Thursday, October 13, 2005

joint stewardship

so, i'll do my best to explain and dialogue about this concept. the guy that spoke about it just mentioned it briefly, but it stuck in my mind and so i brought it up here.

basically, this guy is a farmer. many people would say that he, as a landowner, has a responsibility to use the most environmentally friendly farming techniques, needs to pay the best wages, needs to not use pesticides, whatever. these voices generally are coming from those that do not have land, etc. they are urban voices. his response, and his thesis dealt with this as well, is that yes, this may be true, but, our urban responsibility is to pay more at the grocery store. it is to find and support those that are making responsible choices listed above. it is to also drive less, be environmentally responsible as well. i am sure there is more to the theory, but that was a basic sketch he gave us. plus some more that has washed out of my mind in the last few days.

these aren't completely new, unheard of ideas. but, they still need to be said. and, realistically, we all want the best deal on stuff, so it creates environments like walmart, who undercuts the price on everything, screws every producer, so that american joe can get a tv for cheap. nevermind that this undercutting process has eliminated the ability for any u.s. companies to produce said tv in the states. (well, there is 1 factory in the u.s. that still makes tv's. really 1.) in similar fashion, we want banana for 50cents a bunch, etc. the governator wants us to buy california vegetables etc because that keeps our economy going. that's good, but lets also buy responsibly produced products. and that means paying more, making choices.

alas, most of us don't want to do that. we mortage our values at most every turn for the chance to save a nickel. perhaps these stated values aren't really our true values?

13 comments:

Justin said...

did you and adam start buying produce from that farm in madera he mentioned on his blog? I think Kate Wentland gets deliveries from them and realy likes the quality and variety.

Adam said...

We've just about got a group lined up to go forward with it. I would guess that we'll have it going in a week or two.

Adam said...

So basically, this guy is saying, that if you have certain values or expectations for your world, you need to live up to and support them.

If I want A, say organically grown fresh vegetables, then I need to accomplish B, live in an area where that is viable, and pay whatever dollar prices that requires. If I live in Antarctica, can I not demand or be a proponent for fresh organic vegetables, even though I couldn't possibly have them? Or is this too extreme?

edluv said...

you could be a propent of such, as well as pay to actually get them. really, you could live in antartica, get fresh veggies from say argentina, but it's going to cost you.

but, if you want to get corn 10 for a dollar, it's probably pesticide coated, cheap wager picked, and so on. so, are you willing to only get 3 for a dollar in season if it means it's done with a higher ethic?

Adam said...

In my case, yes.

edluv said...

right. and that is the stewardship on the part of the urban dweller. or at least part of it. now you also have a more economical/efficient car. that's another piece. add some more parts.

Adam said...

I could dry and incinerate the fecal matter from my cats' litter boxes thereby creating heat during the winter monthes for my apartment.

Justin said...

I'm not coming to Adams apartment in December.

Adam said...

It would be a totally enclosed system with water pipes running around the incinerator/furnace and then the pipes running through the floor and walls. C'mon!

edluv said...

but, the incineration may not be environmentally friendly. in light of the valley's ban on fireplaces, i must rule out your burning cat crap idea.

Unknown said...

If you live in Antarctica, even paying an exorbitant amount to someone to transport the fresh organic produce there might be unethical (fossil fuels and the like). maybe if you had a cat-crap-powered steamboat.

Anonymous said...

To be totally random, the thought of Willey Farms and their wonderful and amazing produce that we used to get is making me extremely homesick. All I want is a tomato that actually looks and tastes like a tomato (and yes, I've paid up to $8 a pound for organic heirloom ones, which might bring up the issue of stewardship of our money). No farmers markets, no subscription services, no choices.
Oh, and on a cat note - you don't see them around here like we did in CA. I'm assuming it has something to do with the gators and large snakes they keep finding everywhere.

JPN said...

I'm totally into this conversation late, but what you are talking about is what I see as wrong with the environmentally-friendly left in our country. I'm totally with protecting the environment, there's no question its God's creation and we need to be good stewards of it. But those talking heads make me puke, because they are not immune to the problems our environment is facing, they just want to blame the big business. Like a fellow teacher who complains about the oil industry but drives over an hour to work every day so that he can live at his lake house. Is he not a part of the problem. Will he pay the higher prices to insure more enviro-friendly products? Probably not. Like you all have said, we Americans are also to blame as we will not pay higher prices to protect the environment, Adam has said he would, he is in the clear minority, although I would like to say I would too. We Americans think only about our pocketbooks, and the way we have credited ourselves to the limit, we have no choice.

Sorry for the rant, I hope it makes sense. Great post!