Let’s connect the dots!

Think back to the food production issues we discussed in “The Basics”—While reading about how food is produced around the country, did any of your core values continually come to mind? 

Use the chart below to write the values that come up when you think of food systems issues or challenges. Feel free to add multiple values for an issue. Refer to your values pyramid to better understand which values are near and dear enough to you to include in the chart below. 

For example: when you think of the problem of animal welfare you might think about values like kindness, justice, quality of life, harm reduction, or purpose. Maybe justice and purpose are two values that deeply resonate with you and were in your pyramid. Add them in the right hand column of the chart below next to animal welfare.

Use the open space to write the personal values that come up when you think of each issue. Download the PDF to fill out your own on your computer.

Reflect on your reaction to each of these food system issues. Do some values come up multiple times? Which issues tap into your deepest values? Which issues bring up the most values? Pick out 3-5 food issues from the left column of the above chart that touch on your most important values.

Then, place them into a food values pyramid with the most important issues at the bottom, just as you did with the values pyramid.

Here’s an example:

Great job! Now that you have a values pyramid that centers around food, you can use this to guide your daily food purchasing decisions. Use the bottom rung of your pyramid as your guiding star when it comes to food purchasing. Can’t find a product that honors your foundational issue? Move to the second rung. Choosing from multiple products that honor your foundational issue? Ask yourself if they honor your other pyramid values.

At Greener Pastures, our values prioritize food that is:

Humane, just, sustainable, and local and we would guess that you share at least one of these guiding values! 

Some of our favorite values-based resources include:

Label guide: Trustworthiness, Animal Welfare, Environment, Human Health, Food Justice

Hotdish Zine: Community, Cultural Tradition, Food Justice, flavor

Animal Products 101: Animal Welfare, local sourcing, flavor

Eating Ethically on a budget: Cost, flavor, animal welfare, local, human health

Peruse our website for more resources and ideas on upholding these values. 

You can also stay tuned for Chapter 3 of our Ethical Eating Primer Series, where we’ll cover alternative production methods that offer up a better food future! In Chapter 3, we’ll introduce you to some local trailblazers (farmers, systems, programs, etc.) who are majorly inspiring, the ways that they are farming for the future, and the potential for farming to fight climate change. 

Ready to move on?