Consumers shift demand with each purchase

STORY BY FRANCINE ST. LAURENT

Forty-one-year-olds don’t get endometrial cancer, Jourdyn Stanovich’s doctor told her. So when genetic testing revealed her cancer was likely caused by environmental factors, such as chemicals she used at her job cleaning carpets in the ’90s, she and her husband, Tom Stanovich, knew they had to make some changes.

They began with food.

“When you start paying attention, you’ll have 20 ingredients and can maybe pronounce two of them,” Jourdyn Stanovich says. “The rest are all additives; hormones and antibiotics [in meat].”

Their rule of thumb? They avoid products with more than five ingredients, such as store-bought dressings and seasonings, Tom Stanovich says. It’s easy to do when cooking at home, making seasonings and eating fresh foods, he says.

As bus drivers for Whatcom Transportation Authority, their schedules change daily and fast food was often the only choice for meals, Jourdyn Stanovich says. Now they eat organic produce and make time to cook and experiment with spices and hot salads, such as fajitas on green leafy beds instead of tortillas. Pre-packaged foods are out of the picture, she says.

Like the Stanoviches, many Bellingham residents are becoming more aware of the physical, local and global impact of their purchases, says Michelle Grandy, communications director at Sustainable Connections, a Bellingham organization that works to connect local businesses and help them become more environmentally conscious. Sustainable Connections’ “Think Local First” campaign encourages community members to buy from local businesses. The organization periodically conducts a survey to gauge whether the campaign resonates with people and has an impact. In 2006, two years after the campaign was launched, a phone survey of 300 randomly selected Bellingham residents, showed three in five people changed their shopping behavior because of the campaign.

This cultural shift, known as conscious consumption, is spreading across the country. It enables people to examine social and environmental implications of purchases. Conscious consumers begin by considering whether an item is a necessity and where it is grown, made or produced, Grandy says.

For Grandy, clothes triggered a reevaluation of her purchases. At 15 years old, Grandy became horrified as she learned about factory conditions and treatment of child laborers in developing countries.

“It was heartbreaking to me,” Grandy says. “That new shirt is not as important to me as thinking children somewhere are being denied an education because they’re being made to work in a factory. I didn’t want to buy into that.”

Understanding where products are grown, made or produced is another important level of consciousness, Grandy says. It helps people make informed decisions and choices that align with their values.

After learning about the environmental degradation that results from large-scale meat production, Western senior Jacob de Guzman adopted a more plant-based diet. De Guzman led a discussion about conscious consumption at the Washington Higher Education Sustainability Conference in February.

One gram of meat requires t10 grams of grain or grass, de Guzman says.

“We’re feeding animals the grain, while there are people who are suffering from malnutrition in the world, to feed ourselves,” de Guzman says.

De Guzman strives to eat locally sourced food. Together with the eight people who share his home, de Guzman grows carrots, beans, corn and beets.

Having tackled food, the Stanoviches began in January to eliminate cleaning products and laundry detergents containing chemicals from their household because they were concerned about the fumes and residues they exude, Jourdyn Stanovich says.

“Where are your kids playing?” Tom Stanovich says. “They’re on the floor. When you use Formula 409, Mr. Clean or Pledge on your table, your kids are putting their mouth on that table. That little body is a sponge for chemical residues.”

Now the Stanoviches buy plant-based cleaning products for windows, carpets and floors from Bay City Supply, a janitorial supply store in Bellingham, Jourdyn Stanovich says. While cost often deters people from making the switch, the Stanoviches have found affordable bulk products that can last much longer than grocery store brands.

Jourdyn and Tom Stanovich continue to do their own research, checking for consistency among credible sources, such as Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center and Health Watch through the Institute for Natural Healing. They are experimenting making their own shampoo, toothpaste and face wash, with ingredients as simple as castile soap and vinegar. They look for deodorants without aluminum, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s, according to a 2014 study published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Gradually, the Stanoviches are adapting their daily habits and purchases.

Sustainable Connections compiles a chart accessible online, called the Whatcom Food and Farm Finder, which highlights local farmers and restaurants that use locally grown produce and can be found at more than 200 locations in the Puget Sound region.

“One of the biggest ways to support your community is by keeping your money here recirculating in your community,” Grandy says.

Simply opening the conversation about consumption is a powerful tool, Grandy says.

“It can be that small of a thing that makes people start to think about their own behavior,” Grandy says.

Growing consumer awareness begins individually, de Guzman says.

“With monetary power comes a lot of consumer responsibility,” de Guzman says.

De Guzman encourages people to begin to think about each decision to buy something. The price may be more, but it may pay for greater ecological or social sustainability, he says.

Whether that is one item or shopping trip a week, every purchase is a choice and makes an impact, Grandy says.

“You don’t have to do everything right,” Jourdyn Stanovich says. “But the little changes you do make can be life-giving.”

Bellingham’s variety of businesses and restaurants offer options and resources for people to choose local. While these more conscious choices may not be the reason Jourdyn Stanovich is in her third year of remission, they bring the Stanoviches closer to a healthier lifestyle.