Shopping and Food Meeting Support Tools

Globally, the 20% of the world's people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures - the poorest 20% a miniscule 1.3%.

Making simple choices in your purchasing habits can have a significant impact on your everyday life. How and where you choose to spend your money drives the amount of packaging on your products, the amount of organic, locally-grown ingredients in your food, and the availability of resource-efficient or non-toxic products available for you to buy. Every dollar counts. Spend wisely.

 

Text Box: Did you know... A child born in the industrial world adds more to consumption and pollution over his or her lifetime than do 30-50 children born in developing countries. (Center for a New American Dream) In the US, distributors, marketers and input suppliers take 91 cents of every food dollar, while farmers keep only 9 cents. (The Ecologist)

 
   

What You Can Do About Shopping Issues

  
 

Top 3 of 10

1. Consume less - Visit Globalissues.org for more information on consumerism.

2. Shop with sustainability in mind - for every item you buy, think of how it was produced, how you will consume it, store it, maintain it, and dispose of it. Buy only what you need. Visit Earth911 for more sustainable shopping tips.

3. Shop locally - Support small "mom and pop" shops owned by members of your community.

According to a Case Study prepared by Civic Economics for Libable City Autsin, "Local retailers generate substantially greater economic impact than chain retailers; development of urban sites with directly competitive chain merchants will reduce the overall vigor of hte local economy and, lastly, modest changes in cnsumer spending habits can generate substantial local economic impact." (www.liveablecity.org)

What You Can Do About Food Issues

Top 3 of 10

1. Buy organic foods - See the National Organic Program for more information on organic food

2. Shop at Farmer's Markets - Shopping at a Farmer's Market versus large chain grocery stores provides great quality food at competitive prices; less pollution, because the produce is locally grown; support for local farmers; and it brings communities together. Find a market near your home.

3. Become a vegetarian or vegan - Meat production has an incredible environmental impact. Raising animals for food requires more than half the water used in the United States and is the biggest polluter of our water and topsoil. Take the VegPledge today!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Eco-Friendly Markets:

One World - An international organization committed to a world where resources are shared fairly and sustainably, where human rights are nurtured and protected, and where democratic governance structures enable people to shape their own lives.

 

Community Supported Agriculture - You can buy directly from an organic farm by subscribing to a CSA. Subscribers can pick up produce every week or bi-monthly a box of organic produce from a pick up area in their neighborhood. Cost of membership varies by farm and region.