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| Co-op
Worker Profile: Karen Starr |
Balancing Act
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by Andrew Elder
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Produce floor manager Karen
Starr has her eye on much more than the quality of the greens at the
Co-op. She’s concerned with food production policies in America, and
how local consumers and community members can make a difference. For
Karen, it’s all a part of maintaining a balance with the natural world.
Karen has been a member of Honest Weight for nearly four years. She
moved to the area from Burlington (Vt.), where she was a member of the
Burlington Cooperative, to attend grad school at UAlbany in 1999.
School kept her too busy to do more than shop at the Co-op but she
became a member soon after attaining her degrees in library science and
history. When a position in the Produce department opened, she seized
the opportunity to merge her commitment to food issues into her career.
“Everything is co-modified, including basic necessities like food and
water” said Karen. “Our current agricultural policies and the
domination of food production by agribusiness make food a social
justice issue on a number of fronts.”
Like new Board member Ted Mousseau, education is a big part of how
Karen puts her ideals into action. The Produce staff does its best to
educate shoppers about the differences between organic, conventional
and transitional produce. The department is also committed to
supporting local farmers whenever possible. With global warming and oil
shortages, regional food sources will become more and more critical.
“In this country, people are most familiar with consumer cooperatives,”
Karen explained. “But in other countries there’s much more community
outreach and education. I’m really pleased with Honest Weight’s
involvement with the community and I hope we’ll continue to develop in
this direction.
According to Karen, U.S. government agricultural policies have made
organics a niche market. This means that we missed a chance for organic
farming to be the norm. She believes lack of government support is
responsible, in part, for the high cost of organics.
The production of bio-fuels and ethanol has also driven up the cost of
food around the world. Although regional groups can have an effect on a
local level, it’s harder to counteract the market drive exploited by
large conglomerates. And with that market drive come gray areas that
aren’t covered by USDA organic certification, for instance. Standards
like worker justice and protection of the environment are important to
maintain the ethics behind organics. Should food be labeled “organic”
if its production exploited farmworkers? When it comes to Honest
Weight, Karen loves the summertime best. “The produce is just
gorgeous!” she said. “It’s great to see who’s growing what and all the
variety.” She’s working with others toward having the Co-op become a
liaison between the growers and the customers, educating members and
shoppers on the seasonal availability of produce; what’s grown when and
why. But it all comes back to being responsible global citizens.
“It’s important to consider our impact on the world.” said Karen. “When
we take too much or don’t give anything in return, we create tremendous
imbalances. Then we see things like entire nesting colonies being
abandoned by shore birds who can’t feed their chicks. It’s amazing how
much we consume in this country, and just how much food is wasted. We
could be much more mindful of how we live and much happier in the
bargain.”
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