Dear America, Are You Really Going To Eat That?
Jill Ettinger
While much of the globe is constantly faced with scarcity, disease and starvation, the Western world insists on self-inflicted suffering via those American Dreams we’ve got our chubby fingers so tightly wrapped around. As strange as it may be to comprehend, many Americans are literally starving themselves through gluttonous over-indulgence. Author John Robbins (Diet for a New America, The Food Revolution) has noted that there are equal numbers of people in the world (roughly 1.2 billion of each group) suffering from diseases related to poverty and from diseases of affluence like heart disease, obesity and diabetes. There are different ways to skin a rabbit, as the saying goes -- and leave it to Americans to discover that apparently even stuffing it works.
Unprecedented calls to action to “be green” are sending mixed messages and leaving consumers confused about their choices. Hybrid cars, energy credits, and recycling are mainstream topics while perhaps the biggest way we can make a difference for ourselves, our families and our community is in the foods we eat -- or don’t eat. Many people in the world still grow and harvest their own food, and they have an innately organic relationship with what they put inside their bodies, yet Americans need a decoder ring for navigation through super market aisles (which can be found at the bottom of a box of Lucky Charms cereal oddly enough...).
The packaged product revolution has made a lot of people rich and a lot more seriously unhealthy. Corn syrup and refined sugars have had such an obvious, gross effect on humans, yet we as a nation seem stunned, paralyzed by the trend that’s feeding on our children like a parasite. And while the Whole Foods Revolution is sweeping the nation, it’s catering to an obvious audience and creating more questions about what’s really safe to eat in this country.
In a city like New York, now home to 5 Whole Foods Markets on the island (Tribeca opens July 9), the unhealthy foods far outweigh the healthier options. But as healthy options seem to increase, identifying the healthy choices becomes increasingly difficult. Box after box of “organic” foods line the Whole Foods aisles, boasting claims that may or may not be accurate. What’s more, as the little organic-health-food-brand-that-could makes its way over the hillside into conventional grocery stores, it finds itself needing to sell off chunks of the business to VC’s and investors just to stay alive. Some companies have completely surrendered full ownership and all that’s left is the guise of a brand that maybe once was pure and wholesome that’s now steered by Madison Avenue Marketing Moguls and single bottom-line Corporate Agendas.
Nearly a decade ago, I was a broker for a delicious juice company called Mountain Sun, based out of a little town in Southern Colorado. They were the only organic apple juice growers and bottlers in the country. They gradually added more flavors to their line becoming a leading shelf-stable juice brand. Over time, production costs rose and retailers began to demand more slotting fees and promotions that were incredibly expensive. An investment group that had recently bought an even smaller company out of Pennsylvania called Walnut Acres approached Mountain Sun. For years, Walnut Acres had been making canned soups and a few other specialty items that were rarely found in stores outside of the east coast. They were a symbol of quality, hand-crafted wholesome foods. This VC group liked the name and image and had big plans for Walnut Acres in a short time frame. They bought Mountain Sun juices as well as a few other small industry brands that eventually all bore the name Walnut Acres.
As the new owners began blazing ahead with agendas and timelines, our sales team was in a meeting with them about the “future” of Mountain Sun / Walnut Acres. We were all handed $100 bills as a “welcome aboard” gesture. We were assured the quality of the juice that had made Mountain Sun an industry leader would not change. They would keep the Colorado plant open; they would still sell in glass bottles. All we could do is believe what was being told to us, never mind that something-feels-like-a-lie sensation in my stomach. Within a year, the company was sourcing its juice from China, in plastic bottles. We were fired and replaced by a bigger brokerage firm and within another year, maybe less, the entire faux-brand was sold to the organic products industry giant Hain Celestial, which owns over 40% of the brands sold in natural food stores.
This story is not unique. In fact, an overwhelming number of “organic and natural” products are now subsidiary brands of corporate giants like Kraft, Heinz, Coke, Pepsi, Clorox and Proctor & Gamble. It was not always this way. The Walnut Acres and Mountain Suns of this world (like The Bronner Family profiled recently here about their efforts to standardize “organic” in the personal care industry), held a high regard for quality and purity. But when the cost of doing business to that standard is no longer feasible, owners are forced into either losing money or letting the business go.
