Willow Branches in Autumn Winds

A while back I read Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson, and committed to making a huge effort to purchase food, clothing and other goods in such a way that I wasn’t contributing to human trafficking, mistreatment of workers or the destruction of our environment. 

To that end, I have been buying most of our food lately from Whole Foods. Now, the prices at Whole Foods are not as steep as some assume, but there is no doubt that I could spend a lot less money doing my shopping at Marc’s, Aldi’s or Save-a-Lot.

Every now and then I start to wonder if it’s worth it. Are conventionally grown foods really that much different than organic or fair trade? Can I justify spending this much money a month on a family of three? How much difference can this actually make? As the interviewer in this article put it, “These tend to be privileged food conversations.”

But, articles like this strengthen my resolve. Yes, it is a privilege to have the means to spend more to buy organic tomatoes. I know that we are privileged, and that by global standards, we’re rich. But we also make sacrifices in other areas so we can try not to contribute to the mess that is modern agriculture. We’re not always successful—I honestly don’t know if it’s possible to avoid it altogether.

But when I read things like this I can feel good about trying.