PLANET WATCH - Not too long ago, I had the privilege of joining then-Mayor Villaraigosa at the Super Mercado Latino on Martin Luther King Boulevard near Vermont.
I was but one of many advocates of green efficiencies and healthy food programs. LAANE/RepowerLA organized this event. SCOPE, the Salvadorian-American Leadership & Education Fund, ICON-CDC, the Northeast Valley Green Alliance (of which I am chair), and Green Tech Ventures (all coalition partners of RepowerLA) were well-represented and a strong part of this setting as well.
What we witnessed there was how a small business (in this case a community market) can greatly benefit from the free energy retrofits available through the LADWP, a program for which our Mayor, the DWP General Manager, and our advocacy groups are greatly responsible!
Something I had never seen before (let alone considered) is the double-paned glass doors for the frozen-food cases. Old-fashioned lighting was replaced; doors and windows, weatherproofed. These simple modifications represent only some of the savings that have made a very large difference in the monthly energy bills incurred by this market—a business which should serve as a grand model for our greater community.
I was also very impressed by the enthusiasm of the manager and the workers at this store. They were all very proud of their emphasis on selling healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables at reasonable prices for the customers (savings on energy are translated to more quality foods at lower prices).
Furthermore, this mercado does not sell any liquor or tobacco (in a neighborhood where there is a proliferation of liquor stores selling both) and yet attracts loyal patrons while making healthy profits. This and other stores like it are the kind of businesses led by the type of entrepreneurs that our greater community needs and should demand.
I go a step further: I believe we need to contact our State and Federal representatives to make changes to our food-subsidy programs. Beneficiaries of WIC (Women/ Infants/ Children), in particular, should be motivated to purchase more fresh meat, dairy, fruit, and vegetables over canned or boxed foods.
The Federal government, in general, can step up to give subsidies to markets (both independent and chain) as an incentive to keeping these same food groups at a reasonable cost so that consumers across the board can include these healthier foods in their daily diets.
By far, I personally spend the largest portion of my market shopping on healthier, fresher foods and, as a result, consistently have to pay too large a proportion of my weekly income to do so. What in the world do lower income consumers do if higher income patrons have difficulty keeping up with the ever-rising costs of food? Now that is food for thought!
Additionally, let us push markets to carry meat and eggs whose packaging is stamped with “Humane Treatment” as well as food items that have not been genetically modified!
Finally, let us contact and place constant pressure on our elected representatives and community advocates to make the above-referenced changes that will in the short and long run improve the health of our communities and our families.
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast Valley Green Coalition.)
-cw
CityWatch
Pub: Aug 27, 2013