Dear Mothers,
I can’t win.
I can’t win.
Even when it's something as ordinary as peanut butter, there are variables the sum of which equal a purchase I can feel good about.
I want organic. And not just for
my health. While workers at organic
farms endure what amounts to slave
labor practices, at least they aren’t inhaling and touching poison like the men, women and children working chemical farms (in Doublespeak: conventional farms).
I want only
peanuts. Not sugar. Not HFCS. Not hydrogenated vegetable oils. Go figure.
I want a glass
container. Recycling is undergoing a major shift
and its future is unclear. Besides, I don’t want to
support the petroleum-military-complex any more than necessary by buying plastic.
Buying glass means:
1) I can recycle it via Ripple
2) it'll be turned into something useful right here in our region
3) I'll be supporting a local business = supporting local families
4) less petroleum use
5) less plastic being shipped somewhere far for recycling or landfilled
1) I can recycle it via Ripple
2) it'll be turned into something useful right here in our region
3) I'll be supporting a local business = supporting local families
4) less petroleum use
5) less plastic being shipped somewhere far for recycling or landfilled
Yes, all this goes through my mind
as I shuffle through pretty much any store quoting Michael Douglas (albeit for different reasons) in Falling Down: “this whole shelf is
suspect.”
After navigating a vertical mile of PB, I finally found this:
organic peanut butter in a
glass jar
I was so ecstatic, I missed this:
Each time you see the words palm
oil understand it means the loss of habitat. Translate that into dead orangutans. And elephants. And tigers.
Understand it means the loss of
indigenous, independent ways of life for a people. Understand it means the eradication of a carbon sink.
Sacrificing people + the planet = cheap food.
Sacrificing people + the planet = cheap food.
Momrades, it is soul death to deny what we know in the service of variables that do not equal our integrity. If we do not make these seemingly minor choices with integrity, how will we train for the significant decisions climate change will force upon us?
This happened to me too! And then I was forced to eat something I abhor because I didn't want to be wasteful. And I was so mad at Aldi for stocking a product with palm oil when they've been heavily marketing their organicness.
ReplyDeleteUgh, that's frustrating. I too like that Aldi sells more organics now but wow, so much of it has palm oil :(
DeleteThis is the no-stir peanut butter. Santa Cruz Organic makes peanut butter without palm oil. You just have to stir it. But once you stir it you can put the jar in your fridge and it doesn't separate anymore between butter and oil.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that tip. I'll look for it. I don't mind stirring.
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