Buying American

On my drive home from work yesterday, I caught the middle of a report about KEEN shoes and how they were opening a factory in the United States. It got me thinking about the economic aspect of social responsibility. The reporter was polling people asking if they knew products were American-made, were they more inclined to buy the product? Most of the consumers in the report stated that yes, this was important to them. I realized that without really thinking about it, this has become something I look for, in addition to environmental and health responsibility, as well.

A few years ago my brother and sister-in-law requested gifts that hadn't been made overseas. My brother had just returned from a military deployment in Korea, and there was a scare with chemicals in some toys with China. It was nearly impossible to find reasonably priced toys that were American made, or even simply not made in China.

Since then, I've been more inclined to buy from company's that proudly boast their American made products. With my brother's recent deployment in Iraq and the economic downturn of our own American economy, I continue to find it more and more important to support manufacturing in the U.S. In addition to financially supporting my home country, I find it more environmentally responsible because the goods don't have to travel quite as far.

I bought my own pair of KEENs this summer simply because I wanted the toe protection while walking my dog. Now I will wear them even more proudly this coming summer, knowing that KEEN is doing more to invest in American manufacturing.

Getting ready for the garden

I got so excited to see seeds at the store this weekend. My big plan this summer is to start a garden. In Minnesota, this means starting the planting season indoors. Since I just planted my first flower garden last spring and have no idea if it will even survive the winter, I guess I'm being a bit presumptuous to assume I should start a vegetable garden before the snow melts.

Despite the possibility that my gardening skills may cause more harm then good, I eagerly walked into Bachman's to buy all things necessary for indoor gardening. I boldly chose a variety of heirloom* and organic seeds without help from staff. As I checked out, I casually asked, "so when should I start these seeds?"

Turns out, I really am overzealous. Of the seeds I selected, only the tomatoes, broccoli, and bell peppers need to be started indoors. And, they don't need to start until at least the end of March. Like I so often did in high school, I guess I started my countdown to summer too early. But in order to hold on to my sunshine bright glimmer of hope, I bought the seeds anyway. Now my indoor garden sits in its packaging in a window, waiting for my gardening countdown to reach 0.


*Heirloom seeds are seeds that have been handed down from generations passed. Often, people save their heirloom seeds from year to year and may hand them down over generations. Over time, many of these cultivars have died out, much like an extinct species. By planting heirloom seeds, gardens are given greater variety and flavor. In addition, genetic diversity (which I view as life-enriching) is protected. And overall, I like the connection to a deep sense of history I get by planting such old varieties of food.