Sustainability is now totally mainstream
Did you recently get the new Williams-Sonoma catolog in the mail? Yeah, I did, too. See, my husband is in the habit of buying “presents for me” and by “presents for me,” I mean, mini pie makers along with cute books about how to make said mini pies and then, the sweet note of, “oh, babe, I thought, we could do this together… don’t the spinach feta ones sound good? I bought spinach, and feta…” – beer bottle cap hiss here- couch plop. -Insert me in kitchen holding mini pie making book and looking at mini pie making press with my head cocked and my eyes sort of squinty.
Nah, I love the “presents for me!” Keep ’em comin’! I digress. This isn’t therapy time. I totally love Williams-Sonoma’s new wave. They have the recipes in the catalog and you can find things online, but today… oooh lala, today was something different that made a sustainability nerd like me do a little happy dance while flipping through the back pages.
Testing the Waters.
You see, recently the buzz has been that there is no more “green living” people are saying it is all about “blue” or being water wise. I say that the thing is sustainability and doing things or living life in the way that makes sense for you, the individual. Williams-Sonoma on the back pages is saying ” Fresh Ideas for Healthy Living- plus free shipping.” Ha. Well, that is an added bonus, isn’t it? From dehydrators to making your own yogurt, cheese, honey and jams, Williams-Sonoma is trying to give the regular kitchen gadget getter the one stop shop for growing, creating, killing and cooking.
Do you want raised beds to grow your own organic veggies? Done. Page 101. Thinking about starting a bee hive in your back yard? Better check your HOA, then look at page 102 for the whole starter kit, sans bees. Have you been desiring a chicken coop that would have Martha Stewart’s American hens clucking in jealousy… yep, they have one on page103. Even grow your own mushrooms; I nearly skipped that, when I saw that on page 104 they were highlighting a local chef who sources farm-fresh-local cuisine right here at the Liberty Tavern. Pretty cool.
Building Up Steam
So, what put Williams-Sonoma on this track? I would have to say that, even though they may be testing the sustainability waters with their catalog, many people are going that route in the way that they live their daily lives. Folks value sustainability, be it maintaining the vitality of a community by supporting farm-fresh-local food sources, or by trying to avoid chemicals by growing their own organics.
Maybe someone on the marketing team at Williams-Sonoma was toying around on Pinterest and saw all of the thousands upon thousands of re-pinned “creative edible gardens” that can be done on a roof top terrace, a balcony or in a full scale garden. Who knows, but the one answer could be that the culture of sustainability and living healthier lifestyles is building up steam and I hope that it keeps on truckin’.