If you take into consideration how commerce works in this country, it shouldn’t really be a surprise. As do-gooders vie for a much-needed market share in the abhorrent American Grocery Stores, they’re forced to play a game of mark ups, promotions, and discounts that can and do kill brands. Genuine intentions and a commitment to healthy foods are not enough to keep Organic Product X on the shelves. It takes millions to sustain marketing efforts. This pattern of promoting foods -- our sustenance -- the same way we’re pitched a brand of luxury sofas is a side effect of the industrial revolution that decides what we like, when we buy it and how often.
This National Identity Crisis is brought to you by the logo somewhere on the computer you're staring into, the washing machine in your basement, the state-of-the-art bagless vacuum in your closet next to that good ol’ pair of Air Jordans that you still like to wear when you run out to pick up a case of Heineken and a tub of KFC for the Giants game you simply have to watch. It’s not your fault America, somewhere the Dream just quietly turned into a Nightmare. And now that we all know that marketers make tons of money by turning us into Logo Slaves, maybe we can start thinking for ourselves, even if it’s just a little bit. Ask yourself, do you really love the car you drive or do you love it because other people think you should love it and are willing to finance you to insure that you do?
We all know that an unhealthy person is probably not going to make the best decision. Even more unreliable are the choices made by someone who has an addiction to something -- be it Marlboros or Grey’s Anatomy. But this is where we’re at, America. We’re over-caffeinated, deep-fried, and sugar coated flesh zombie versions of Homer J. Simpson thinking we have the acuity to elect the appropriate next leader of the “Free” World. As if we are even being offered a choice.
What about those healthy Americans -- the good ol' Wall Street Type A obsessive health-addicted gym members, clinging to treadmills, power bars, protein shakes and meaningless political banter? Certainly there’s nothing inappropriate about a good amount of cardio to keep a person sane, but these Healthy Americans are un-healthy binge exercisers who do it so they can justify their controlled alcoholism, fashion-magazine-induced insecurity complexes, and carbohydrate addictions. All these issues may seem separate, but they are rooted in this country’s leap into enormous industry a hundred years ago. Some things, like food, probably shouldn’t have made that leap.
Humans are complex creatures, no question. Our diets require a much broader range of foods than those of the squirrel and our intelligent cousin the dolphin. But that can of Pringles that will stay fresh forever was better suited to house the ashes of the man who invented the canister (yep) than conveying something your body should take in as food.
Remember, America, polar ice caps are melting and forests are disappearing. Disease and discomfort is increasing with life expectancy. The world is overpopulated with humans while thousands of other species vanish forever every year. We have a lot of work to do, and we need to be healthy in order to tackle these challenges with agility and focus. We’re voting with our dollars as we invest in our health. Insurance companies and our own government do not want to see us healthy enough to realize just how un-empowered they intend to keep us.
There are of course a number of legitimate companies committed to healthy products for all of us, creating healthy sustainable financial models for suppliers, and promoting a genuinely healthy regard for the planet. [Full disclosure: I work with both of these companies: Sambazon and Traditional Medicinals, both are award winners considered leading examples of triple bottom line businesses.] But this is all still within the commerce framework set in motion by our post World War Ramp-It-Up agenda. Quarterly sales numbers need to meet or exceed goals in order for people to keep their jobs. Brands have to commit themselves to pushing out new products every few months to stay fresh in consumers’ minds; they have to venture into new categories to satisfy market share growth goals. It’s a whole lot of Busy-ness staying in Business.
As the Greenwashing rains down like a hurricane that’s just come ashore, we’re going to see every brand in every category from toothpaste to tires boasting about their energy-saving, charity-giving, recycling, save-the-rainforest, wind-powered efforts, so that these issues will all begin to fade into the background, if they hasn’t already. Corporations are not doing this because they care about these issues, and not even because these actions can save them money, but because they create a false sense of loyalty to you, the Almighty Consumer, who they’ve conned into thinking that these values mean something. Your money matters so much that the CEO of BP is personally going to swim out into the arctic and rescue a polar bear to prove it.
Whole Foods Market has been boasting the slogan “Shop like you deserve it” on banners throughout New York City. Wait, didn’t we always deserve to have access to whatever we want -- and more importantly, whatever is safest? When did health become a privilege?
It’s no wonder we’re confused.
But Shopping Smart doesn’t have to require a decoder ring if we keep in mind one simple rule: You Are What You Eat.
