Eco-confession of the week

Queuing for a coffee in Liverpool Street station yesterday, the woman in front of me asked if the café – a popular high street chain, but no, not Starbucks, I’m not that way inclined - had Fairtrade coffee. There was a kafuffle. The barista asked the boss, the boss looked a bit lost and everyone stopped grinding coffee beans. After several minutes, during which time the queue had broken into impatient tutting noises, it was confirmed that yes, a Fairtrade option was available.

I silently saluted the woman and followed in her lead by asking for the same myself. But I also flinched slightly when she made her request. Somehow it was a little shrill; a little self righteous. The people who overheard were not thinking: ‘Bravo! Here is a woman advancing ethical consumerism and supporting coffee producers in developing countries. They were thinking: “Here we go, another rice cake munching middle classer who does her shopping in Wholefoods.”

Why is it that doing the right thing when you’re shopping is often cringe-making? Try asking in a supermarket if your veg has been shipped or flown or even where the organic milk section is. Likewise, when I stopped to buy flowers the other day, I was primed to ask if the florist had any flowers grown in the UK. But something stopped me. I could hear what I sounded like. Exactly the same as the woman I heard in a North London butcher loudly demanding to know whether her guinea fowl had been corn-fed. I didn’t like the comparison, so I grabbed a bunch of lilies and left.

Comments

[Barnaby]

Here's my econ confession for what it's worth. I have returned from a most enjoyable holiday in Greece. I could not have done without it. The protestors at Heathrow might not like it but two weeks in the sun has done me a lot of good. I'm not ready to give that up.

[Jan]

I agree - I used to work with an 'eco warrior'. She was so annoying in the way she put the eco message across that people ignored her (although her arguments were sound). As the saying goes "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar".

[Jack Meoff]

Hey my hardy female bloke - what are yer looking for? Some babe that eats like a bird or protects the planetary resources? Do you what string theory is? Study it & then maybe you will understand life? Self-Righteous Bimbos have no attraction to Aussie males! Perchance you are seeking a female bloke like yourself? Good luck to you in your miserable existence - We pity you!

[TheGreenMiles]

When you want to make a point, there's a time and a place. In front of a long line of bleary-eyed customers is neither. I often ask my favorite pubs if they recycle, but I wouldn't take up the bartender's time on a busy Friday night. I'll email them or call on a Tuesday afternoon. Be a green advocate, but be considerate.

[Tom]

Quick note about wholefoods, I was in there last week and noticed that some of the apples are flown in from Australia. They were clearly labelled as such, but don't we have enough of our own apples to negate the need for this?

[queenofcups]

Man, you gotta carry a packet of Java Juice or two. It weighs one- half ounce and is organic, fair-trade kosher, and pure liquid and delicious when you add water- 10 - 12 oz.
depending on how strong you like it.

I'm just sayin,' there's ONE alternative out there, and it's distributed in Ireland. check it out, and get your
coffee on.