Low Price, at What Cost?

I was reading through some things on the Internet and came across an intriguing article, entitled,Buying Green Masks Reality. I read the article with great interest, and finally, with more agreement than I had at first thought I would.

You see, just buying green is not going to fix problems. It is not going to change the excessive spending habits that are crushing American families. It is not going to change the fact that on rainy days many of us drive to our mailboxes at the end of our driveways so we don’t get wet. It isn’t going to change the fact that we want to be academically superior, electronically amused at all times, and in perfect health 365 days a year.

If you are wondering how, or why, I am writing this on a coffee and tea blog, then keep reading.

Last month I did a poll. The question was, Is buying Fair Trade Coffee important to you? Most of you who answered said, “Yes, but I can’t afford it”.

does that mean that we truly can’t afford the 12.95 a pound Fair Trade Coffee, or does it mean that we can’t afford to drink the five cups a day of fair trade, that we can drink of the less expensive stuff?

At some point, the price of something has to be balanced against the cost of something. The price of the Fair Trade coffees and teas is admittedly, often a few dollars more than the other kinds, however the cost of the coffee that is not fair trade is the deforestation of practically an entire continent, men and women who are working for fractions of pennies to put food in their children…Fair trade coffee means habitat conservation for many species of animals and birds. Ethically traded means that families get a fair price for their work.

My husband was in the Marine Corps. His knees are in terrible shape and he is in a wheel chair for the pain much of the time. He is on hydrocodone, a opiate patch, and several other medicines for pain, all at the same time. He lost his job because of his wheelchair. The Veteran’s Administration has him at a 10% disability rating. 117.00 a month. He is not getting paid what he is worth. He is not getting paid in accordance with what he has given. We are in no way asking for welfare, or special consideration. We are asking for fair trade.

In the same way, I am coming to understand that these farmers are not asking for special consideration. They are not asking to be carried, or given something for nothing. They are working hard to produce an excellent product, and are asking for a fair recompense for their labor.

Maybe that means that instead of drinking five pots of coffee a day, I can only afford to drink one. Is that going to be such a bad thing? Maybe it means my life will be a bit more inconvenient. Harder to find the coffee…I will be forced to drink more water.

We have become a nation that values convenience and comfort over our souls. We will shop to get the cheapest price no matter that the cost of our tennis shoes was kept low by using eight year olds to manufacture them.

We buy organic from large companies that are raising animals as unethically as the nonorganic companies. We will pay 30% more just to say we are buying organic and feel good over it…but we will drive past the local farmstand to buy tasteless tomatoes for 20 cents less a pound at Walmart. Who needs my support more, the farmer or Wal-mart? More importantly, who do I prefer to support?

Soapbox? You bet. We are fat, lazy, and more concerned that we have the newest technology than we are about the quality of food we eat. If a manufacturer could figure out a way to make dog poop taste like a pop tart they would make billions.

As much as I can, I hope that the reviews, and the products that I write about here will increasingly be eco friendly, fair trade, and supportive to society.

Easter is about a new beginning. The chance to wipe away old sins and begin new habits. Even if you do not believe in the Resurrection of Christ, then you will at least agree that Spring has traditionally been a time of beginnings.

The challenge then, from me, to you and to myself, is to begin to be more aware of shopping habits. More aware of what we spend and more aware of what we buy. More aware of who exactly we are supporting with purchases.

This weekend think about what I have said. I know I will be.  If you have a chance check out  the Organic Consumers Association for some eye-opening information about organics.