Companies that want to sell you a proprietary product -- flavored sodas, chips, cookies, frozen meals, chocolate bars etc. -- are all banking on you choosing a prefab meal. That choice is not healthy for you and the planet. Any product that comes in a box, can or jar has likely been harvested in one part of the world, processed in another, packaged in yet another and guzzled fossil fuels all the way to your local store.
We can all easily research the best options in these categories, and we’ll most likely discover that things like “Crystalline fructose” -- the second ingredient in the ubiquitously “healthy” Vitamin Water -- is really just refined High Fructose Corn Syrup (as if HFCS isn’t refined enough); that the “natural flavors” found in all sorts of “organic” potato chips, soups, frozen foods etc., can consist of pretty much anything at all, and definitely include concentrated amino acids, also known as MSG; that the isolated soy protein found in energy bars, cereals and breads is extracted with chemicals like hexane; and that, as truth warriors like David Bronner point out, soap companies with the word Organic in their brand name don’t even have to use organic ingredients in their products.
100 years ago, consumers knew where their food came from. Eggs and milk came from the farm on the edge of town, strawberries came from their next door neighbor, collards grew in their own yard, and the butcher might have been their son-in-law. The food chain was effortlessly transparent. And when it wasn’t, people asked questions. And believe it or not, this is still the case for many cultures today who have never seen a Twix bar.
We now live in a time where we can walk down the aisles of our local grocery store and peruse brand websites from our iPhones in real time. Access to every answer we should be seeking about the products we buy has probably never been easier. That’s power to the people -- that’s an incredibly valuable option for staying informed and ultimately staying healthy. It looks like we’ve finally run out of excuses, America. Congratulations.
Check out http://www.organicconsumers.org for updates on organic standards in food and personal care.
photo by milkchug, courtesy of creative commons license
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Raw
The easiest and best way to eat is just take the food in its purest form. The further along the manufacturing process your meal gets - and the further from what nature intended - the worse it is for you.
A good case in point is the humble tortilla. I make my own fresh and all it takes is 2 cups of flour, 3tsp of sunflower oil and 3/4 cup of milk (plus lots of kneading). Compare that to the shop bought ones with there hydrogenated fat, preservative, flour treatment agents and additives. You lose the taste and instead get a mouthful of chemicals.
Anyway I marvel at our endless, useless and destructive tampering with the natural world. It's as if someone blesses you with a gift of a priceless, renowned painting and you decide to 'improve' it by taking a spray can to it.
Eating fresh, seasonal fruit and veg is the only way to go. The usual excuses of it being too expensive or time consuming to prepare just don't apply anymore - I live in London, work 50 hours a week plus travel and manage it. It's just a matter of where your priorities lie.
Like most things in life good results follow if you just apply your creativity.
start researching Permaculture
it is really silly to trust the bigfood stores when it comes to organic food.
yes--here in UK anyhow--you can get organic veg, but it is sparse--at Tescos anyhow (though I only shop there when I have to). But you also can get 'organic burgers' and all that crap! If it is packaged in a big food store labelled organic. beware. Try and find people who are just into providing organic foods.
We are lucky to have a store run by a cooperative of people who are vegans who are very into providing good trustworthy organic food. And most of what I buy is organic veg and fruit. THE best way to go, and what I want to learn deeply, is how to grow my own food. And the best way is via Permaculture. Please checkout this video: The Permaculture Concept Part 1 http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vUr4uPe9WBk Hopefully it will change your life! ;)
Where do we go from here.
MundoPax
Yes, it's true. Organic and sustainable has become just another marketing ploy to keep us fat and stupid while they line their pockets and destory the planet. I try to buy from farmers market, but even that is a gamble. It is so disenchanting to see our efforts at creating sustainability be watered down into a marketing scheme. But what can we do? I go to great lengths not to buy in, but we are at a point where we have been cornered and compromised. Who is stupider then us? That is, you are what you eat is the only way to live. That should be the ethics of humanity.Decoder Ring
Good article. I really value your experience in the industry. Good points on all the confusion marketers throw at us with things that are "good for you" and the green-advertising. The other day my family sent me a link to an NY Times article on foods you should eat:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/the-11-best-foods-you-arent-eat...
Thing is, many of them are minutely important (packed with anti-oxidants and the like). I was left thinking -- how about some good old grains, beans, and vegetables? I grew up with parents who have been through all sorts of fad-diets (not just Atkins but Snackwells and things like "7 weeks to optimum health" when we ate a lot of sardines and broccoli). There is definitely a lot of confusion.
