Thoughts on necessity

Food prices have gone up due to unstable war times, and many have changed their consumption habits. When a Swedish radio station asked shoppers in a grocery store about changed habits, they replied that they only shop for what they really need, and look at offers more now than previously.

I’ve made the same changes in my household. I shop less and often choose the cheapest alternative. As a sustainable columnist and content creator, I’ve tried to be mindful of my consumption for many years, and I’ve guilt-tripped myself into feeling that I should be making more from scratch, because that’s what sustainable influencers do, right? We bake fresh bread, brew kombucha and eat homegrown tomatoes, beautifully positioned on our sandwiches for that ‘Instagram moment’.

Last week, as I was roasting granola in the oven, I started thinking of other things I could do from scratch: make oat milk, rye bread, or healthy snack bars. I started debating with myself: what’s the most sustainable thing to do? On one hand, I could choose to support the local bakery by buying their bread despite the increased prices, or I could do it all myself. Then the following question came up: how much is a city-person like myself willing to change their habits? I sure love making my own bread or, should I say, I sure love eating homebaked bread. That said, I honestly hate to clean up the mess after my creative trying-to-be-wholesome-and-sustainable-sessions in the kitchen – including the jars I just had to clean, after a failed attempt to make kombucha. I might just have to deal with it if the prices don’t go down anytime soon. Good for content, I guess.

Alejandra Cerda Ojensa is a Swedish sustainability blogger based in Copenhagen. She loves sustainable fashion, plant-based food, natural wines and music, and writes a column for Scan Magazine about sustainable lifestyle.

Instagram: alejandracerda.co