One of the things that worries me greatly about all this recession hype is that people will buy into the myth that going green is expensive and they’ll put off their green efforts until the economy is more stable. I won’t lie and say that myth has no truth to it; greening your home from top to bottom can be pricey. But, you don’t have to completely redo your home to go green. One of the most important things to remember about being green is that minimalism is often key, and with minimalism comes savings of resources both physical and financial. Being green is often as simple as one word: less. Do less. Buy less. It’s all about finding new, more efficient ways to do the things you’re already doing.

I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and assume that most of you make regular trips to the grocery store for your fruits and veggies. Maybe you drive your hybrid car to Whole Foods and load up your reusable shopping bags with organic produce. If so, you’re doing great, but there’s a simpler way to shop green, even if you can’t afford green luxuries like hybrid cars and organic goods: shop at your local farmers market.

Buying from local farmers cuts down on the use of natural resources drastically, as most of the farmers who bring their wares to the market are not going to be driving in daily from anywhere over 100 miles away. Shopping at the farmers market also means you’re only buying produce that’s in season. This means it’s not shipped from halfway across the world and you’re cutting down on a ton of resources that would have been used had you bought a bushel of strawberries from Whole Foods in January. And I can’t think of a better time to put money into the pockets of local farmers than in the midst of a recession.

Lucky for us Dallasites, we have one of the largest public farmers markets in the country. The Dallas Farmers Market has a huge variety of locally-raised fresh fruit and veggies and even stocks produce you probably wouldn’t be able to find at most suburban supermarkets. It’s open everyday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and most farmers offer discount rates if you buy in bulk. Don’t forget to bring your reusable bags!

Dallas Farmers Market
1010 S Pearl Expy
Dallas, TX 75201
Phone: (214) 939-2245

Similar Posts:

• Is There Such a Thing as a Green Dallas?
• Magazines Feature Green Issues
• Can Capitalism Embrace the Green Revolution?
• Go Green and Sustainable by Eating Less Meat
• Can Obama Green the White House?

© 2009, Sarah Toler. All rights reserved.