Thrifty vs Green and Ethical
I know that generally the simpler lifestyle is one that is naturally thrifty and also kinder to our environment but ever since finishing the wonderful book ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’ by Barabara Kingsolver I’ve been more aware than I was before about the potentially harmful chemicals used during food production (chemical pesticides and fertilisers on fruit and veg, antibiotics used on intensively/battery farmed animals especially milk producing cattle and meat producing livestock/poultry).
I’ve begun to buy organic produce wherever possible especially for the food I plan to give to my children to eat or drink (I never used to bother with organic milk although I had heard that if you were going to buy just one organic food product then this is the one to choose as over 75% of the total amount of antibiotics produced are used on farmed dairy cattle).
My food shopping bill has increased dramatically with this new enlightened way of shopping. The simple way to reduce it again would be for us to reduce the amount of meat we eat as a family and to grow more of our own food whenever we can.
I love vegetarian food but the lovely man I am married to is a meat-man through and through so alas lots of meat stays on the list. The growing season for us is now over but next year we will grow more and perhaps will ask our landlord for permission to keep a couple of chickens.
PS: How about thrifty clothing vs ethical or organic clothing. If you want to save money you would understand the magnetism of chain stores selling uber cheap clothing (Primark, Matalan et al) but the mind boggles when trying to work out how they can sell at such prices who and where are these clothes being made? Ethical clothing or organic clothing sells at a premium. For me the answer lies in having your own style instead of following what is deemed to be fashionable (yeh right surely the people dictating the fashions are the same people who have abig profits being gained from fashion industries). You can look cool on clothes swapped with friends, bought from second hand/charity shops, why you can even wear the same things each year if you choose classic well made pieces instead of thro-away fashion destined to be in landfill in just a few seasons time. My kids are dressed from head to toe in second hand clothes. The dresses my five year old daughter has are stunning. They are made by big names in beautiful fabrics. The baby wears hand me downs from friends and I wear mostly the stuff I’ve owned for ages.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:22 am
Organic food certainly costs quite a bit more, that’s true, although I’ve found some good deals at local farms shops. I’m afraid the carnivore in me is having difficulty giving up meat so I do understand your husband - hopefully I’ll be able to cut my food bills next year by growing more of my own produce too.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Well done. I think it is an excellent idea to try to buy more organic foods, if for no other reason than to reduce the levels of pesticides we consume. Good luck with your transition!
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I just want to clarify something - in the UK antibiotics are only given to sick animals. While using antibiotics, their milk is not permitted to enter our food chain. On entry to the processing plant, the tanker is tested and if any antibiotic is found, the whole tanker is discarded (samples are also taken en route, so any contamination can be traced to a specific farm). These procedures are followed for our safety.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Hi KH
That’s really interesting and thanks very much for taking the time to comment. I was under the impression that all intensively farmed poultry (chickens, turkeys etc) were given antibiotics in their feed as a matter of course otherwise they would just not live long enough in those filthy, appaling conditions to make profitable meat.
I guess even if some of my fears are unfounded at least by shopping organically wherever possible and when affordable I am supporting farmers and food producers who feel the same way I do about the condition of soil and how animals are treated.
Cathie
September 6th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Hi,
Most chickens and turkeys are intensively produced - feed is mostly processed grain mix with other stuff added. A book that has lots more info is ‘Not on the Label’ by F.Lawrence.
However, when it comes to meat (beef/lamb/pork), conventionally produced is not the same as intensively produced. This is partly where we found a small butcher useful (ours uses local suppliers who he is willing to name and it works out cheaper than the supermarket).
If you want your produce free of chemicals (especially important with fruit like apples which are liberally sprayed), organic is the way to go.
Another great book is ‘The Vitamin Murders’ by Fergusson. It looks at how food production has changed in Europe over the past few decades. Both the books I have mentioned are factual (despite their titles) and I first read them from our public library.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Hiya, I must say I think ‘organic’ is one of those buzz words…where did it come from!?! I swear it wasn’t banded around as much 10 years ago. I prefer to buy local rather than organic. I buy my dairy products from local producers, I buy my meat from the local farm shop - not one of those fancy schmancy farm shops but one where 90% of the produce is actually from the farm and not flown in from Africa (that’s one of the pitfalls of ‘organic’). My local farmer couldn’t afford to officially register themselves as organic even though they don’t use any chemicals and meet all the requirements. I’ve managed to keep costs down by making things from scratch and also from using frozen and tinned veg. I think people tend to forget frozen veg is almost as good as fresh, in fact ‘fresh’ veg is often not as fresh as you think. Sometimes it could have been sitting around in warehouses for days! I’ve recently been out picking blackberries and apples, and making soups and chutneys as well. At least by making things you can see what has gone into it. If you do get the opportunity to grow your own veg than I highly recommend it, children seem to love it and they learn so much about where their food comes from.
September 21st, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Thanks so much for these latest comments. Strange that Sian wrote today when just last week I made a decision to be open minded about the term ‘organic’ when I got taking with our local butcher and his attitude towards the organic labelling of meat. The meat he stocks is essentially organic in that it is outdoor reared down the road from us here, humanely treated during their lives and slaughtered near to the farm they are raised on. They have pictures of happy roaming pigs and chickens but cannot sell it as organic due to them not neither the farm not the butcher’s shop being certified by the soil association. I would prefer to give him my business than Tesco who do stock a wide range of officially organic meat. I trust his judgement.