Written by, Vanessa Cole May 12, 2018

Today I went to the grocery store. I had my list, found what I needed, bought it and came home. I put our groceries away in the pantry and refrigerator to await the next meal time, knowing I would have what I need. This experience is standard practice for a middle class family lifestyle, perhaps something we take for granted...

Lately, my grocery store visits have become more meaningful. Now aware of the chain of events and people it takes to get that food to me & my family and what that supply chain's impact is on the health of our planet. Now, when I go to the store, I look at labels, I buy ONLY organic, I try not to utilize plastic, when I can. I attempt to do my part as an informed consumer, to participate in solving very real challenges within our food system and it's impact on the sustainability and regeneration of our planet's precious natural resources. It matters to me, to support better practices because I want my children and their children and their children... to be handed a world that is alive with bounty.

Why should we care about & participate in FARMING & AGRICULTURE practices, especially if we live in a suburban neighborhood, work in the city and shop at a supermarket? Because all of our FOOD comes from one farming system and current industrial farming practices are depleting the soil at a rate so rapid it can not regenerate fast enough to sustain the way we live now. In fact, the Global Footprint Network states that it now takes the earth 18 months to regenerate what we use in 12 months, changes have to be made. All of our food comes from the same food system, this matters to all of us. And we, as parents, communities & consumers all have a part to play in solving the challenges we are facing. Becoming informed of our responsibilities helps us participate and so do the choices we make in our purchases...

Learn more about what you can do by visiting, www.sustainablefoodfilm.com .  HOW we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans’ well-being than any other human activity. The food industry is the largest sector of our economy and touches everything from our health to the environment, climate change, economic inequality and the federal budget. Currently, the US doesn't have a food policy — a plan or agreed-upon principles — for managing American agriculture or the food system as a whole. The food system and the diet it’s created have caused incalculable damage to the health of our people and our land, water and air. This needs to change.

Participate in a better world with your purchase power by searching over 25,000 restaurants, farms, markets and other sources of local, sustainable food suppliers we offer the:

Eat Well Guide

The film is available worldwide on iTunes, Netflix, DVD, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu & VHX. Learn more or purchase HERE.

Sustainable: A vital investigation of the economic and environmental instability of America’s food system, from the agricultural issues we face — soil loss, water depletion, climate change, pesticide use — to the community of leaders who are determined to fix it. Sustainable is a film about the land, the people who work it and what must be done to sustain it for future generations.

The narrative of the film focuses on Marty Travis, a seventh-generation farmer in central Illinois who watched his land and community fall victim to the pressures of big agribusiness. Determined to create a proud legacy for his son, Marty transforms his profitless wasteland and pioneers the sustainable food movement in Chicago.

Sustainable travels the country seeking leadership and wisdom from some of the most forward thinking farmers like Bill Niman, Klaas Martens and John Kempf – heroes who challenge the ethical decisions behind industrial agriculture. It is a story of hope and transformation, about passion for the land and a promise that it can be restored to once again sustain us.