conscious consumption 217
Join Slow Food and attend some local events to meet oth-
ers who are reclaiming their connection with locally grown
foods.
Volunteer with local, organic food consumers in planting
neighborhood gardens, organizing fund - raising dinners to
enhance community educational efforts, and uniting farmers ’ ,
restaurateurs ’ , and educators ’ efforts.
Research and support activities that help economically
underprivileged people become empowered to grow their
own food. You may want to assess the work of Bread for the
World ( http://www.bread.org ), World Vision ( http://www.worldvision.org ),
Heifer Project ( http://www.heifer.org ), Christian Children ’ s Fund
( http://www.childfund.org ), Journey to Forever ( http://www.journeytofor
ever.org ), and World Neighbors ( http://www.wn.org ).
Buy the fi fteen - minute children ’ s movie The True Cost of
Food , which would be the ultimate gift for your child ’ s or
grandchild ’ s physical education teacher. Or if you don ’ t have
children, offer to show the fi lm to a local summer camp or at
an outing sponsored by an environmental organization such
as the Sierra Club ( http://www.sierraclub.org ).
Again, end your day with a heartfelt journal entry; you may
want to refl ect on how your consciousness has expanded in
relation to your overall consumption of foods and various
products. Get honest with yourself about where you are and
where you are going in this regard. Who knows? You may be
on your way to heading up your community ’ s Going Green
project, with a PERT - charted game plan.You already know that diet alone doesn ’ t create the optimal
weight and the good health that you want for the long haul. You
have likely proved this to yourself through many previous attempts
that did not bear the fruits you desired. In fact, you share this
history and frustration with millions of people.
As this book goes to press, the United States is spending approx-
imately twice as much as other industrialized nations do on health
care. Yet despite an annual expenditure of more than $ 7,100 per