Bananas and ethics..

[Nenyath]

A very central part of my raw food journey is to be connected to nature and treat mother Earth with respect, that includes her and everything living upon her. Now for the bananas, it have been discussed wether we ought to eat conventional or organic and the focus has been on what we put in our body. But how about the ways the labores are treated on the big farms? To the question, is it ethically correct to buy conventional bananas? We eat a lot of them, and it is hard to afford it but it CAN be done..

Now for your opinion!

Fly forever free..

[GlimR]

I think the more you learn, the more you are made aware of, the deeper your commitment needs to be to acting on that knowledge. We go about our lives so unaware of what goes on in the rest of the world....I love my country, ok...but americans are blind to what life really is for so much of the world. I buy organic bananas by the case and freeze when ripe...will not buy conventionally grown again.....thank you for the post. Wishing you every blessing~

[faith4u]

Hard to say.....in a perfect world I would buy all organic but with the amounts of produce we go through as a family of 6 we struggle to pay for all of the produce we buy now.

We would not be able to be raw on only organic. I buy organic when it is affordable for me to do that and the rest is non organic.

We will also be growing some of our own food this summer too.

Otherwise, our options are to live on the cheaper foods like rice, beans, etc..

[ryana]

i feel like it is my moral obligation to purchase organic. and when going grocery shopping it is rare for me to buy anyhting that is not. I also believe that plants that are treated with disrespect will not taste as fresh or grow as healthy. that being said i think that the bananas that are farmed by people who are not treated well will not be as nutritious for our bodies and will hold a certian about of the negitave engery. But hey we all do what we can. if your interested i'm sure you can purchase fair trade bananas and if they are certified fair trade standards incourages organic farming. however you would have to order your bananas online which can be a bit of a pain.

[rawpriestess]

I think everyone needs to do what works for them.

some people believe everything they hear or read, others do research to the Nth degree.

some times you can analize something so much that you end up doing nothing,

on the other hand you can walk around like an ostriche and be oblivious to all the things around you.

I think when we come into this life, we have a purpose, and when we fulfill that purpose another comes up in it's place.

So, I believe that some people come in to change the world in big ways, like exposing farm labor as a problem, others may come in to change the eating habits of a county, by helping to educate about raw foods.

So, I do think that each person has their own way of helping our planet.

good luck in this, sounds like it might be your passion.

[anna-banana]

Nenyath,
I appreciate your search for answers regarding consumption of organic vs conventional, as it is one I think most of us struggle with. For me, it is more about availability of organic produce...especially when I have a specific recipe that I am craving RIGHT NOW! With bananas, however, I have found one of my natural foods stores that sells organic bananas that have "passed their prime" (gotten those black mottled spots on their skins) selling for 49 cents per pound, as compared to 79 cents/# for the slightly green skinned ones. My conventional grocery sells organic bananas for 69 cents/#, and I've seen specials on conventional bananas for 50 cents/#, so for me the price difference is not a question as to purchasing organic. I take the "older" bananas and freeze them for my ice cream and smoothies, even with the bruised spots.

I was tested and found I had high levels of cadmium, which comes from second hand smoke and pesticides, so I have been purchasing as much organic as possible. (note...I have been an organic consumer since the 80's, purchasing conventional as well, but still have been exposed to too many pesticides somewhere in my life).

Also, I purchase organics not only for my health, but for the health of the farm workers. Organic really describes a form of agriculture, but we tend to attribute the term "organic" to food, for ease of communication, I suppose.

I'll post more on this later tonight, as I'm off to consume my banana grown organically! :p

[tglasco4]

I don't think we can help any laborers by not buying the product. The treatment of those who labor is more of a management issue as I see it.

[ryana]

"I don't think we can help any laborers by not buying the product. The treatment of those who labor is more of a management issue as I see it."

then how do we fix the managment issue?

[tglasco4]

"I don't think we can help any laborers by not buying the product. The treatment of those who labor is more of a management issue as I see it."

then how do we fix the managment issue?


I don't know. I don't particularly feel its my duty to try and fix it to be honest. If I did, I would probably seek to get an audience with those that actually have managerial responsibility and discuss the situation with them directly.

