Getting Started by C.J. Wong

The theme of Organic Family is learning to live an organic life. These are some ideas to get started. I am still working on this process.

*I have always had at least some garden to grow a few of my own vegetables. Starting a small garden is a good place to begin. You may even want to start with a container garden. If you like gardening you can expand. I expanded my garden to my neighbor’s yard, as she is not able to garden for herself anymore. Ask your town if there is a community garden you can be a part of. Once you get the gardening bug, you are hooked. Turn your lawn into a garden.

*I go to a local farmers’ market in the summer. It is a great place to buy locally grown and sometimes organically grown foods. I ask growers how they grow their foods. You can ask if it is organic or conventionally grown to start. Then you can ask them about what types of fertilizers they use. Always think about where your food comes from. How far did your food travel to be on your plate? How was the meat raised? Think about how much fuel is used to transport a tomato from another country to your plate. Check out this web site: http://www.smallfarm.org/nesawg/index.php

*Join a CSA. You'll have the opportunity to create a real relationship between how your food is grown and how it gets to your table. Check out: http://www.localharvest.org/ and http://www.csacenter.org/statesfr.htm. The best part of my summer CSA is that we get to work at the farm. I used to do farm work when I was in H.S. and college and I am so happy to have the opportunity to be back outside on a farm.

*Buy organic milk and other dairy products and organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible.

*If you eat meat, find a place to get meat that is raised properly. It will take time and effort on your part to find a source of properly raised meat, but it is worth the effort. Watch the Meatrix if you want to learn more about factory farming http://www.themeatrix.com/

*I read as much as I can and try to educate myself on the issues. This is one of the hardest parts. There is just so much conflicting information out there. The Organic Consumers Association < http://www.organicconsumers.org/index.htm > is a great web site to start. Donate to OCA and get involved. It is hard to keep up with all the issues and OCA helps. You can sign up for e-mail newsletters that are full of news and ways to take action. Also, check out: http://www.saveorganicfood.org/ Another really good read is: http://www.moomom.com/learn/organic_steingraber.pdf

*I would be remiss if I didn't mention biodiversity. We human animals need to value biodiversity. Many humans think of the Earth as full of resources to be used for only us. What about the rest of the inhabitants? It amazes me how many people do not even notice the living creatures around them. One of my favorite parts of teaching biology is the bird unit. I love to share the joy of birds with people. Birds are beautiful and can be easily viewed. I teach students the names of the birds through song and pictures. A good way to start learning more about birds is by getting a field guide and learning to identify them. You can start with birds and move on to other organisms like insects or flowers. It is so much fun to identify and appreciate the life around us.

*Stop going to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is against unions, against women, and the environment. The Summer 2004 issue of Co-op America Quarterly gave Wal-Mart a grade of F for their retailer scorecard for the use of sweatshops to make their products. I quit going there. There are lots of articles and web sites about the evil Wal-Mart. Here is another reason not to shop there. You’ll save money. Yup, you will save lots of money because you won’t buy all that junk they put out to tempt you. Did you ever notice how no matter what you went in there to get your bill is over $50? I have saved lots of money by not shopping there! See: < http://www.walmartwatch.com/ > Another thing I don't like about Wal-Mart is how they are always using more resources to put up a new building. They make a small Wal-Mart so they can put all the small shops out of business and when they have laid waste, they leave their small Wal-Mart behind so they can put up a Super Wal-Fart so they can put all the grocery stores out of business as well.

*Shop at locally owned stores. Read labels. Look for Fair-Trade. < http://www.transfairusa.org/ >

*Buy used stuff whenever you can. Going to garage/tag/yard sales is a great way to pick up things you need at a fraction of the cost.

*Having a baby is a major reason for wanting to get more involved in making changes.

If you have a baby, try cloth diapering (at least part of the time- give it a try), breast feed (we are mammals, ya know), wear your baby (slings are great), and for goodness sake don’t let “them” perform a circumcision on your baby boy! It is cruel and the foreskin evolved for a reason. I don’t think it is right to cut a body part off someone without permission. < http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/ > < http://www.nocirc.org/ >

*Get involved by voting, writing letters, and having others sign petitions. Start a zine or web site so you can exercise your right to free speech. Read zines!

*Convince your spouse/partner. (I’m still working on this one. I’m living with a white bread and bologna eating, occasional Wal-Mart shopping kind of guy. He is coming around slowly though.)

This story is evolving.
I would love to hear from you about how you got started on your journey. You can write to me at sciencelibrarian at hotmail dot com
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