Local Mapping of EPGs EN Local mapping of EPGs EN | Page 22

The aim of the Ethical Purchasing Groups ( EPGs ) is to change people lifestyle . If people want to buy the products by the local producers , they must first understand what the seasons are . When they will choose to buy seasonal products , farmers will have to explain them that oranges are eaten in winter , strawberries in summer , that olive oil is produced in the fall . The Fishermen will explain them that the summer is not the season for fresh squid , but that squid are fished in winter , even if all the restaurants on the Adriatic offer fried squid during the tourist season . In solidarity groups , you never stop to learn , you learn to listen to the rhythm of the Earth , of your location , of the territory within which we live . When consumers try to buy products from local producers and try to get in touch with them , to create a network of trust , they must listen and learn what they do and they have to understand the reason of everything . Through the possibility to exercise volunteering at local producer ' s farms , the consumer more easily understand why some tomatoes are small and with cracks , other tomatoes large and with irregular shapes , why the carrots are small or irregular . The consumer who participates to the production process appreciates more the vegetables and the fruit , and by feeding on those raw materials , acquires the energy of the earth , which fails to recognize thanks to the local producer . In this way , they discover that life is tied to the land , to all its splendour and caprices .
All territories and all parts of Croatia have their traditional foods and their recipes that thanks to the EPGs are learned and appreciated again . Buying local and seasonal products , people will start to appreciate again the fruits of the earth and the local heritage , to reinforce the links between the countryside and urban life ( which nowadays tend to disappear ). For many , watching the colours of a garden , admiring a wheat field , to witness the realization of the cheese , to hear the sound of bees going into a cellar and to taste the new wine poured straight from the barrel , will be unique and new experiences . Basically , all the raw materials that each of us consumes for food , will no longer be taken for granted by consumers who will join EPG . In modern times , where the imported goods exceeds that produced in Croatia , it is important to reflect on food sovereignty , sustainability , ecology , on the return to nature , to return to the principles that bind us to others .
At the global level is increasingly present the awareness that economic models are no longer adequate and the awareness that the problems related to ecology will cause inevitable damage strengthens . It ' important to realize that all that concerns us directly , and that we , as individuals , are still in time to turn things around . The solidarity groups are engaged in solidarity practices that have a transformative potential . Although they can more easily be
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