
Oh, to do the right thing.
I could get organic avocados. But where do they come from? The fuel used could just render the whole lets save the environment train of thought entirely.
I could get local apples, but they’re not organic. Damnit.
I could get local, organic apples, but they’re seventy five cents more.
These are questions I face in the supermarket. I grew up with a father who had to feed his children, and paying for something more would have been unrealistic mostly. I have heard polar opposites. A friend who loves eating organic and healthy, tells me she pays extra to maintain her body and the environment. Another friend who hates organic food and spits at the site of Whole Foods and throws a fit if anything is organic at a party, says she detests how only the rich can eat healthy and these businesses make money off what should be a basic right for everyone.
I agree with them in different parts, but I stand in the middle ground of the choice comes down to money, budgeting and trying to give and take. An instructor (Randy Lee Cutler) at Emily Carr offered advice I follow: for one bad thing you buy, offset it with something you know is good for the environment/yourself if you’re in a pinch like me. If you get imported bananas one week, try to get something local next week.
Be conscious of the things you buy, and eventually this decision making will become easier as you update knowledge. I recently found out pesticides affect and kill birds, so I am trying to push away from certain types of produce.
Check out the #GF100Challenge hashtag on Twitter for tweets about Eating Disorder Awareness Week, the last day of this week was today. Check in on the hashtag for organic, pesticides and other budget conundrums in the upcoming week. Feel free to contribute your knowledge too!