Vote with your dollars.

Last week in one of my classes, we were presenting our persuasive speeches to the class and I listened to two students try to persuade the class on why we should be vegetarian. I listened to their arguments on how harsh and abusing the meat and dairy industries are for the animals and how eating only plants is so much better for the humans, animals, and earth. 

A quote that came to mind during these presentations was “its not the cow its the how.” I understand and agree with how bad the meat industry is and how unhealthy it is, but how does that make meat unnecessary for us humans? If the industry is bad then change it. It got to this point by us voting with our dollars and we can change it by voting with our dollars. 

The current food chain was voted in by people wanting convenience. Here we are with just that, you can go get duck tape, a steak, nail polish remover, and trash bags all in one place… how convenient is that?!

How do we change the food chain?  How can we vote with our dollars? Start with exactly what it sounds like. According to supply and demand, with less demand, there will eventually be less supply. And by increasing the demand for regenerative farms, there will be more of them.  Start by finding farms with practices you trust, support them and don't buy meat at the grocery store. The Overland Park Farmers Market is a great example. By buying the majority of your groceries there, you are voting for what you want, then those businesses can grow.

Come to the market in these last 5 market dates: November 1, 8, 15, 22 and December 6

Make sure to ask your favorite vendors how you can buy from them in the offseason so you can be sure you are not making exceptions for store bought goods through the winter. Most, if not all of the vendors will have an answer for you. Whether they have a storefront you can go to or they have a website that ships or even if, like us they have an online store where you can order for a delivery! Our online store is just like amazon, you place your order then see it on your doorstep on delivery day!

Tatiana