The thing to be these days is "green." Society now demands that American consumers balance a conscience with that drive to buy, buy, buy. American retailers have figured this out and now the market is flooded with products that are supposedly organic or made from post-consumer waste. "All natural" is now a novelty, as opposed to something that might just occur, well, naturally. It seems as though this trend is for the better, but America is a country of consumers, remember. So you must pay a premium for green energy, organic food, recycled products, and the ever-illusive concept of "all-natural." And now, as our economy continues to...flail...we are left having to choose between feeding our families a few organic veggies or a whole meal of pesticide-ridden, genetically modified food stuffs.
A while ago I stumbled upon the article "So You Say You Want a Food Revolution?" (By the way, open a new window and go read it...NOW). This article changed my beliefs in a surprising way. I've read Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, (Pollan), What to Eat (Nestle), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Kingsolver), How to Pick a Peach (Parsons) and others. All of these books inspired me to care about the food I put into my body. But then, Thistlewaite's article called me out. Certainly I've shopped at Walmart because money was tight that week and they are cheaper. Certainly I've read all the aforementioned books and thought that simply having been educated made me a better person, even though I stopped at McDonalds on the way home from work. Thistlewaite pointed a finger, held up a mirror, or whatever metaphor you prefer. We talk the talk, but walking the walk is a bit more complicated.
Here's why
In order to be mindful about food we eat, it requires us to also be mindful about both animal and human rights. Being mindful about the food you buy requires that you be mindful about the way you prepare it and the way you dispose of it. Should I grow my own veggies? Shop at the local farmers market? Or join a CSA? I've done all three. I should use less fuel, but the farmers market is a bit of a drive from my house. I should conserve energy, but I have a toddler who thinks that switching things on and off, on and off, on and off, is the greatest game ever invented. Sometimes I leave the water running when I brush my teeth - only by accident though. I'm trying to rebel against consumerism, but I also love to buy things on sale and so, like many Americans, I feel a tug at my gut on Black Friday. I value local goods and services, but I want a kindle for my birthday.
In some ways I intend this blog to a revolt against those blogs (that I love to read, don't get me wrong) written by women (usually) who bake everything from scratch, lovingly weed their gardens, find a small plate of garden-fresh veggies to be an acceptable dinner, and drink fair trade coffee. It's true they are who I aspire to be, but they make me feel guilty when I'm picking up a pizza or buying a coffee at Starbucks. I want this blog to be real. A blog about someone who really is trying and sometimes that's the best we can hope for!
So how does one live completely mindfully in a modern world? I'm not Barbara Kingsolver. I cannot move to an old farm and spend my time tending to a garden and baking bread from scratch. I work full time. I have a toddler who seems to be missing his pause button. I have a husband who I do like to take care of (a bit, let's not get crazy here). We recently moved and I have one room that is still entirely boxes.
And so the purpose of this blog is to figure out how all of these things work together. It's about doing what I can to make small changes so that, maybe, my son won't have to work so hard at it. It's about laughing and crying about the realities of this new "green world" that we are required to live in. Mostly, it's about using my time on this Earth for positive change.
No comments:
Post a Comment