Posts tagged Farmers

It’s tough to have a conscience! If you’re trying to live in a way that is sustainable and ethical, you can sometimes end up facing some tough decisions. If you haven’t faced them yet, this should get you thinking and asking yourself the hard questions.

You’ll have to tackle these dilemmas on your own, but one suggestion (i.e. this writer’s solution) is given for each. And these are just some of the questions.

Food miles vs Fair Trade. On one hand, it’s important to support local farmers and growers, and to keep carbon emissions to a minimum. On the other hand, some developing countries rely on exporting food as their main way out of the poverty trap and need folk like you to buy them – double this for Fair Trade products, which have often been set up by aid agencies to help people help themselves. One answer: buy fresh fruit and veggies as locally as possible but buy Fair Trade coffee, tea and cocoa.

Budget vs. Packaging. Why is it that the cheap stuff has more packaging than the expensive stuff (or comes in plastic rather than recyclable wrapping)? Many of us are looking for ways to cut costs here and there, but sometimes the more sustainable option is the more expensive? Do you reduce costs (and use the money saved for a good cause) or reduce waste? One answer: go for the cheaper one and become fanatical about recycling all you can. Some people have opted for sending back all unwanted packaging to the supermarket or to the manufacturer and letting them deal with it – eventually, they’ll get the message!

Cheap vs. Designer. On one hand, you may want to avoid the ethos of flaunting your wealth and spending large amounts of money on, say, footwear, buying cheaper brands and putting the money saved elsewhere. However, those cheaper brands of shoes may well (a) be produced by some company overseas that exploits workers shamelessly and (b) only last a year before they fall to bits; the expensive shoes last a lifetime and the companies pay their workers better. One answer: go for well-made items. They are cheaper in the long run as well as being better ethically. See Terry Pratchett’s Men at Arms for an explanation of how this works.

Genetic Modification vs. Medicine. You may be completely against genetic modification, and fair enough too. However, hundreds of Type 1 diabetics around the world are kept alive thanks to insulin sourced from genetically modified pigs. This is one where the answers are clear-cut: accept the life-saving medication with gratitude but avoid genetically modified food.

Stress vs. Soda. It’s true that making your own natural domestic cleaners are better for you and better for the environment. It’s also true that some natural cleaners need a bit more elbow grease, which can leave you exhausted and frazzled – which is also bad for your health. However, plain baking soda doesn’t need any more elbow grease than some chemical-laden spray-on wonder product. And many products can be made up well beforehand when you have a bit more time to potter around.

Reducing energy vs. Health. It’s true that you can reduce your energy consumption and power bill by turning off the heater a bit more (or turning down the central heating) and by lowering the thermostat on your hot water cylinder. However, a warm home where the average room temperature is 15-20C is healthier to live in and helps the body fight off oodles of infections. Also, if your hot water cylinder temperature drops below 60C, it can become a breeding ground for horrible bacteria. Answer: only heat the rooms you need, insulate your house like anything and lag the hot water pipe. Also limit the amount of hot water you use.