5.7.2 Main points

To summarise this module:

1) Making active choices, whether in a growing space, as a consumer or as a citizen, is about thinking outside the box and considering potential harms that might be out of sight despite good intentions. “Not doing” can be just as valid as “Doing” when it comes to active and intentional decisions.

2) There are many ways to get involved in food-production directly, whether on a regular basis or as a one-off experience, on a small or big scale and in both rural and urban settings.

3) Being an active consumer is about appreciating the value and responsibility you have as a consumer in supporting and pushing for positive change. It’s being actively part of solutions, and moving away from being a passive but important part of problems, whether clearly visible or hidden. It involves questioning ethics, production methods and the life cycle of products and services. It may involve supporting a business in transition, nudging a shopkeeper to offer a more sustainable product, and can vary in degree of challenge depending on your context.

4) Collective change is a powerful driver of shifts in the norm, so called paradigm shifts, but every part of the collective starts within an individual. Major social institutions and organisations, political and economical forces, are also ultimately made up of individuals.