Oh and by the way, some of those diet foods -- like the "Think Thin" bars -- they're full of glycerin! That's a by-product of the oil-refining process, not to mention something you clean your body with. That stuff isn't healthy for you, it just makes you more hungry because you're not getting any real nutrition out of it.
Finally, does anyone have dirt on the Trader Joe's chain? I am actually a big fan of Trader Joes, because even their pre-packaged foods have plain ingredients, and my San Francisco haunt had locally produced juices. Sometimes I feel like it's too good to be true.
End rant. --EB--
Trader Joe's
There's been a few questions on Trader Joe's here so some thoughts on that...
Trader Joe's employs a very succesful business model. There number one advantage over folks like Whole Foods is that they cut out the middle man and buy directly from vendors. (Whole Foods and most natural food stores are still too small to run their own distribution networks successfully like Wal Mart or Publix, so they work with 3rd party suppliers like United Natural Foods *UNFI*, who happens to be extremely committed to organics, bio-diesel, wind and solar power, the well being of their employees and their community. Their CEO/founder is an inspiring and interesting fellow named Michael Funk - a remarkable example of what those hippies were all saying they'd do, but few actually did.... :) This purchasing strategy enables TJ's to reduce their overhead costs to the consumer by 30-40% - sometimes even more. Prime example: That Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap I love so much is under $9 for 32 oz bottle at TJ's and close to $16 at Whole Foods. It's worth the wait in line to save that much money, at least in my tax bracket.
By sourcing directly, they private label most of their items, so what may be Premium Brand X in Whole Foods, is simply "Trader Joe's" on the shelf, reducing the logo marketing snobbery that comes with pre-packaged foods. Whole Foods does have their own labels: 365, Whole Planet, etc, but they're not as ubiquitous in the stores as Trader Joe's PL.
[It is important to note that while Whole Foods may cost more, they are consistently ranked as one of the top 100 places to work in this country, renowned for their Team philosophy, benefits, community support and commitment to animal welfare. They have inspired grocers nationwide with their ban on plastic grocery bags and continue to strive towards higher and higher standards from their suppliers. In many cases, Trader Joe's takes the lead from Whole Foods but just does it a lot cheaper.]
Another remarkable offering from TJ's is the commodity-type products. Though there is a significant amount of packaging involved, there seems to be an abundance of "the basics" available. Even though there is certainly still processed and sugar coated foods there(TJ's has less strict ingredients standards than Whole Foods) the old-time market vibe, seems to enhance shoppers interest in keeping it simple, and keeping it clean.
I'm a firm believer that if we start changing the foods we eat - by whatever impetus - that will have a tangible physiological effect whether we realize it or not. Once the body starts to change and get healthier, the mind inevitably follows and with clarity comes better choices for ourselves and our planet. So while TJ's might be a better choice for someone's bank account, the exposure to those simpler and thus cleaner foods will directly change their consciousness and perhaps inspire them to plant a richer garden, compost, grow sprouts on the window sill, make more trips to the local farmers market and consume less food in general....but be healthier than ever before.
It is true that we over-eat in search of nutrients. This was not the case 100 years ago. As our soil conditions degrade and the foods become more and more processed proprietary gimmicks, the body gets less access to complete nutrients. This is not simply remedied with a Centrum or Flinstone's Chewable Vitamin. The truth is that we don't know all the magic of how food works. Isolating nutrients (lycopene from tomatoes, anthocyanin from green tea or berries etc) is not necessarily as healthy as eating the whole food. It may boost you up in one area, but who knows what is left behind that is intended to work synergistically. Food science exists because we have isolated ourselves from that which sustains us. The body knows what it needs, it will tell you very directly if you listen. But someone who has spent their whole life on a diet of processed trans fat foods, can barely move their bodies, let alone hear it accurately. So when calcium levels are low, and the body craves a calcium rich food (like Kale), all that person might hear is "i'm hungry" and reach for that bag of cheeto's perpetuating the nutrition deficit.
Food is like Democracy in this country. We're told we have the best in the world when the real truth is we're enslaved to a genetically modified greed machine. The only way to think clearly is to eat clean. Unplug. x
--
jill
jill@jillettinger.com
http://www.innercontinental.org
education
oh the organic irony
Boycott
DO NOT buy Seeds of Change "organic" brand.
BOYCOTT Seeds of Change. Tell others.
