Over the past two years I have become a rather avid health advocate and my passion for local and organic foods has grown rapidly. I now understand the effects buying local has on not only the community in which I live, but also the environment as an interconnected and linked system. Typically, when one thinks of food websites, the traditional content frame comes to mind- inclusive of recipes and probably some health statistics. In my research I have stumbled upon a food website that goes far beyond what we understand traditional forms of media recipe sharing to be.
Sustainable Table is part of the GRACE’S Food Program, funded by the GRACE’S Communication Foundation. This organization focuses on the promotion of sustainable food. This is accomplished by educating consumers about the topics of food related issues as well as working towards the idea of building a community based on the foundation of sustainable living.
But what defines sustainable foods? The word sustainable in and of itself covers a spectrum of definitions, however, I like to understand it as the concept of living within one’s own means, so conserving the resources we have, without depleting them. Sustainable Table, in particular, not only provides recipes in the traditional sense that we understand– providing 
appetizers, desserts, and dish options– but also takes this concept many steps further. This website is in essence attempting to shape the culture in which we understand recipes, cooking, farming, and the food industry in general. It migrates away from the industrial understanding of food processing and mass consumption towards a more local and organic aesthetic, while being conscientious of the environmental impact we as humans have with our food intake. I feel organizations such as this are extremely important towards the future of the food industry because it emphasizes the fact that we are environmentally and culturally impacted at all levels of the food process from farming to the shelving of food products.
It is quite powerful of this organization to promote such a website. Taking a step back and analyzing the literary aspects it becomes aware that Sustainable Table is creating a culture through the way it promotes food and could in fact shape the ways of the future for the food and farming industry. Not only are they creating a culture, but they have identified issues that our communities are currently experiencing and then finding solutions that they believe will benefit us all on a much larger scale, in addition, they provide materials that get the readers out in the public promoting this positive change as well.
Interested in their energy programs? Check out this link!