Most of the United States is empty wilderness, as is most of Mexico, most
of Asia--in fact the vast bulk of all the world's land.

I do not believe that it is possible--or desirable--for humans to return to
a literal hunter/gatherer lifestyle.  I would never find this desirable and
I hazard a guess to say that neither would most humans.  Our modern wealthy
lifestyle, including, as Chris mentions, "late-model cars, synthetic
clothing, new houses brimming with furniture, vacations via air-travel,
manicured lawns and gardens of inedible, ornamenal plants," is a wonderful,
comfortable, excellent lifestyle of fabulous wealth and comfort beyond the
dreams of even great monarchs throughout history.  I would not give it up
voluntarily.  To that list of items of fabulous wealth I will add things
like air conditioning, movies, computers, electricity, telephones, central
heating, indoor plumbing, dentirsty, hospitals, books, magazines, CD
players, rock concerts, and all the other things that make the late 20th
century the absolute best time in the history of the world to be a human
being.  It is a wonder and a joy, and it's a shame that more people take it
for granted instead of appreciating just how blessed they are with these
things.  The poorest people in the United States are fabulously wealthy
compared to most of the rest of the world.

And by the way, I dispute that any of these items that make up our
individual and collective wealth in North America and Western Europe are a
waste of natural resources.

Chris asks me this question: "If you truly believe in the hunter/gatherer
lifestyle of our ancestors, do you live in a manner which mimics that
lifestyle as closely as possible?"

My answer: Hell no.  Nor would I voluntarily do so.  If you tried to force
me you would have to drag me kicking and screaming, and I would do
everything I could to escape that existence at the earliest opportunity.

I enjoy modern life, I celebrate it.  I intend to do my best to assure that
my children are able to live that life as well, and to raise them to
appreciate how blessed they are to have these miracles that make our lives
so much better than the lives of the majority of people who have ever lived.

It is very clear to me that we can learn from how humans evolved.  We can
learn from their dietary and exercise patterns, since they will likely
contain the key to what is a healthier way for us.  We may even be able to
learn from their social patterns as well, adapting some of what we know
there to our modern lifestyle.  But I have absolutely -zero- desire to
revert to a true primitive hunter/gatherer existence; indeed, I have a
tremendous desire NOT to do so.

You could say that my goal is to learn and to adapt what is good in the
hunter/gatherer patterns which are our natural evolutionary pattern to
modern life in a sensible manner, while eschewing what is worthless,
meaningless, and negative about that lifestyle.  I will certainly continue
to drive my car, ride in airplanes, live in a house, own my property, work
on my computer, vaccinate my children, take showers, keep my clothes clean,
and so on, but am willing and able learn from and possibly adopt more
sensible patterns of diet, exercise, and other things if it can be shown
from a rational basis that I and others will benefit from them.

As for starvation: millions of people do continue to starve, but worldwide
the food supply more than meets demand.  There is more food produced every
year than is needed to supply the food needs to everyone on planet Earth.
Famines are localized, and are either short-term because they are caused by
disasters, or are long-term due to serious political problems that make it
difficult or impossible to get food to people who are starving (or get
starving people to where the food is).  Just because there is excess food
in Brazil, that does not mean the starving people in Haiti will actually
get to eat it.

As for sustainable agriculture: I don't want to confuse issues here.
Modern agriculture is tremendously ecologically damaging but -may- or -may
not- be necessary to continue to feed the world.  It may be that organic
farming methods which eschew the growing of grains and greater use of
industrially gathered foods and range-fed meats can work, and if so that is
desirable.  If that is not possible, then it at least should be possible to
turn modern agribusiness away from growing grains and toward growing other,
healthier plant foods that would be more in keeping with the kind of diet
humans evolved to eat.

As for whether I myself try to support organic (I don't like the term
"sustainable") farming techniques, yes and no.  Where I live, the
availability of these foods is very limited, and much of what is available
is based on what I believe to be faulty thinking.  Many "organically grown"
vegetables are arguably more carcinogenic than vegetables grown using
pesticides and fertilizers, for example, and I frankly think that many
"environmentalist" groups have a very bad habit of simply making their
facts up on these subjects in order to increase donations and increase
their power.  Much of what is said about modern techniques of food
production is wrongheaded and foolish, and so I don't want to be
responsible for encouraging that, anymore than I want to contribute toward
the reactionary fear of irradiated foods.  Also, unfortunately,  much of
what is proudly put forth as "naturally grown" is based on all sorts of
unhealthy foods--legumes, grains, and etc.  So on the issue of vegetable
foods, my finest and first effort is to give up cereal grains, which are a
force of ecological devastation regardless of how they are grown; beyond
that, I feel I need to study the issue further to reach a greater
understanding of what is most ecologically suitable and sustainable.

On the issue of meats the issue is clearer, as free-range meats are the
best.  I am making efforts now to seak out meats from range-fed sources but
it is not easy.  My hope is also that by continuing to educate people about
low-carbohydrate diets and paleolithic diet ideas I can help raise demand
in general for such foods, and I'm happy to say that such demand has been
growing steadily from what I can see, at least here in the U.S.

I am hoping to learn through others more about what is sustainable
ecologically among plant foods.  So much of what has been written about
this is wrongheaded and foolish in my view, I hope to find rational people
online who've studied it seriously to learn from them.

 -=-=-

Once in a while you get shown the light/
 In the strangest of places if you look at it right   ---Robert Hunter

http://www.syndicomm.com/esmay