I wonder what Sheryl Crowe did for the environment over the weekend?  Did she stick to her pledge of only using one square of toilet paper after each bathroom visit?  (I'm sure Ms. Crowe's personal bathroom business doesn't stink like most of us).  Did she ride a bicycle to her latest gig?  Did she perform acoustically without using any energy draining amplifiers?  Were her backstage appetizers made from organic, locally grown produce? 
     Normally, most of us wouldn't give a rip what Sheryl does.  Some of you may not have ever heard of Sheryl Crowe.  But when we're bombarded with her global warming  message from every media outlet under the sun, then we're forced to care.  Or at least come up with some sort of quick opinion. 
    
     She's full of greenhouse gases.

     Now, although I'm an Eagle Scout and a proud subscriber to the Missouri Conservationist magazine (it's free), I am no tree hugger.  That being said, I'm willing to bet that I did more over the past weekend to benefit the environment than Ms. Crowe did the entire previous week.
     No, I did not throw red paint on some old lady wearing a fake fur coat.  
     I visited a local farm and bought some food.
     And I did it for my own body.  Not for Big Momma Gaia or whatever you want to call planet earth.
     I'm a bit egocentric when it comes to developing "green" habits.  For example, when I brush my teeth, I don't turn the water off because I want to conserve water.  Actually, my silly sink has a slow drain and I don't want water all over my floor.  
     Anyhow, it was a fun experience for a city slicker to get out on the land.  Honestly, there was very little odor out there.....nothing ended up on my shoes.....Anyway, the farm was only about 25 minutes from home and was easy to find thanks to the web site www.meatrix.com.  The site has a feature where you can put in your zip code and find places nearby to get organic meats and dairy products.  
     Now, one might conclude that I'm a radical environmentalist after checking out the meatrix web site.  That's really not the case.  Personally, I think this global warming stuff is a whole lot of hot air.  And those who are buying into it are gonna help Al Gore become a whole lot richer.  But we'll save that for another posting.  The meatrix.com doesn't focus on "what ifs" and doomsday scenarios that sound like something from a Hollywood scriptwriter.  (Florida under water due to melting ice caps?  You would think that liberals would be throwing salt on the north pole to make that happen quicker—bye bye Jeb!)  It focuses on food.
     And if you want to actually help your environment, food is an excellent place to start.
     Although capitalism and free enterprise systems work best economically, that does not mean every business operating in that type of system is beneficial to mankind.  Although America has been blessed abundantly with food, the food industry itself has been selling us an inferior product and robbing us of nutrition and health in the name of ever higher profits and being "responsible to the stockholders."  And we have allowed this to happen because we like the convenience of it all.
    I was the same way once.  Until I read the book Fast Food Nation around 5 years ago.  A few months ago, I saw the dvd Fast Food Nation.  And that's where I found the meatrix web site.
     My views on food don't fall under environmentalism per se.  My food attitudes stem from having some traditionalist beliefs.
     So anyway, back to the farm I visited.  Larene, who partly owns the farm, met me outside and explained how things worked and what all they had to offer.  I took a look around awhile, and then decided to buy the following:
     1.  3 pounds of hamburger from grass fed, completely hormone and antibiotic free cows.
     2.  1 pound of lamb from grass fed, completely hormone and antibiotic free sheep.
     3.  1 gallon of milk straight from the cow.  Do you know why the French really hate us?  It's because we
          pasteurize our milk.  Which makes American cheese taste like (censored).
     4.  1 dozen duck eggs, completely hormone and antibiotic free.  And the ducks roamed free.
     5.  One jar of blueberry jam (no sugar or high fructose corn syrup added).

     All for just 31 dollars.
     That may sound like a lot of money.  To me, it's worth it.  If more people start buying healthy food and take an interest in eating better foods, then the free market will adjust, and with the competition of free enterprise, prices will go down.
     I'm looking forward to my trip to the farm next month.  Larene says her chickens will be ready at that point.  Her farm will also be selling turkeys in the fall.  She also sells pork that she gets from the Amish.  There are too many wonderful things that are sold there to list.
    It's that easy to do, and I would recommend it to anyone.   Find a farm near you and check it out.  
    And don't worry about getting sick.   More people get sick on pasteurized milk and government inspected meats than they do from farm fresh milk and meat.
     I've been drinking milk straight from the cow every morning this week and had two duck eggs today.  I feel good.  There's been no gas.  No bloating.  No "special trips" to the bathroom.
    If more people ate better food, we'd all conserve a heck of a lot of toilet paper.
     
    Right, Sheryl?