"I'm not a plastic bag"

I would like to think that I have the environment in mind when making food choices. After all, we can all agree that when it comes to food, most people would like to know where exactly their food comes from and how did it get to them in the first place. Personally, I'm a nerd when it comes to food items such as fruit and vegetables and actually enjoy reading the little "Made in Guatemala" stickers or whatever country it may be. With geography and in particular geo-politics in mind, I wonder what exactly it took for that Granny Smith to make it to me in the first place. Is the apple from some tiny, quaint rural Guatemalan town or is it more likely to be from the outskirts of a place like Guatemala City and simply thrown onto the back of a truck? My guess is Option 2: Guatemala City, but your guess is as good as mine.

Regardless of what type of environment the apple came from, it is even more interesting to wonder who exactly was responsible for picking the apples, managing the orchards or farms, and ultimately who is in charge of the overall operations that allowed me to purchase the apple in a grocery store thousands of miles away from its birthplace. This is where the labor issue comes into the story.

If we are talking about keeping the environment in mind, then it is important to keep the workers in mind. Is the worker being paid a decent living wage on the apple orchard? How are the living conditions on that same orchard? Perhaps questions like these have encouraged some people to opt for organic foods in grocery stores such as Whole Foods, where they are more likely to know where exactly their food items come from. Yet, just because a product was grown locally, does not always mean it is environmentally or ecologically friendly. I have nothing against places like Whole Foods and Trader Joes. I love them, especially because I live above a Trader Joes at home, but I wonder sometimes why people shop at these places so much? I have come to realize that a lot of the reason has to do with the culture that comes along with shopping at trendy grocery stores like these. Being a Whole Foods shopper does not just mean you are buying groceries, but instead it comes with a type of progressive culture that is aimed at the "saving the planet" type of crowd. The people who truly believe they "do their part for helping the environment" through buying organic foods, using their "i'm not a plastic bag" to carry their items home, and maybe even opting for that $4 Odwalla every once and awhile. There is no problem with this kind of lifestyle, even if it means spending a few more dollars on a Granny Smith that was locally grown on an orchard in the town over. But, it is still important to make an effort to take this type of mindset with a grain of salt. Yes, maybe it is trendy or more liberating to shop at Co-Ops or Whole Foods instead of the overwhelmingly large and crowded Sam's Club or Cub Foods. But, the real question is related to whether or not your food items have had a greater environmental impact on the social, political, and economic systems of where and who it came from in the first place.

I have to admit, if we're talking about the food or drinks we have consumed in the past few days, then the eco-footprint for my choices would not be the greatest example of what to do right. I eat a lot of chicken, vegetables, and fruits, but even more so I drink a lot of Chai tea and coffee products. If anything, I pay closer attention to the types of wasteful containers, plastics, and styrofoams that are used everyday so that I can have my coffee or tea. I have started to use my own mugs and containers more, but the reality is that it is very convenient to order a drink at places like Starbucks where you don't have to always worry about bringing your own cup, especially if you're in a rush. I know this may seem trivial in terms of one coffee cup, but I think it's important to think about how your eco-footprint can affect the environment in relation to waste. Just think of the thousands of others out there who are consuming the same types of coffee or tea drinks each day. Where does that waste go? Luckily, I believe our generation is more socially conscious of environmental effects, but we still have a problem with actually taking action to solve many problems. Maybe that Granny Smith was from the neighboring town, but does that alone make it better and more environmentally friendly than the Guatemalan apple that was shipped over a few days ago? It is definitely a question worth investigating.