Time: 12:30PM-1:45PM
Location: Room 5E4
Presenter: Zaac Chaves
Because most life on Earth cannot sustain factory farms, its important this industry be thoroughly and quickly dismantled. However its also important to recognize that Earth cannot sustain mono-cropped soy hot dogs wrapped in plastic and shipped half way across the globe either. Veganism, as a consumer choice, is a thoughtful but incomplete piece of the riddle concerning how humans ought to live on this planet.Foraging is one strategy that we all ought to be practicing. As the acceleration of species extinction increases, it is crucial that we seek alternatives to this cultures toxic presence on Earth. These alternatives need be free and accessible to anyone, able to be deployed today, and committed to discovering ways to still share the planet with animal-plant-fungal neighbors. In this workshop I present foraging as fulfilling all of these goals.Foraging can provide humans with non-animal calories while reducing harm to animals and minimizing the destruction imposed on natural habitats. Learn how foraging with empathy, which encourages humans to forage ‘invasive’ weeds and drying common mushrooms, empowers us with a less-harmful sustenance.
While many alternatives suggested within the greater movement for food sustainability have often failed to include mindful questions around animal ethics beyond the question of large verses small scale farms, this panel offers a special opportunity to highlight foraging as a mindful alternative to obtaining calories for food. The hubristic entitlement of land presumed in an agricultural scheme, crucial to modern societies as we know them, precludes other animal use of that land for their own livelihoods. Foraging on the other hand seeks a way for humans to acquire food without presuming the land be used solely for human purposes.
Moreover by focusing on invasive and disruptive plants, we can seek to consume in a way that preserves balance in ecosystems which are being increasingly disrupted by introduced species, particularly those species that have been shown to harm ecosystems, often introduced by global trading schemes.
Join us for a vital discussion question how humans ought to relate with the rest of Earth, while recovering the skills necessary for living as fellow Earthlings on this planet.
About the Presenter
Zaac Chaves coordinates mushroom tours at schools, farms, and animal sanctuaries. He authored the pamphlet Least Harmful Sustenance aimed at helping others learn about the edibility of common and invasive plants and fungus.