[ryana]

I guess I feel "if your not part of the solution your part of the problem"
however thinking like this can at times put the weight of the world on your shoulders and no one can function like that. I tend to go overboard with things and I know it can drive me nuts. I just we all just need to pick our battles

[rawpriestess]

I agree with you, that we all need to pick our battles, although I call them passions.

If it resonates with your soul, then it is your passion,

and there are many wonderful causes around the world, and hopefully, everyone will pick one to champion.

but when I was very young, I asked my mom how she picked a charity to give money to, as there were so many great ones.

she told me that you pick the one or ten, that really call to your heart, and hope everyone else does too.

so, I did, I picked three charities and gave them my money, every month like clockwork, as I grew older, my likes and choices changed until I was giving about 1/2 of all the money I earned to PETA. It was a passion for me,

then one day, as I was crying over a letter they sent, me it dawned on me that I wasn't feeling good about my life or anything, I was feeling terrible, reading about the torture of animals, and crying about it, I was giving them so many thousands of dollars and I was only hearing about how much more they needed.

I wrote them a letter that basically said, "I only want to hear about the animals you saved, not the ones who are tortured, so please only send me stories or triumph that will make my heart sing, not break it." I never received another letter from them, not even one.

So, I started giving my money to a different charity, and life goes on,

But you see if you work on what you are passionate about, and allows others to do the same, then all will work out.

I personally think that to make sure everyone in the world is alive is my most important thing.

Yes, it is important to make sure that laborers are treated well, but I think it is more important to make sure that everyone eats and is kept alive, so they then can work, and then be treated well.

and the way I choose to make sure everyone eats, is NOT to give to the Red Cross but to make sure that people are educated as to how to feed themselves, not by eating ox and cows, but by eating vegetables and fruits that grow wild, by eating raw and ripe fruits and vegetables so they can assimilate the nutrients in their food, not eat wasted calories.

At least that is my passion today, I reserve the right to change my mind at any given second, based on the fact that I am human and can make choices.

[GlimR]

RawPriestess~
I think you are right in that we have to choose where we put our energy......I can not champion everything or do nothing effectivly.......I can't sew all my own clothes because 90 percent of the clothes in the stores are sewn in sweat shops.........if I went too far into everything I do, every consequesnce or choice I make I would make myself crazy.....even now I feel like I am tottering on the edge ......we do what we can do........but it does all make a difference in some way.....for good or not~

[rawfigure]

I think rawpreistess really hit it right. I always thought since you cannot fight or save the whole world you have to pick your own fight.

I buy Organic 90% of the time. My passion is the small local farms and local Mom and Pop businesses. I will pay a little more to buy an item at a local food store or an appliance at the local Hardware, Building Company to avoid the big "Chain" stores and that goes for Restaurants too. What is iinteresting is when people see you time and time again in their business & restaurants they treat you well and even willing to bend over backwards to match the prices of the other store or provide for you what you need.

..so thats mine.

What your's ?

[ryana]

lets not forget the toxic dyes used to dye the fabric in fabric stored and who know what the standards are in the factories that weave the clothing and the cotton feilds the fabric comes from. yes i have major problem with driving myself crazy with this. this can be very overwhelming. it brings me to a depression at times. but i'm over wanting to kill myself because the world is imperfect and so am i. rp is right if we all follow our passions we can all make a difference.

[Nenyath]

This has really turned out to be an interresting topic and it has gotten me thinking, which is good lol.. I have been raised on high organic and it is a passion of mine, on the other hand I realize that I won't be able to buy everything organic in the moment. But then again, it is all about choices. What I really try to do right now is not to take the troubles of the world upon my shoulders, for I have tried that at a younger age and it did not work at all. What I AM trying to do, is to grow as a soul, to grow closer to spirit, to be happier, healthier, in harmony, serene. Now back to the bananas, now that I KNOW what is going on, I cannot both grow as a soul and turn my back upon it, the rest would just be excuses.. So I guess I just answared my own question there, I will chose to buy organic for the sake of the world and myself..

Thank you guys for leading me there though! :o I guess when we know what is right and we know what to do, but that it takes something of us to do it, we will try and find excuses for usselves until we can no longer ignore the voice inside ourselves. At least I know it is true for me.. :rolleyes:

Fly forever free!