We are in a time where ignorance is no longer bliss, and it is important to be attentive and aware of the impact you are having on this world. Like it or not, you do impact not only the economy and the people around you, and the world. It is definitely easy to be one of those sluggish consumers that only add to the problem rather than attempt to help it and I am sad to say that the majority of the people reading this are the same people I walk behind picking up their gum wrappers and cigarette butts, buying everything they own at Wal-Mart. An even harder thing to cope with is that they are not going to change, but in all honesty awareness is the key and only if you made one simple change to your routine, your impact will speak volumes.
Due to the overwhelming increase in the global food prices, buying locally is a fairly significant way of positively impacting our world. If you are a supermarket junkie, here are some very important reasons why you should put your oversized shopping cart away and pick up your reusable cloth bag.
When you purchase from locally owned businesses rather than nationally owned, more money is kept in your community. Buying within your community helps stimulate the local economy and increases the growth of local businesses. Farmer’s Markets give more money to the farmers (crazy concept I know.)Normally, farmers get only 1/4th of every dollar’s worth of produce sold in supermarkets. At the Farmers’ market, they get the whole dollar, directly from the buyer and you can ask how it was grown, with what kinds of fertilizers, you can ask questions until your heart is content.
If farming was balanced out in each community, we could save fuel and scarce resources spent on shipping and reduce our dependence on importing internationally. Sadly, our food transport is one of the world’s largest sources of CO2 pollutants. Buying from a local grower dramatically decreases importing and environmental contamination rates. Not to mention the food you are buying is extremely fresh, I’m talking, picked that morning fresh and certified organic.
Supermarket foods have traveled for sometimes, not joking, up to a year before reaching the selves. A study by the Australian “Sun Herald” uncovered supermarket apples to average 10 months! How is that even possible, you might ask? They are coated in wax, blasted with fungicide spray and stored in specific cold conditions. Imported fruits can be stored up to a year. Many vegetables and fruits are packed in sulfur dioxide and after the long wait time, majority of the nutrients you think you are getting are completely lost.
These few facts are just the tip of a very large iceberg. There are so many important steps you can take, even if you need to go to the supermarket, check labels for organic, buy “in season” produce and bring your own bag.
If you are still rolling your eyes and refuse to acknowledge your careless ways, at least now you are not ignorant because ignorance is innocent and comes from not knowing any better. Stupidity is a poor ability to understand or to profit from knowledge.
Without sounding too harsh, I still have faith that everyone has the ability to make a few simple yet important changes, you just need to find the willpower. Maybe it won’t be with your food habits, but I hope something sparks a change in you, because we are a part of a generation that faces a lot greater problems then convenience. With that been said, I’ll step off my soap-box, for now. (But I encourage you to find your own.)
