Moo moo brown cow

I'm reading a terrific book called The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I'm not finished with it so I can't speak about the entire book but what I have read so far has definitely changed how I look at the food I eat. The book traces several meals from plate all the way back to the farm/factory where they were originally produced. In a world of processed foods it's somewhat startling to remember that there was an organic component somewhere back in the early gestation of my frozen dinner.

The description of the industrialization of cattle particularly moved me and I have decided that I will only eat grass fed beef from now on. Fortunately, my local Whole Foods carries plenty, and I have found that the grass fed ground beef actually has so much more flavor than the ground beef I used to buy. I made my standard meatloaf and was startled by how moist it was. Additionally, it was no more expensive. Talk about a win-win situation! I won't pretend that Whole Foods provides non-industrialized, local, sustainable foods but some of them have to be a step in the right direction. A cow that is fed by grass, and in turn fertilizes the pasture with their manure, creates a sustainable, mutually-beneficial environment.

I know we live in a democracy but it seems to me that my vote doesn't have a big impact. I vote once or twice a year and it's hard to translate the effects of my vote on my day-to-day life although I am sure there are effects. However, I now believe I cast a more important vote every day, every time I do or don't make a purchase. We live in a capitalist society and my buying choices really do shape the world around me. I have a responsibility to be a thoughtful shopper. I am choosing more sustainable products and I am choosing to buy less.

After 9/11 when the economy started to fall there was talk that spending money was good for America. While our economy certainly benefits temporarily from aggressive spending we can't sustain the level of debt that many Americans are accumulating. There has to be a limit to how much we can buy just as there is a limit to how much we can eat no matter how many different colors of ketchup or different types of fun shaped crackers hit the shelves. I have to think about my daughter's future and in her future I want there to be enough natural resources left that she can enjoy her life and the beautiful planet we inhabit. I try to weigh every purchase we make against the following considerations:

1. How long will we use it?
2. Is the packaging recyclable?
3. How will we dispose of it when we are done with it? (For example, can we resell it, recycle it, donate it, or do we have to toss it?)
4. When it does eventually get tossed, will it decompose quickly?