One of the advantages of teaching at the college level is there are often presentations on campus that are open to the public and provide unique learning opportunities for my classes. Today was one of those days.
Berlin Reed is the butcher, chef and writer behind the The Ethical Butcher. His practice is driven by personal relationships with small local farmers, a deep love of food, respect for the animals we eat and the environment on which we depend. He is based in Portland, OR and also writes personal essays for publication.
So, my Freshman class went to a presentation by Berlin today. It was a refreshing change of pace from the normal animal rights, vegetarianism vs. veganism vs. omnivorism lecture we are used to hearing in sustainability lectures. Berlin was a vegetarian for 12 years before he came back to responsible omnivorism. He works to raise awareness in people surrounding this issue in a way that feels very inclusive to other ways of living. He can understand the vegetarian and vegan point of view, he can understand the meat eaters point of view as well, but what sets him apart is that he doesn't let anyone off the hook.
Today's presentation gave me a unique insight into the sustainability movement that I believe transcends animal rights, food choices, etc and just boils down to just plain old human decency.
For more information on Berlin, or to check out his blog, go to http://ethicalbutcher.blogspot.com/
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