Tomorrow (Saturday), a mob of buyers will enter G’s Fine Foods with empty reusable bags in their hands and cash in their wallets. They will purchase food items like they do on any other Saturday, and they will feel good about it. Why? The wonderful people at G’s Fine Foods have promised to use 100% of the money they make on Saturday towards increasing environmental sustainability in their store. They will also connect with Local Food Plus and their environmentally-awesome list of local farmers to provide fresh food for their shoppers. In return, the Carrotmob has promised a mob of customers to their store on Saturday.
Since G’s Fine Foods is so close to campus, we recommend that you (and your friends and family) join in the festivities tomorrow. There will be music, an after-party and a mob of environmentally aware people…fun!! And the best part is that your dollars (which you were going to spend on groceries anyways) will support an LFP farmer who treats the livestock on the farm with love, uses environmental sustainable practices on the farm, and ensures that all staff are paid a fair wage.
For more information on LFP farmers, check out the LFP website.
(Interesting fact: U of T is the first University to become LFP certified!!)
Not quite sure what a Carrotmob is?
The Carrotmob Toronto blog explains: “Carrotmob is an emerging form of activism. This is not a brutal fight – this is about partnership for change. Carrotmob is community organized consumer power that partners with businesses to reward them for their socially and environmentally choices. A “buycott”, the anti-boycott, that travels in masses to help consumers see the change they want, and rewards businesses who are willing to compete and act for profits.”
How does this Carrotmob work?
“Buycotting allows consumers to vote with their dollars,” says event organizer Nico Koenig, a graduate student in the Adult Education and Community Development Program of OISE/University of Toronto. “Through Carrotmob, people are making a significant difference in the fight for environmental responsibility – and against climate change. In these hard times, Carrotmobs are economically feasible – all we ask is that people buy groceries they would already be buying. Every dollar counts!”
Why is it important for U of T??
U of T students are part of the Carrotmob organizing team as well as the “mob” that will hit up G’s Fine Foods at the corner of Bloor and Huron.
You can find videos, cartoons, discussions, and other cool stuff on their website: