Making Ethical Choices: Do What You Can
nocturnalia posted an excellent article on the hideousness of industrial egg production.
The obvious choice, after reading that article and understanding what you're participating in when buying an egg, would be to stop buying eggs. And yet, I still continue to. Why? Because I've tried going egg-free and I felt strongly that my body was missing something integral. It may not always be like that for me, and I do not feel that, therefore, everybody needs to eat eggs. On the contrary; I feel we should all make the best choice we can in any given situation. I feel better when I have the occasional egg dish. At the same time, I actually have an egg sensitivity, which is a gratitude-inducing self-limiting factor in my egg-consumption. Additionally, once the Smallest can eat a wider variety of protein- and fat-containing foods, I'll feel better about ditching the eggs, my own needs be damned. I'll be able to supplant my egg need with the nuts I can't currently safely use (we've only introduced two nuts, at this point).
We buy, at most, 18 eggs a month but usually a dozen, which is split unequally between 3 people. The eggs we buy are the most ethically-raised I have been able to find in downtown TO. I do what I can to create the least amount of suffering for the chickens and choose not to purchase industry eggs because, for me, that's too much blood on my hands.
This is one area. There are a multitude of other areas where there are ethical and unethical choices to be made with respect to our consumption.
Take, for instance, the article I posted a year ago June: A journey into the most savage war in the world: My travels in the Democratic Vacuum of Congo. Read this all the way through and then try to justify purchases of new electronics. I couldn't, so I vowed not to buy new electronics. It's been one year, 2.5 months, a previously-owned camera, and a second-hand laptop later (which was repaired using second-hand materials), and I'm still happy with my choice. This is not to say that it has always been easy. But minor frustration on my part? A small price to pay for knowing I'm not causing more pain and suffering for the women and children and families (but mostly the women) in the DRC by avoiding making purchases that perpetuate their suffering.
Likewise, there is an annual challenge, posted by Crunchy Chicken, to use cloth wipes instead of toilet paper. Why? Because toilet paper comes from trees. Because Kimberley-Clarke, a company that manufactures tissues and toilet paper, hacks down old-growth forests so that we can wipe our asses and blow our noses. Let me repeat that: Old-growth forests, which take millions of years to form, are being destroyed, along with millions of creatures great and small who inhabit these forests, so that you can wipe your butt.
Boycott Kimberley-Clarke, you say. To which I respond: Of course, and how far are you going to take that boycott? What will you wipe yourself with, if, say, you're in a Tim Horton's washroom and all that is available is K-C toilet paper?
Additionally, use only recycled hygiene paper products, you say. At which point, I bring up all the energy, water, and gasoline consumed in the process, not to mention the air that gets polluted, with manufacture and distribution of each roll of toilet paper, which then gets flushed down the toilet or tossed in the trash/green bin/compost heap.
For my own part, I do use recycled toilet paper. I also have a rather small stash of cloth wipes that I use and I've been meaning to make more for over a year now, so that I don't run out mid-week and so that I can bring some with me and use while I'm out. Yes, I'm serious. I already carry wipes and a wet bag for the Smallest; a few more wipes in the bag won't break my back. It's just a matter of making the time to make the wipes. As for kleenex, we've had one box open for well over a year now and it's for guests. We use handkerchiefs only, even -- especially -- when we have a cold. Cloth is so much softer than paper. For all your parts!
For questions regarding resource usage with cloth versus toilet paper, click the link to Crunchy Chicken's blog entry.
Anyway, my point is that there are thousands of issues to contend with on a daily basis and it gets overwhelming very quickly when we look into the heart of things and discover just how fucked up it all is. Nothing is black and white, and everything is messed up. We pick our battles and do the best we can with the knowledge we have in concert with the circumstances we are in.
Do what you can to learn more about the world you live in so that you can make more conscientious choices. As Maya Angelou said, "When You Know Better, You Do Better." And it's true.
The obvious choice, after reading that article and understanding what you're participating in when buying an egg, would be to stop buying eggs. And yet, I still continue to. Why? Because I've tried going egg-free and I felt strongly that my body was missing something integral. It may not always be like that for me, and I do not feel that, therefore, everybody needs to eat eggs. On the contrary; I feel we should all make the best choice we can in any given situation. I feel better when I have the occasional egg dish. At the same time, I actually have an egg sensitivity, which is a gratitude-inducing self-limiting factor in my egg-consumption. Additionally, once the Smallest can eat a wider variety of protein- and fat-containing foods, I'll feel better about ditching the eggs, my own needs be damned. I'll be able to supplant my egg need with the nuts I can't currently safely use (we've only introduced two nuts, at this point).
We buy, at most, 18 eggs a month but usually a dozen, which is split unequally between 3 people. The eggs we buy are the most ethically-raised I have been able to find in downtown TO. I do what I can to create the least amount of suffering for the chickens and choose not to purchase industry eggs because, for me, that's too much blood on my hands.
This is one area. There are a multitude of other areas where there are ethical and unethical choices to be made with respect to our consumption.
Take, for instance, the article I posted a year ago June: A journey into the most savage war in the world: My travels in the Democratic Vacuum of Congo. Read this all the way through and then try to justify purchases of new electronics. I couldn't, so I vowed not to buy new electronics. It's been one year, 2.5 months, a previously-owned camera, and a second-hand laptop later (which was repaired using second-hand materials), and I'm still happy with my choice. This is not to say that it has always been easy. But minor frustration on my part? A small price to pay for knowing I'm not causing more pain and suffering for the women and children and families (but mostly the women) in the DRC by avoiding making purchases that perpetuate their suffering.
Likewise, there is an annual challenge, posted by Crunchy Chicken, to use cloth wipes instead of toilet paper. Why? Because toilet paper comes from trees. Because Kimberley-Clarke, a company that manufactures tissues and toilet paper, hacks down old-growth forests so that we can wipe our asses and blow our noses. Let me repeat that: Old-growth forests, which take millions of years to form, are being destroyed, along with millions of creatures great and small who inhabit these forests, so that you can wipe your butt.
Boycott Kimberley-Clarke, you say. To which I respond: Of course, and how far are you going to take that boycott? What will you wipe yourself with, if, say, you're in a Tim Horton's washroom and all that is available is K-C toilet paper?
Additionally, use only recycled hygiene paper products, you say. At which point, I bring up all the energy, water, and gasoline consumed in the process, not to mention the air that gets polluted, with manufacture and distribution of each roll of toilet paper, which then gets flushed down the toilet or tossed in the trash/green bin/compost heap.
For my own part, I do use recycled toilet paper. I also have a rather small stash of cloth wipes that I use and I've been meaning to make more for over a year now, so that I don't run out mid-week and so that I can bring some with me and use while I'm out. Yes, I'm serious. I already carry wipes and a wet bag for the Smallest; a few more wipes in the bag won't break my back. It's just a matter of making the time to make the wipes. As for kleenex, we've had one box open for well over a year now and it's for guests. We use handkerchiefs only, even -- especially -- when we have a cold. Cloth is so much softer than paper. For all your parts!
For questions regarding resource usage with cloth versus toilet paper, click the link to Crunchy Chicken's blog entry.
Anyway, my point is that there are thousands of issues to contend with on a daily basis and it gets overwhelming very quickly when we look into the heart of things and discover just how fucked up it all is. Nothing is black and white, and everything is messed up. We pick our battles and do the best we can with the knowledge we have in concert with the circumstances we are in.
Do what you can to learn more about the world you live in so that you can make more conscientious choices. As Maya Angelou said, "When You Know Better, You Do Better." And it's true.