What is Sustainable Hedonism and Why Does it Feel So Good?

If you read my last post (if not you can find it here), you already know I came home from the Menus of Change Conference feeling inspired. I am still thinking about it. Specifically, about a term I heard for the first time that I have not been able to stop turning over in my mind.

Sustainable hedonism.

I know! It sounds like something you’d need a philosophy degree to order off a menu. But stay with me. Once you hear what it means, you’ll want to join the club!

The concept has roots in contemporary philosophy. British philosopher Kate Soper first popularized it in the early 2000s, arguing that sustainability is not a sacrifice but a more satisfying way to live. Pleasure and responsibility are not opposites. They can reinforce each other.

For years we’ve been told that sustainability requires sacrifice. That doing the right thing means giving something up.

Sustainable hedonism flips that completely.

It says the most pleasurable choice and the most responsible choice are often the same choice.

• A tomato grown with care tastes better than one that wasn’t.
• A meal made from what you already have feels more satisfying than one ordered out of exhaustion.
• Ten slow minutes in the kitchen leaves you feeling better than rushing through it.

Pleasure and responsibility aren’t opposites. They’re partners.

Honestly, the term could use a friendlier name. Maybe something you can say at the dinner table without your kids rolling their eyes. Maybe Purposeful Pleasure. Maybe Mindful Indulgence. Joyful Intention has a nice ring. I’m open to ideas.

Whatever we call it, your kitchen is one of the easiest places to feel it for yourself, which brings us to this weeks’…

Do One Small Thing This Week

Find one kitchen choice that feels like a genuine pleasure, not an obligation.

• Maybe it’s buying one ingredient you love from a local source.
• Maybe it’s cooking something slowly instead of grabbing something fast.
• Maybe it’s deciding to use what you have in the refrigerator rather than stopping at the store.

Or maybe it is simply sharing the idea of Sustainable Hedonism with a friend.

Whatever you choose, notice how it feels because that feeling is the whole point and it is the kind of hedonism that doesn’t require a toga, a chaise lounge, or pretending you don’t remember last Saturday