feeds me, I feed you, you feed the soil, and so
on” (Jensen and McBay).
Everything about Better Farm seems
to come full circle, which is at the root of sustainability. “For an action to
be sustainable you must be able to perform it indefinitely” (Jensen and McBay).
Better Farm’s goals are fully aligned with this idea. During my internship, I
have been hyper aware of the life cycle of everything we use, be it old wood
planks repurposed into the exterior of a sauna or the compost used in the
garden. Modern society has been trained to throw things out and never think
about them again, but life begins with death, decomposition, and decay.
Every day at Better Farm was a new
adventure, and I’ll miss every person and animal associated with this place
(even Kiwi, the obnoxious rooster). I’ll never forget how lucky I was to be in
such a beautiful environment. Every evening when I closed the farm stand, I
took my time carrying the unsold produce back to the house, because the splendor
of the property at sunset never failed to mesmerize me. No cars were on the
road, the chickens roamed freely in the yard, and everything basked in a warm
glow. This is what life should be like, and I’m so glad I got to experience it.
I’ll be back, Better Farm.
