Now that you have a list of values, let’s organize them.

Put your values from most to least meaningful. 

You can use the handy pyramid below as a guide. Fill in the blanks of this pyramid with your ranked values. The most foundational, least negotiable values go at the bottom—these are values you are least willing to compromise or values upon which your other values are based. Click the button below to download a blank version of the pyramid.

For example, sustainability could sit on top of community if your interest in sustainability comes from wanting to care for your community. But, if your desire to care for your community stems from a value in sustainability, community would sit on top of sustainability.

As you go up the pyramid, the upper tiers should be dependent on the lower tiers. If the values you chose don’t feel nested in this way, that’s ok! Try putting the most important values at the base of the pyramid and moving up the pyramid with values that you would be willing to compromise. Don’t worry if this feels difficult! Defining our values takes time. It may be helpful to make multiple pyramids to see which one feels best. You can also try talking through your values with others, journaling about your values, tapping into your creative outlets, or sitting with these thoughts for a few days before you make your final pyramid. The more time you spend reflecting and thinking through examples in your life, the easier it will be to map your pyramid. 

This Values exercise has been adapted from Scott Jeffrey.

Pause for as long as you want and bookmark this page so that you can easily return in the future. Continue scrolling when you’re ready to move on!

Now how do we connect our value pyramids to the food system?

Let’s think about the intersection between values and the food system. We have a few easy examples to get you started:

1. Someone who values sustainability might consider how their food system impacts the health of the land, water, and air.

2. For those who value compassion, they might consider how their food impacts animal welfare issues such as outdoor access, pasture-access, slaughter techniques, and stress levels throughout an animal’s life.

3. What about the value of health? That might lead you to consider animal feed differences, factory farm health impacts, or slaughterhouse disease outbreaks.

There are endless ways we can link personal values to food and farming. Move on to the next page to dive into your own values and their impact on the food system!

Ready to move on?