This is the second in a series of posts examining avenues available for creating change.
How do we vote with our dollars? Let’s take an example: buying food. Choosing a loaf of bread can be a revolutionary act. Consider:
Wal-Mart has the largest grocery store in my nearest major town. They sell tasteless meat and tasteless produce, and they sell it for less. But I have other options for food: three of our local markets are owned by a Utah company called Associated Foods. Smiths,another grocery store, is a former Utah company now headquartered in Idaho. Either is a “closer to home” choice than Wally World– and both have better meat and produce.
But what about Luna Market , a small Mexican grocery owned by Alfredo Luna in St. George? And the farmers markets, in season?
And what about Bountiful Baskets, a cooperative that provides fresh produce and bread each Saturday in several locations around town?
And farmers who sell produce and meat directly from their farms? Last year, I bought 20 pounds of pecans from a farmer is Hurricane, a pig from Parowan, fruit from a local orchard, and vegetables from a nearby farm.
And of course, my own garden, limited as it is by our short growing season and my lack of time to tend it.
Your community may not have these specific options, but it surely has others. Culver City, California, where I used to live, has choices from Mitsuwa Market (Japanese, with excellent produce) to India Sweets and Spices (Indian vegetarian, with a great selection of rice and spices) to Sanchez Carniceria (a Mexican butcher shop) to Al Watan Halal Meat& Produce Market. Not to mention farmer’s markets both locally and in nearby Westchester.
In order of preference, I get my food first from:
- My garden
- Local farmers
- Co-ops
- Locally-owned markets
- Markets owned in-state
- Regional companies
Personally, I’m willing to pay more for better quality food. And if it hits Wal-Mart in the pocket, so much the better. I don’t buy my food at Wal-Mart– ever. What I can, I buy locally. And from there, I choose the source closest to home.