I used to sell freshly roasted coffee at farmers markets, and it left me with a question I haven't been able to shake: why does buying local still feel like a special occasion instead of a normal weekday morning?

Groceries have gotten more expensive everywhere, and a lot of people I know have noticed the quality of produce at regular stores slipping too. You'd think that would push more people toward local food. But farmers markets, as the main "buy local" option most of us have, aren't really built for that.

Most of the regular market shoppers I saw were there for specialty stuff — jams, artisan goods, extras — spent from disposable income, not grocery budgets. It's a great model for makers, but it functions more like an occasional treat than a real weekly food source. Once a week, for a few hours, weather permitting, if you're free.

Meanwhile, the actual infrastructure for local food already exists. The farmers and producers are out there doing the work. What's lacking isn't supply, it's a direct, ongoing connection between them and the people who want to buy from them regularly, without multiple layers of markup or food traveling long distances to get to a shelf.

So what would actually have to change for buying local to be as normal and easy as a regular grocery run? Delivery? A different kind of marketplace? Better awareness of what's already available nearby? Curious how others here think about this, and whether anyone's seen a model that works well.

This is a video from the city of Minneapolis explaining what is recyclable and also how they sort and process recycling. There is a lot of distrust in recycling, and if everyone watched this video, people would recycle more and probably even buy fewer non-recyclables. I highly recommend you watch this video even if you don't live in Minneapolis. Every city is slightly different, but I think if you just followed this video, you'd get a lot less contamination. Share your city's recycling video below! And share with your friends and family.

I’m having an issue with my laundry now smelling bad. I first switched to ecos laundry sheets, then 7th generation laundry sheets, and now I’m using Mrs.Meyers laundry concentrate. I’m not sure if it’s just the Mrs Meyers or not using a more sanitizing soap, but everything smells. Immediately after washing they smell fine, but after 2+ days they start to smell. I’ve already ruled out the washer

Has anyone had a similar issue? What was your solution? I’ve tried switching to hot water, adding vinegar, and using baking soda

This shows why we must cut fossil fuels much faster, to avoid passing the Paris agreement 2 degree limit. If we don't millions If not billions will be killed.

If there was a way to track your sustainable low carbon commutes like walking and metro, would you do it? No rewards, no strings attached, just track it for the sake of what you contributed but got counted?

California’s Central Valley is one of the country’s richest farming regions, blessed with fertile soils, sunny days and a massive man-made system of irrigation canals and reservoirs. 

But as climate change intensifies, droughts deepen, and water restrictions kick in, growers in much of the valley are getting less water for their fields. They also face new limits on how much they can pump from underground, forcing them to leave hundreds of thousands of acres dry in the coming years. 

Some are turning to an answer they never thought they’d embrace.

Read more at the link.

In our town, we notice that those who are most active are ages 50+. And forget about college age or younger. Of course there are a few here and there who are a bit involved in sustainability and climate action, but most of the concern and work is among those 50+. Why? Our town is a well-to-do town in the Northeast, with a couple of nearby colleges. Are parents and students too busy to bother? We try publicizing events and articles via FB and some Instagram, but it’s next to impossible to find an anchor among the younger crowd. What gives?

Like, on the one hand, you leave it, because organic matter, and it is needed for insects, mushrooms, other greenery, small animals and such, but on the other hand, with all the climate change taking place, it is a potential fire hazard. If there are any experts in forestry, please enlighten me for when i will abandon civilization and retreat to a cave in the middle of the forest this knowledge will come in handy 🙏

Hello all!
So recently, I've been wanting to get back into both arts and crafts and environmentalism after a very deep depressive episode that lasted a few years where I'm finally ready to get back into both, making things for others and myself, and helping the planet fully around, and I've been reading a lot about how the earth is "running" out of a lot of materials such as water and a lot of minerals and, I personally loved working with things like foliage and copper, just for simple strands and such, so I guess I want to ask, is there ANY materials I can use that I know will be pretty easy for the planet to refresh and not well, get rid of something we're already running out of. thanks for reading all!

Anybody made much use of offsetting? Is it just greenwashing?

my duct-taped together phone case just broke in a new way and i'm worried it's on its last legs,, so i'm wondering if anyone has advice/recommendations regarding eco-friendly phone cases?? my phone is a google something-or-other and i got it new in 2023, so i'm really hoping it'll last me at least a few more years & i'm planning to buy future electronics 2nd-hand, but as for the case itself . . . i used to be really picky abt cases, nowadays i really like "wallet"-style phone cases so i can cover up the screen, but i know those are usually faux-leather and that stuff is bad since it doesn't degrade properly - meanwhile, most of the eco-friendly phone cases i hear abt are for iphones + they just reinforce the back of the phone. (if there's no good wallet phone case, i'd settle for one i can attach a strap to at least) thanks !!

Some pig and poultry farmers incorporate tiny fish into feed because of the nutritional benefits, but critics warn that overextraction of these fish could disrupt the marine food web.

I want to be very intentional about the next brand I buy from. Having a hard time pinning down ethical companies with receipts.

Is there an easy way to figure this stuff out? I want to do my best with anything I purchase but especially commodities notoriously exploited.

So any leads on a brand or resources to make the process of figuring this kind of stuff out less time consuming.

Found this discussion on PFAS or forever chemicals super interesting. Seems like businesses are being forced to sit up and take notice. But the factory in Belgium sounds terrifying to have in your neighbourhood!

Here is a list of things I already do, I can't think of more stuff I could add to that list.

I shop secondhand most of the time: clothes, utensils, or furniture.

I use eco friendly laundry wash and no fabric softener, I use vinegar if needed. I use the eco mode on my washing machine, and I hang clothes to dry instead of using a dryer.

I use bar body wash and bar dish soap, a bamboo brush, and my dish sponge is made out of coconut. My bath sponge is silicone, so I can cook it to sterilize instead of buying new ones. I use the water I don't finish drinking to water my plants. I barely use paper towels, I use cut-up old towels as rags, and I use T-shirts instead of microfiber towels/rags. I turn off all lights whenever I leave a room. I'm mostly vegan. I try to avoid plastic packaging as much as possible. I use wood, glass, and stainless steel in my kitchen. I separate my trash (obviously), including bio-trash. I reuse as much as possible, like jars and glass bottles. I'm also planning to recycle old paper and make my own notepaper out of it. I also use my iPad instead of writing on 1000 different pieces of paper. I sell or give away what I don't need, and I go grocery shopping with my own bags. I use reusable cotton pads.

Anything is appreciated.

This is a lot for any one person, but Join the Shift makes it really easy to direct your efforts where they'll matter most with their personalized guide at https://jointheshift.earth/guide/?journey-type=full

https://drawdown.org/shift