Everybody's talking about it, but what does it mean? It means leaving enough for tomorrow. It means taking care of the soil, so it can feed our children. It means protecting stocks of wild fish, so they can reproduce and grow to support harvest levels that leave enough fish to repeat the cycle. It means using seafood from wild fisheries that are in a healthy state and managed for a healthy future -- wild salmon vs. farmed salmon, wild-caught U.S. shrimp vs. farmed Southeast Asian shrimp. In some cases, though, it does indeed involve farmed fish. The California farmed sturgeon is considered sustainably raised, and approved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Many of our guests prefer this fish to sturgeon caught in the Columbia River, due to pollution issues associated with this bottom-feeding fish. It's also why we stopped serving California squid, because all the squid grown on the west coast is shipped to China for processing, and then shipped back to the US. We consider this an awful waste of fuel. Sustainability also means shopping close to home. The closer to home we shop, the more we support our local economy, and the less fuel we require to bring meat, seafood and produce to our table. Reducing dependence on fossil fuels, we believe, makes economic sense, and political sense. With that in mind, we support local growers and livestock producers, local fisheries, and local producers of beer, wine and distilled spirits (hey, Hood River Distillers makes some darned fine booze.) Sustainability. Eat better, spend less gas. Simple, huh? |