They were bought out by Monsanto, the most evil mega-corporate giant responsible for rGBH growth hormone in cows, genetically engineering predatory seeds that make it unfeasible for farmers in foreign lands to grow their own crops once Monsanto seeds have been introduced. They poisoned the river where I use to live with carcenogenic substances in an attempt to eradicate the non-native bamboo. They threaten to monopolize the food industry.
Any one else have clues as to what brand products of food we should avoid?
Dole, obviously.
Coca-cola, duh.
Any less obvious culprits? Thanks guys :o* Let's sort this food situation out with our collective knowledge.
by monsanto?!?!?!??!!!!!?
JoanofArt,
Where did you find out about this? Care to share any info? Thanks.
oh geez
I think there has been a mistake...
I hear the anger, now what?
Dear Jill:
I hear the anger, cynicism in your words. As someone newly diagnosed as allergic to all grain, dairy, chicken, eggs, vegetable oils, and quite a few vegetables and fruits, I'm learning how to eat again. I've been trying to find what is safe and clean for me to eat. I now know that if I didn't cook it, it's not clean.
I'm as frustrated as you are, and sickened emotionally as I am beginning to recover from the devastation modern food has done to my body. And I have spent the past 6 weeks shocked, frustrated, and angry just trying to eat.
The depth and breadth of the depravity that is our food is vast. Many have alerted to the fact, and you are certainly not the first and you will not be the last. Most may not be listening, but its changing and will change faster. But now what?
Let's say that EVERYONE wakes up and demands better. To change the food industrial culture necessitates a massive revolution. To have food safe for all, will mean a massive destruction and recreation. It will also have a ripple effect in the very nature of our economy, particularly how people are paid for work. (For example, good, safe food is expensive. For it to be quality, it currently has to be expensive. Everyone deserves safe food, and the point is not to make food cheaper, but to lift people out of poverty to afford it.)
How do we actually change it?
"You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul." - Swami Vivekananda
seeds of change
bought out by monsanto, IS NOTHING SACRED? what the heck were those seeds of change people thinking? Monsanto, EVALLLLLLL!
who owns Trader Ho?
oh i get it...seeds of change! as in monsanto seeds.
BEST ARTICLE EVER!
How do you grow when you have no land?
Vivifidal,
I live in an apartment, and many, many people live in apartments, condos, townhouses, in cities with no available land. The poor are especially likely to live in such situations. It is my deep desire to one day have a yard and plant my own, to can, to do all that you suggest. But what do we do when the reality is very much different for most people?
I try to support local farmers, but farmers markets are only open when I'm working.
I'm not trying to be a killjoy, I'm just looking for actual answers for the reality of what's going on.
"You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul." - Swami Vivekananda
where there's a will...there's always way
kelleil,
it sounds like you have some challenges, but maybe you can try to see them as opportunities. many stores carry a good selection of local offerings, you may just have to ask. there are also produce delivery services in most major metro areas where local farmers drop off mixed boxes of the freshest, juiciest seasonal produce. There are also co-op buying club groups that may make the purchasing easier for you.
i've seen lots of incredible window sill gardens of sprouts, fresh herbs, even small pepper plants! there are also community gardens where you can rent a plot and tend it as if it were that yard you're dreaming of.... :)
hope these suggestions help you cultivate your bliss.....xx
--
jill
jill@jillettinger.com
http://www.innercontinental.org
Dear Jill: Thank you for
Dear Jill:
Thank you for your thoughts. I do see it as a creative journey, but there are definately times when I feel angry that its this hard, and that food isn't safe for many, if not all. I've tried several CSAs. One closed, one hasn't called back, and I'm afraid that they may not be willing to make the substitutions I need. And of course I have an apartment with one window, and a glass door, none facing the sun at any time. So I have my work cut out for me. I like a challenge!
I also know I'm not the only one in this position. To eat clean is extremely hard, even for those without allergies. It's nearly impossible for those who are dirt poor. I know that food banks are in dire need of fresh vegetables and fruits, and usually can't get them with any regularity.
So what I'm trying to say is that eating clean is usually the provenance of the comfortable, those with transportation and money. How do we change that its clean for all?
"You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul." - Swami Vivekananda
ok get a cheap ozonator
oh and speaking of Twinkies
Monsanto
Based out of St. Louis, Missouri while most of thier research is done in Columbia, Missouri, This mega corporation claims they are responsible and have a mission.
