Every day, we are faced with choices- small choices- that make waves to move the world economy; and every cent that we spend, especially those spent on the choices we make for our food, causes a ripple that could change the future.
Your coffee, your spices, even the produce that used to come from right down the road is now shipped in from thousands of kilometers around.
And so you, like myself, ask yourself:
-Should I buy this can of green beans or should I opt for the fresh ones?
-Should we go to the grocery store or shop at the local market?
-Is it worth buying vegetables for double the price if they’re organic?
Or should I just go to a restaurant and forget about buying groceries, prepping meals, cooking food, and eating at home?
Now let’s stray for a second from my main point (or question) here which is this-
"How is baking bread at home (or cooking it on the stovetop if you have no oven) going to save the planet?"-
and ask ourselves what we're doing to help and what we're not.
I, for one, have admittedly not made the choice to switch to exclusively organic products.
I also must admit that I buy coconut milk, which comes from either Thailand or India.
Am I going to start spending more money to support ethical practices in pesticide usage?
Or am I going to re-prioritize my time and grow a garden at home?
Am I going to stop buying coconut milk?
Or am I going to look for a store that sells coconut milk that comes directly from the seller (like an “international” store owned by the person sitting behind the counter)?
I realize in asking all of these questions that I, and hope others too, must be more cautious when considering the ways in which my purchases affect the world.
Instead of buying bread that comes in plastic every week, you can buy flour, yeast, and salt to make bread at home (record time for mixing ingredients and kneading is probably five minutes and yes, you should let it rise for an hour and you have to wash your hands after); instead of buying new plastic bags for your trash, you can use one of the gazillion bags that comes through your home every week to throw away your garbage (and if they're not big enough, it's worth noticing how much trash you're generating); instead of actually paying for water in a convenient store, you can get a water bottle and fill it with water in the bathroom; instead of stopping at said convenient store for a snack, you can just eat at home!
And back to my first question now:
-What habits are you creating for yourself and for your family? Are they sustainable habits?
-What deters you from making better choices?
-What is the greatest challenge you face to bring an eco-consciousness into your life?
-And would you like to change?
Thanks for any input and doubts upon my logic, readers. Welcome to criticism and expansion.