WHEN WE ENVISION HOW WE WILL LIVE over the next 100 years, we are faced almost immediately with issues of food security. How do we design a building, a city, a house or a kitchen—or even a cooking method—without factoring in where and how people will acquire and prepare their food?.
By Matthew Power
Food Cooperatives—local groceries owned and run by local employees—were a major force in American culture prior to being sidelined by World War II. In the Minneapolis region, for example, co-ops once accounted for 30 percent of food sales, according to Food for Change, a new documentary film. The rapid rise of industrialized farming, along with communist paranoia, drove co-ops out of business after the war, as bomb makers converted their factors into fertilizer and pesticide production—using hefty government subsidies to pay for advertising about the perils of profit sharing and collaboration.
But now, co-ops are back, and they’ve become a symbol of resistance to the kind of food future biotech firms would like to see for us. While they still represent just half a percent of the nation’s food retailing business, many co-ops report swelling memberships and sales growth of 10 percent or more each year.
Co-ops have a long list of sustainability advantages over big retailers. They support local agriculture, resulting in a reduced food transportation footprint, put money and jobs back into local economies, encourage organic farming methods and can provide food security to almost any demographic group.
The future of food security in the U.S. will ultimately be decided by the public. To put it in Star Wars terms, if big agribusiness is the all-powerful empire, the rebel force is everybody else: permaculturists, farmers, state governments, millennials, foodies, parents, preppers and anyone who cares about their health, or the health of people they care about. We’re betting on the rebels. If novelty and diversity are the cornerstones of innovation, in our view, high-tech approaches to our food futures won’t go away. But instead of using them to create food, we will put them to work restoring the damage we’ve already done—making it possible to produce safe, healthy food. This future will be easier to achieve in the U.S. than in other, hard-pressed regions with depleted soils and fewer resources. Bio-tech firms will find willing buyers there. But freed from the anxieties of food insecurity, our example here in the U.S. ultimately will inspire other nations to seek more holistic solutions, and slowly, ever so slowly, the dream of abundance will become reality for all.
“There are more kilograms of antibiotics sold in the United States for food-producing animals than for people. This use contributes to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food-producing animals. Resistant bacteria can contaminate the foods that come from those animals, and people who consume these foods can develop antibiotic-resistant infections.”
—Centers for Disease Control
“Consumers [want] to know where their food comes from. The symptoms are evident in increasing consumer interest in food that is organic, natural, sustainably produced, locally produced. […] Since factory farming is positioned as antithetical to the things that reassure consumers about their food, this also provides insight into the effectiveness of the activists’ campaign.”
—National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Survey
Celestia Kitchen of 2100
The kitchen of the future supplies its own power and water, taps into site-grown veggies, and features recycled as well as salvaged materials.
A: Food Is Abundant and Within Arm’s Reach. Note the use of fish tanks to feed indoor plants, along with indoor growing stations powered by low energy LED lighting (running on stored solar power at night).
B: On-Demand Water. Collected rain supplies much of our drinking/dishwashing water. A small water storage tank with a digital meter contains potable, filtered water. Water-smart fixtures (Kohler Karbon served as our model) provide a durable, high-performance combination.
C: Translucent PV. Glass serves double duty, producing electricity as well as providing daylight.
D: Point-of-Use Power. Whenever possible, household devices power themselves. Note the addition of the tiny wind turbine above the vent fan.
E: Zero Waste. Scrap food is fed into an indoor composting station, recovered as a compost “tea” that can be added to roof gardens and hydroponic plants.
F: Super-Efficient Dishwasher. Stainless steel models (the Bosch 800 served as a template here) operate quietly, using very little water.
G: Recycled Countertops. Made from recycled materials, yet highly durable, countertops can be easily repaired or even resurfaced over the years (Caesarstone products provided modeling for these tops.).
H: Salvaged Materials. Flooring is made from discarded bottles. Bar stools consist of
used bicycle parts.
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