by Katie Sobalsky, SCA Intern
Eating with Ethics
This is something that I’ve grown to understand and appreciate. My time at Green Mountain College has instilled in me a deeper understanding of the importance of what we eat. Not just for our own personal health, but the health of the planet. I feel that as an environmentalist what I choose to eat is just as important as my other life choices, such as choosing to be a part of the SCA.
Before coming out to Petersburg, Alaska, I did research on it and realized that fishing is an integral part of the community. Although I am a vegetarian I decided to eat seafood while I am here. It’s fresh and caught by local fishermen, thus I like the fact that my food hasn’t had to travel far and it supports the local community.
I admit that I battled with whether or not I wanted to eat meat when I was out here, but my ethics pushed me towards doing so as I figured buying Tofu meant that it would have to travel thousands of miles, spewing fossil fuels just to get to the island. Besides, the fishing here seems to be very sustainable. I’ve talked to a few fishermen who care a lot about the ocean and forest and maintaining this beautiful wilderness…not just for their own job security but because they truly love it here and believe it deserves to be treated with respect.
This is a topic I would like to investigate further. The local library is stocked with books about the history of the town and its fishing industry…but I also plan on simply spending some time by the docks and talking to some fishermen.