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Go Bananas!

© Bob Ewing

Fall is near. The leaves, on the trees in the neighbourhood, are beginning to turn yellow and the nights are getting cooler. I enjoy the periods of transformation that come with the changing of the seasons and the turning of the Wheel of Life. It is refreshing to watch the metamorphosis that is taking place.

I've had to make a few changes in my life for health reasons. One of these is to cut back on one of my favourite foods, peanut butter. It is a good food but when you are a borderline diabetic, there is too much fat and sugar in it to eat this marvelous food on a regular basis. I've also given up eating bananas. Which means no more peanut butter and banana sandwiches for breakfast. I did'nt fry them in bacon fat like Elvis did, nor did I eat 12 or 13 at a sitting.

Bananas are another food item that are produced under exploitive conditions and I can no longer buy them. At least not until I cn find fair trade bananas on the market place. I am going to ask the local grocery store if they can buy them. They have begun a small organic section and may be open to customer concerns.

I find that when I make the effort to do what is right that even if I don't achieve the goal I am aiming for right away, I feel better about myself and my place in the world. People are always asking what can they do and what difference can one person make. The difference you make is reducing the number of people who when they shop support the oppression of workers and the destruction of the environment. If you shop at a fair trade retailer then you are not participating in the destruction.

It is a relatively simple step to take. It may cost a little more but unless you are on a low fixed income, amke a ew adjustments to your budget and let your dollars work for justice and freedom. It is your choice whether or not you choose to save a few bucks and support the harm that is being done to the ecosystems and families or you decided that shopping is a political act and that you can make a difference and eat your bananas too.

The copyright of the article Go Bananas! in From Field To Table is owned by Bob Ewing. Permission to republish Go Bananas! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.