RSR? WTH?

We loooove letters. We love abbreviations. We even need them. We feel secure and cool when using them thinking we are part of a secret society of some sort because we know a letter word only a few understands. No wonder I had to come up with one of my own.

By RSR cooking I mean – reasonable, sustainable and responsible. Today let me dwell on reasonable.

I wish I had the great backyard big enough to grow my own vegetables and keep my own animals in. I do not. I live in an apartment. Yet I believe I can take some baby steps towards a sustainable kitchen by introducing a few reasonable principles.

I think it is very important to be realistic about sustainability and draw a reasonable line. Where? I stop at the vegetable stand for some carrots. option 1: local carrots, but were not grown in a sustainable manner. option 2: organic carrots imported from Austria. Quite a dilemma. Either I pick, I keep a rule and I break a rule. As long as the carrot is neither canned or frosen, I think I am fine.

There are so many factors to consider when I want to stay reasonable.

• How much will I need? (not at all as obvious as it sounds)
• How much did my food travel until it landed on my table?
• How much energy do I need to process the food?
• Are the ingredients organic/free range or not? Is there an organic option?
• How much of that certain fruit/vegetable can be used up? How much will I throw away? Can this be reused?

And I could go on and on. These are just some of the most important questions I ask myself.

Reduce – I try to buy as little as possible. Is it reasonable? Oh yes! The less I spend, the more I have left in my pockets. She is happy, he is happy. And this is only one obvious advantage. The less I buy, the less I’ll waste. My top priority is to reduce as much as possible. All the rest I subordinate to this golden rule.

Reuse – I try to waste as little as possible. If I use every plastic bag only twice, it means I already halved my littering. Of course this principle applies to any other container etc that would otherwise end up in the trash.

Recycle – When I do need to waste, I do it the proper way.

Meal plan – I did apply this principle in the past, but it slipped through until very recently which I regret. This is a wonderful tool to keep myself organized and a brilliant aid to reduce the family’s consumption.

Buy local food – I live in a town surrounded by wonderful farming land. Literally thousands of family farms are all around. This would be a huge mistake and an even greater waste to miss this opportunity. Fresh local food is available all year round. Why is this reasonable? Not only because I supported the local farmers but I also reduced CO2 emission.

These are not only my major principles, it is also my priority list in this order. I know, this all sounds as if I was making New Year's resolutions, but far from me. A little attention and care can help a lot.