“Icelanders go in debt just trying to eat”, one local told me. And it’s true, there is very little available in Icelandic grocery stores in terms of fresh, affordable produce. But lamb, one of the country’s largest commodities, is always local, fresh, and abundant. Coming from Upstate New York, I was drilled that “being a vegetarian is more sustainable.” Now I’m learning this is only one thread in a huge, interwoven sustainability web. When looking at the amount of carbon dioxide and methane produced per kilocalorie of food, is it more sustainable to eat lamb that produced a lot of methane and eroded the land, or to eat vegetables that used heavy inputs and oil to travel around the world to reach Iceland? Is it ethically better to eat food that destroys your nation’s soil, or foreign soil? Iceland is known for its sustainability through its supply of renewable geothermal energy, and some farms are using that to finally make local vegetables an option. And even better; local, organic, and sustainably grown. We made a trip to Arkur Farm, which is growing tomatoes, cucumbers, and other staple greens in geothermal heated greenhouses. Despite the arctic climate barrier, Arkur Farm and others are working to make healthy and sustainable food options available to the growing trend of people in Icelandic cities who are shifting their diets away from meat towards green vegetables (Vanham, Gawlik, and Bidoglio 2017). While many Icelandic people are struggling financially, these new greenhouse models could be the solution to make Iceland a more self-sufficient, and financially stable system. While the complex web of sustainability makes it difficult to decide what ‘true sustainability’ is, Iceland’s current progress shows that when a country’s renewable resources are harnessed, there is hope.
Nicole R. Marino
Vanham, D., B.M. Gawlik, and G. Bidoglio. 2017. “Food Consumption and Related Water Resources in Nordic Cities.” Ecological Indicators 74 (March):119–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.11.019.
Pictured Below:
- Arkur Farm Greenhouse
- Solheimer ‘Red Pond’ Geothermal Well
