When Gary Hirshberg, co-founder of Stonyfield Farm, declared, “Be an activist whenever you shop,” I had to agree. ( Watch his recent Bioneers Conference keynote address at www.bioneers.org). This issue is about being an activist with food and money, both of which profoundly impact our health and our planet, and how to make our collective impact even more positive.
Good news: America is finally beginning to recognize the personal and economic value of safe, healthy food. But we still have issues about what, when, and how much to eat. In many ways this is the heart of health care, entailing a variety of social and environmental consequences.
Especially since our Summer 2008 Organic Foods issue, I have enjoyed learning about locally grown food. Here in food-crazy Santa Fe our local Edible Santa Fe publication, part of the national Edible Communities network, has raised our town\’s awareness of locally grown food. Edible Santa Fe Editor Kate Manchester and the Farm to Restaurant Project of the Santa Fe Alliance started me thinking seriously about healthy local and regional food issues. Food shouldn\’t have to travel 1500 miles before it lands on my plate; I can shop with more positive impact at the locally owned La Montanita Food Co-op and the Santa Fe farmers market, and eat at the restaurants sourcing food from local and regional farmers.
Bottom line, eating locally grown food represents mutual gain and shared prosperity while acknowledging that stakeholders in our communities are interdependent.
Of course, GreenMoney has long promoted organic farming and fair trade. We\’ve attended and reported on conferences such as All Things Organic and Natural Products Expo West, and I have shopped at Whole Foods Market for many years, along with owning stock in the company (Stock Symbol: WFMI) and supporting their Whole Planet Foundation which provides micro-loans to farmers. But, with the emphasis on local production and consumption, the healthy food issue has become personal for me and for many others. Among the wide range of food topics people are discussing: permaculture, biodynamic farming, product safety and recalls, factory farming, integrity of organic standards, food-labeling, GMOs, water rights, green jobs in organic ag, increased access to organic foods, healthier school lunches, and ending child labor in sourcing cocoa.
We\’re also looking at a larger conversation of ecosystem services, which are the benefits that nature provides to people. Food, water, timber and cotton for clothes are some of the most familiar and visible services, but there are unseen benefits that we too often take for granted. For example, forests sequester carbon and mitigate climate change, and wetlands filter and purify water.
What can\’t be grown locally for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, are such items as coffee or chocolate, and it\’s with these that our shopping decisions really intersect with the welfare of people and the planet.
For example, consider a Fair Trade Certified Organic chocolate bar from Alter Eco (http://www.altereco-usa.com ) purchased here in Santa Fe. The label states that it is Fair Trade Certified by TransFair USA and is USDA Organic. The chocolate comes from El Ceibo Cooperative in Bolivia, where the cocoa beans are grown, harvested, processed, and sold by people in the Amazonian basin. Fair Trade Certification means that these workers and communities receive a fair share of the profits. USDA Organic Certification means the product is grown without numerous toxins or GMOs and is backed by rigorous Federal agricultural standards.
How can chocolate consumption impact the planet? Consider that the U.S. yearly per capita chocolate consumption is 11.7 pounds, for a national total of over three and a half billion pounds. When even a small percent of Americans buy chocolate with Fair Trade Certified and the USDA Organic logos they create countless opportunities for native growers and help free children from virtual slavery.
On to this issue: We open with friend and fellow New Mexican Woody Tasch examining his fast growing Slow Money organization. Next, organic farming insider Bob Scowcroft gives us his take on the industry and what is required for organics to flourish. SRI financial professional Kathy Leonard looks at the world of organics from the investor and customer point of view, and finally, our long-time editor Ted Ketcham shares a brief update on the Fair Trade coffee marketplace.
Also here on GreenMoney.com you\’ll find more great articles, including a report from the recent Social Capital Markets conference, plus insights shared by the founders of Maggie\’s Organic Clothes and Kopali Organic Foods.
Finally some reading recommendations for yourself and your Holiday Gift list: “The Blue Economy,” by Gunter Pauli; “Sustainable Excellence,” by Aron Cramer and Zachery Karabell; “Water Matters” edited by Tara Lohan, “The HIP Investor,” by R. Paul Herman; “Building Social Business,” by Muhammad Yunus; “Street Smart Sustainability, by David Mager and Joe Sibilia; and “The Better World Shopping Guide,” by Ellis Jones.
One other Holiday Gift idea: The New Mexico Environmental Law Center is now offering 3 excellent chocolate bars called ‘Justice Bars.\’ They come in Milk Chocolate Pecan, Dark Chocolate Mint, and Dark Chocolate Chile. They are made locally with New Mexico ingredients and organic chocolate. Go to www.nmelc.org for ordering information.
Here\’s to the New Year and all of its promise.
