don't buy your christmas ornaments at walmart!

[Trek420]

Any of you remember when Sam Waldon (Walton?) - the founder - was alive and Walmart advertised that much of their merchandise was "Proudly made in the USA"? Many of the changes were made after he died.

Yes, if you listen carefully the whirring sound in the background is his rapidly rolling in his grave.

It's hard to be politically (whichever that means to you) correct. I sometimes am stopped in my tracks looking blankly at the shelves for hours trying to decide:
this coffee is in a biodegradable paper bag
but that one's organic
ooh, ooh, shade grown (happy migratory birds ) but it's not....
fair trade.

but wait, here's fair trade, organic shade grown, happy birdies STARBUCKS do I get the Peets next to it that's not shade grown?

groan.

I agree we should keep this positive. How do you find alternatives? And it's really not that hard or more expensive.

Today on the way home I stopped for gift wrap, tape, wrapping paper, paper plates, and a new birdfeeder ....all made in the USA. The feeder it took some looking through the shelves. The stuff is out there.

I do go to the local farmers market for my gorceries. small farm organics mostly. Okay so the fruit doesn't look perfect but its not coated with wax to make it look pretty. Okay so the tomato is slightly bruised but its vine ripened.

smilingcat

My Dad, a small family farmer used to say "If the bugs won't eat it neither will I"

And I think we can all agree that as well as the juicy tomato tasting better, local farms protect rural areas and rural areas are great places to ride! I'm sure overseas farmers are great (no offense to any Chileans etc on the board) but I .... ride .... here. And I breath here too.

Really no reason to fly stuff in from wherever when it can be grown here. We need our farmers for many reasons, green space, protecting wetlands, strengthening rural communities.

I read somewhere it only takes 8 families to support a small family farm. Can you imagine if more people bought local?