"With the growth of modern agricultural practices and crops that generate ever-increasing yields, we are helping farmers around the world to create a better future for human beings, the environment, and local economies. Increased yields are the core of this agenda. As agricultural productivity increases, farmers are able to produce more food, feed, fuel, and fiber on the same amount of land, helping to ensure that agriculture can meet humanity’s needs in the future. Moreover, increased productivity allows farmers to produce more with the same – or fewer – inputs of energy and pesticide. This results in more responsible use of natural resources, better ecosystem health, increased soil fertility, increased farm income, and more opportunities for farmers and their communities."
HOWEVER, increased yield does not mean increased quality. Always quality over quantity...
Monsanto is a proponent of corn based ethanol which is a cheap and inefficient fuel.
Monsanto is going down! monsanto brands: http://www.monsanto.com/products/brands.asp
Also AVOID Celestial Farms.
Seeds of Change
is a subsidiary of the Mars Corporation. I could not find any evidence that they are owned by Monsanto. Seeds of Change however may buy seeds from Monsanto, but I could not find proof of that either. One of the platforms of Seeds of Change is support of organic and often heirloom seeds, which I think are difficult to find in any (every) Monsanto seed bank...
if anyone has info to the contrary please share :)
--
jill
jill@jillettinger.com
http://www.innercontinental.org
There was a mistake?! hopefully...
Another perspective...
I work in the health food industry, specifically as a grocery/bulk stock person. One of the things that really perturbs me is the lack of education on the publics behalf. I can't explain how many times someone has come in asking about a product because Oprah said it was good for them. Most of them can't even pronounce the product, grain, or allergen free product they are looking for(damn newbie celiacs!).
For the most part our regulars are fairly informed, but even they have some really outlandish questions. Here-in lies one of the substantial problems facing us as a culture. We have access to nearly all of the information on the planet at our fingertips, and no-one can even take the time to look up information about their personal health or the things they put in their bodies. A large majority of the populace is dependent on others to tell them what is good for them. When they should be educating themselves in order to find out what works for their body and mind. No two people's bodies are totally the same, and this is particularly true when it comes to your intestinal flora.
On a more economical/ecological note, the amount of waste that I see occurring in the natural food industry is appalling. UNFI comes to mind when I think of this subject. Often times they can't be bothered to come pick up their thousands of dollars worth of damaged/mispicked items. When any number of folks would be happy to have said items in their cupboards, UNFI will wait until they rot away before picking them up. UNFI's other efforts are commendable, however it still doesn't offset the ecological impact that this industry cannot avoid. As an aside, some friends of mine used to dumpster the UNFI warehouse, and made away with some pretty rad items. A 5 gallon jug of bronner's being one of the more awesome items. It's vibration left a plume climbing it's way up a blue-blessed curl, which was girdled by aurora of obliging black morel.
yes
writing letters..
I have decided to really take a stand and communicate with businesses about my personal concern and understanding about packaging. I am starting a "program" where at every place I go to eat and shop, anywhere in the country, if their packaging is not eco-friendly (ie:the deadly styrophoam and plastic containers) I am going to talk to them about it, refuse to use it, and then send them a hand written letter commending them on their food and products, but putting down their packaging. What I have found is that most people do care and are trying to find healthier solutions.
If each of us wrote, by hand, letters to companies such as Trader Joe's and UNFI, even Whole Foods, a change will start to occur!
There are no easy solutions...This will be very hard
I never was one much committed to a consumer driven lifestyle. I was not much for keeping up with the Jones'. I actually preferred to do the opposite of what the Jones' were doing. But, still, I live in this society, this western culture, and as much as I struggled to be out oof the mainstream, I have still participated in a consumer lifestyle
The good news is that many of us are now realizing that this lifestyle is not good for us.
The bad news is that making a change is hard.
It is hard because a lot of people still haven't realized this. It is hard because many people who have realized a change is needed are not willing to make changes without really changeing their lifestyle. It is hard because those of us who want to change have to fight against the flow of contemporary society.
I believe we have to accept that in order to make the changes that are necessary for a healthy planet, it will be difficult. And that radical lifestyle changes are needed. We will have to make some difficult choices. Will have to make big sacrifices. We will have to learn to appreciate what we have and grown comfortable with and then let them go and look forward to new (or perhaps old) things and new ways of living.
