At what expense?

I can’t help but wonder today what the heck is wrong with the world. 

I woke up this morning to the latest oil spill news.  This time, it’s the Gulf of Mexico, and the spill is five times worse than “experts” originally thought… endangering a variety of wildlife during peak mating/ spawning season.  Poor helpless creatures.  When are we going to wake up and realize we need to nurture this Earth that gives us SO MUCH without asking for anything in return?  When???  Aren’t the “natural” disasters  the world has been experiencing enough of a wake-up call?  Is it that people are just too busy to care?  And if the answer is yes, then what can we do to wake up the average working class person to what is happening to their world before it gets by them?  I’ve thought about this often.  I get that people are too busy trying to make ends meet, and trying to cut corners which sometimes makes it difficult (though not impossible) to live eco-consciously.  I think we need to start at the elementary school level.  Children are impressionable, smarter than most adults, and I believe wholeheartedly that implementing some kind of environmental education plan early on will prove to be priceless in the long run.

Now, what do we do about the adults?  I want your ideas.  What do you think will make the average person sit up and pay attention to the seriousness of this topic.  I know it has to take little to no time, but make a huge impression; this much, I know. 

Today, I heard that California is considering approving methyl iodide, a seriously toxic chemical, as a pesticide for strawberry crops.  According to Pesticide Action Network “Methyl iodide is so reliably carcinogenic that it’s used to induce cancer in the lab”.  I mean, at what expense do you really need to have those strawberries?  Before you consider popping those conventional strawberries into your shopping cart, then into your mouth… thinking it’s harmless and you are saving a few pennies, PLEASE consider all the strings attached to what it is you’re consuming.  Know that you are supporting an industry that causes farm workers to die a slow and painful death.  Farm workers who come to this country to better their lives and support their families, many of which are oblivious to the consequences associated with their jobs. 

I want you to consider this. Nature is smarter than anything that could ever be created in a lab.  It is perfect the way it is.  For this reason, a macrobiotic diet emphasizes  eating seasonally. To give an example, winter veggies like butternut squash and sweet potatoes are hearty and perfectly suited to our body’s natural need for denser, more caloric foods when the weather is cold out.   As the weather begins to warm, we naturally crave fresher, cooling foods like berries, nectarines and cucumbers.  Buying seasonal, organic produce not only protects you from harmful chemicals (Lord knows, anyone who lives in the city gets more than their fair share of these), but also protects the health of farm workers, our precious farmland and the voiceless animals for whom we can and SHOULD speak up.  As an added benefit, when you shop seasonally… you save money and your body gets the nutrients you were meant to have WHEN you were meant to have them.  What a novel idea!

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for weighing in with your thoughts and ideas.