Buy Local

I've been engrossed in reading about health and sustainability as of the past several days, which will be a subject frequently commented on in upcoming posts. The more I read, the more it ties into thoughts on political, social, and economic history, mistakes, successes, and opportunity. Americans are facing many problems that aren't so new but get increasingly worse, while the developing world could only wish they could face similar problems with the relative comfort that we enjoy in a society mostly without violence, fear of not being able to make the next meal, or get necessary care and medicine for an ailing loved one or child.

You can't attack the broad issues all at once, so let's pick a bunch of little ones to gain momentum. Start supporting your local economies again. Forego chains and go back to the locally owned shop or restaurant. Keep money circulating and accumulating within your community, and as this notion spreads throughout a small town or rural village and everyone takes part, we won't need to worry about the worldwide corporations following tortuous distribution chains and come in to undersell local businesses. Start seeing your neighbor as a necessary ally and build relationships instead of equating the cheapest product or meal as the best choice regardless of how it got on your plate or into your shopping bag.

With the exposure of why we shouldn't trust big business and big financial institutions, the time is ripe to gain independence from them while the wool has been removed from our eyes.

And if your interested in what I've been reading, check out everything Michael Pollan has to say about food, health, and the social and moral implications of bad agribusiness practices, as well as Greg Horn's comprehensive Living Green: A Practical Guide to Sustainability.

Also, Pollan has a great TED talk which can be viewed here.