I hear a lot of frustation in many people's comments here. I am frustrated too. But, I also realize that I participated in this consumer culture and the only way to make it right is to let go of my old way of life. It will be difficult. I will stumble. I will make mistakes. I will miss the conforts of a lifestyle that I have lived all my life.
But, I believe there is also a whole new world to be explored. I think in letting go, I will gain so much more. I am eager to discover what this new life will be like. With all the "junk" out of the way, I will see much clearer.
So I am letting go of things. I am simplifying. I am packing up. I am moving to a place that is cheaper, where I can begin to grow my own food. I will reconnect to family. Invest in a lifestyle that is based on quality. I will slow down my life. I will watch and listen more.
It isn't ideal to my old way of life, where access to things was much easier, but, oh well! So, I may have to forgo things in place of food and time, but, oh well! This is just where we are at now. But I am thinking maybe this will bring new opportunities that I never thought possible in my old way of living.
I will have to find a new way of making a living. Oh darn! Maybe it actually will be more in tune with what I really want to be doing with my life. I will make less money (and I didn't make much to start with). If I need to buy something, I will really have make sure I need it. But, isn't that better anyway? How many things do we really (I mean really!) need?
I think we can all find ways to make these necessary changes. It is just a matter of knowing that to do so requires a lot of sacrifice of the old way of living. It may sound terrible, but sacrifice doesn't have to be a bad thing.
I recommend saying thanks for what we had and then say good bye to it. Just think of what possibilities might open up to us if we make room for it. DoAn
DoAn
Interstitial Artist
www.doanart.blogspot.com
Resources?
I grabbed onto this paragraph. Is there a website that has this kind of information to make it easy to do this? Right now, you'd have to sift through a lot of information about a lot of different brands to find what you're looking for and make an informed choice. Anything to make the search easier would be beneficial.
Hold on, Hold on, Children, Hold On
i posted this link in the article:
http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/features/009/009buyingorganic.html it lists out the corporations that own the smaller guys...and if you want to have more info, sites like safecosmetics.org shed some light on personal care. organic onsumers and the organic center also are a great resource of information. as for one all inclusive wikinutria---i don't think that exists yet, but soon, i'm sure...
i think a good rule of thumb is to keep it simple - buy bulk whenever possible, seek fresh and local produce and researching everything else will be a lot easier than you think. if you scale down your cupboards to fresh foods and commodity items from bulk bins, there will only be a small amount of"other" stuff with labels and marketing schemes etc...maybe your coffee, tea, milk, juice, and personal care products. the choices then get a lot easier with some basic research.
and we may find there are reasons to support a giant corporation - they're not all bad. Seventh Generation for example is the leading manufacturer of post-consumer recycled paper products and super corporate citizen. Organic Valley is an incredibly strict co-op of organic dairy, meat and fruit farmers that put conventional practices to shame, yet they are doing over half a billion in annual sales and growing faster than conventional brands.
So you don't have to opt out entirely, it's important that we create new commerce models by supporting corporations who do have genuine vision out there....Burning Man is a $10 million plus a year business, essentially and intentionally conducting no business at all...so there are ways to create systemic change by supporting leaders in the movement of New Commerce.
Stonyfield Yogurt may have sold to Danone, but they are buying up as much organic milk as they can find and created an entire industry of organic yogurt makers as a result of their foresight.
To me, some of the best parts of this journey are the toughest...knowing it is MY responsibility to spend time researching what i put inside of me and why. if we take the time to get to know manufacturers (many offer farm/plant tours) we're ultimately getting to know ourselves a little better. So whether it's an hour on sunday morning before you do your shopping for the week, or one night after you just prepared a delicious meal with products you know nothing about, maybe you find the time to sit down and google every bottle, jar or box of ingredients that are now a part of Y O U and find out who you really are :)
P.S!! i just saw this incredible article in the times: vertical city farms??? woah.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/science/15farm.html?ex=1216699200&en=d...
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jill
jill@jillettinger.com
http://www.innercontinental.org
Yes
Bites
Great piece to read.
Reality Sandwich ... "Evolving consciousness, bite by bite."
Seems we're good at devolving consciousness bite by bite as well. :)
Living Example
The Dervais, a family in Southern California, have an "Urban Homestead" where they live as self-sufficiently as possible; which includes growing most of their own food on their city lot.
Their website is a wonderful source of inspiration. http://pathtofreedom.com/
Dear America, Are You Really Going To Eat That?