Problems abound in the world today, much as they always have. Throughout human history we have faced war, famine and disease. Weather patterns have changed and once-vibrant farmlands have been reduced to deserts. Ecological variants have caused the downfall of thriving societies, sometimes due to poor resource management, some times due to the whims of nature.

Today many look at the world we live in and fear we are facing potential catastrophe on a global scale. Others argue that if we change our wasteful ways we can reverse our damaging course and avoid coming disaster. Others still see no problem or need to change.
In 1798 the reverend Thomas Malthus wrote of his concerns that humanity would soon outstrip our ability to feed ourselves. Malthus noted that unchecked population increases geometrically 2 to 4, 4 to 8, 8 to 16 and so on. Based upon the numbers he saw in 1798 he could easily see that human kinds population was going to outpace its ability to feed itself.

A few hundred years later and several generations after Malthus predictions, Garret Hardin wrote his “Tragedy of the Commons”. Hardin felt that the only way to insure we avoid the Malthusian it would be necessary that the human race relinquish its freedom, as Hardin put it, to “breed.”
Obviously, Malthus missed his mark, at least for a time. Hardin’s Tragedy has not yet come to pass either. We have staved off the disastrous consequences as perceived by both men with advances in agriculture and technology. That has allowed us to produce far more food with less land than ever before. The “green” revolution that introduced chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides has not come without serious ecological cost. We have learned how to mitigate many of the inherent problems to chemical-based farming but we still have a long way to go.

Now we begin to lean even more heavily on our agricultural and technological abilities. Along with the necessary food and fiber production we must have from the land we throw in energy production. More and more we depend on those who can work the land. Farmers have always been able to find ways to battle the elements and the markets to bring food to the tables of the world. It is truly sad to think that today we have more accountants and stockbrokers than we do farmers. We have less land in production and more urban sprawl eating up potential farmlands around the world.

Amazingly, farmers today are able to do so much more with so much less than ever before. Many farmers are switching to more sustainable less intensive methods of farming whenever they can. Many opportunities for people to purchase locally produced foods from farmers markets and even directly from on farm sales have become available.

We are beating the dire predictions of the past, and we are doing so in common sense ways. Thinking globally and eating locally, pursuing a sound bioenergy future based on respect for the land and the people who work it is our only hope for a sustainable future. We are doing these things and taking great strides toward that goal of a sustainable way of life. We are taking great steps but we need to do more.

If you are not buying foodstuff from local producers you should. If you are not supporting biofuels in your area you should. If you have not already turned an eye to the future, you must. And what is the best way to accomplish these goals? Of course, we think it starts here. Start by becoming a member of Bid For Green and signing up on our rss feed. This is a great way to start finding the green and sustainable products you want to use. BFG is also a great way to stay informed about things going on in the field of sustainability.

It’s an exciting time; stay with us. Be a part of what we are doing; spread the word about BFG to your friends and neighbors. And finally, hug a farmer if you can. We owe them more than we could ever repay.