What's in YOUR skillet? (Part Two)

It seems there are tons of books, blogs, articles, and stories reporting injustices in the world, repercussions of the decisions we make, problems that we contribute to by our consumption of certain products, etc.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed thinking of all the things I'd have to change about my lifestyle and my everyday decisions in order to do no harm to my neighbors, my own health, the environment, fellow citizens, and those in countries far away who may be suffering while I live in relative luxury.  I wonder whether people will call me a hypocrite because I help lead an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of my co-workers but struggle to get my own family members (myself included at times) to do the same at home, because I'm a vegetarian who sometimes eats meat, because I love seeing Mom and Pop stores prosper yet continue to shop at Wal-mart, or because I work hard to stay healthy and would advise anyone I know to stop smoking but hold stock in a tobacco company.  These are inner conflicts I battle regularly.  The cold, hard truth is that money plays a significant role in my decision making and can often trump my desire to heal the world and make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race.  And it's not just me -- money is a major factor, sometimes the factor, in the decisions that most other consumers make as well  (As a related aside, Robert Reich gives an interesting description of the conflict between the consumer and the citizen in each of us in a book called Supercapitalism).

So, not to pass the buck, but in some ways voting with one's fork or chopstick or hand is a privilege -- one that should be exercised in direct proportion to the financial means to do so.   

My solution to these conflicts within me is to arm myself with information, then allow the consumer and the citizen within me to duke it out.  I want to find out what's in my food, how to grow my own food, what I can recycle and how, and how the products that I purchase affect others.  I'm not poor enough for my lack of awareness to be acceptable.  I don't mean to offend the poor; on the contrary, I believe that at some level of poverty, the concerns of life include and are limited to those relating to basic self-survival.  If you fall into that category, I think your natural, primary human response will be to do whatever you need to do to stay alive.  Who am I to fault you for that?  I've never been poor to the point of having to survive day to day, so I can't assume to know what it's like.  But from what I've studied and read, the poor are not to be generalized as helpless, stupid, or lazy.  Sometimes they just lack the cash, access to credit, or stable political or family environment to change their situations or create opportunities to overcome poverty.  The brunt of social responsibility, then, falls upon those more fortunate or wealthy to demand and drive down prices for goods that encourage fairer wages for growers of coffee beans for the morning cup of joe, locally grown organic tomatoes for a sandwich at lunch, and free-range chicken for dinner.  And maybe one day candy and soda will cost more than fruits and vegetables, and parents won't feed their kids fast food out of economic necessity.

That being said, no one person, family, community, or country should have to take on the entire burden all of the time, nor should a single individual feel guilty for not being able to be make socially responsible purchasing decisions all the time.

The question is... what's in YOUR skillet?  We all have fish (or veggies) to fry, but I think you'll find, as I have recently, that there is always something more you can give or give up.  The consumer and the citizen in each of us need to have healthy debate, and we need to make better-informed purchases that are still within our financial means.  Or maybe it's giving up certain foods or comforts that we can do without.  I'm starting by learning more about what's in the foods I eat.  I'm going to attempt to grow my own food in our backyard, and by backyard I mean the potted plants on the strip of concrete bordering my house.  I'll start with tomatoes since gardening is not my thing and I hear tomatoes are the easiest vegetables/fruits(?) to grow.  Even if I fail miserably, it won't be for lack of educating myself and trying to make a difference.  I've also become interested in joining a community garden.  I wonder if that plot of land down the street could one day look something like this...

 

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/public_health/healthpromotion/washtenawstepsup/community_garden