| FFA Nation

Four ways to be sustainable in your SAE

Jessica Mozo | 04/29/2011 |

No matter what you’ve chosen to do for your supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program, there are opportunities every day to consider how your actions positively or negatively affect the world around you.

“We have students in the livestock production world, but we also have students who work in retail, wholesale and urban settings; it’s not just farming,” says Jim Armbruster, senior relationship specialist for the National FFA Organization’s convention and events management division. “The SAE program is made up of many enterprises. Students might produce fiber or timber, and others might be doing things from their home or apartment in an urban setting. The idea is for all of us to think more green and reduce energy use – things like changing out light bulbs, fixing leaky faucets and building home gardens.”

Agriculturalists across the nation are already paying close attention to how their practices affect the environment.

“American agriculturalists are doing a great job of maintaining the quality of agriculture production while being sustainable and conserving resources,” Armbruster says. “If they’re paying $300 a ton for fertilizer, you can bet they’re not wasting much. When we talk about reducing, reusing and recycling, a lot of agriculturalists are already doing it.”

Even on a small scale, FFA members can do the same. For example, members raising animals, whether livestock or dogs and cats, should pay attention to animal waste and where it goes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture even has a step-by-step guide for pet owners to compost dog waste.

“Dog manure is just as high in nitrates as pig manure,” Armbruster says. “It may sound gross, but students can dispose of it by starting a backyard compost pile.”

Whether your SAE finds you plowing fields or sitting in front of a computer, check out these other ways to embrace sustainability.

1. Power down.

Turn your computer and other electronics off while not in use and before you go to bed.

You may not think you can have much impact on the world if you turn off your computer at night, but if everybody in the U.S. is doing it, that’s a massive amount of energy saved.

2. Clean up waste.

There are lots of do’s and don’ts when it comes to throwing things away. If you’re cleaning out a storage shed, take old cans of paint to the proper hazardous waste facility. Likewise, if you’re changing the oil in your car, take used oil to
an oil collection facility instead of dumping it in the trash.

3. Choose green.

From herbicides plant growers use to cleaning products used in the home, opt for natural ingredients.
Start by looking under your kitchen or bathroom sink. Read the labels of cleaners and buy materials with less toxicity to the environment.

4. Waste not, want not.

There’s a lot of truth to the old adage that simply means the less we waste, the more we have. Whether it’s turning off the water while you brush your teeth or printing on both sides of paper before tossing it in the recycling bin, develop a mindset of conservation, and everyone benefits.

What is Sustainability, Anyway?

These days, sustainability is quite the buzz word. Know what it means, especially as it relates to agriculture? We polled many of you through Facebook, Twitter and FFA Nation, and here were some of the best definitions we got.

“Promoting modern agricultural practices in a practical way that will ensure a future in agriculture for future generations at an economically feasible price.”

“Using the land and natural resources to grow food or fiber in the most profitable way that has the least waste and lowest environmental impact.”

“My vision of sustainable agriculture is a combination of new and old agricultural practices that come together to conserve more, reduce dependency on nonrenewable sources, efficiently satisfy demand and promotes stewardship of natural sources.”

The use of natural resources for our purposes which is efficient and doesn’t rapidly deplete energies; it gives as much as it takes.”