Welcome to Circle!

1. Vote! Clear and simple. Consider joining www.indyvoter.org or other groups getting out the vote and building democracy. Holding elected officials accountable is another way to be effective citizens, learn more about the issues affecting our food and health at www.sustainableagriculture.net.

2. Enjoy food fresh from the farm Buy directly from family farmers, look for family-farm products in your local grocery store, and encourage your local restaurants to do the same. Visit www.localharvest.org and www.sustainabletable.org.

3. Vote your values with your dollar (and fork!) Our food consumption choices as well as our savings and charitable donation choices make a huge impact. Consider donating to organizations that support issues that matter to you and shopping at stores that are in line with your values. Find out where your money is invested (through your bank, university, or pension) and talk with them about investment choices that promote the health of workers and the planet. Learn more at www.socialinvest.org.

4. Eat a sustainable and whole-foods diet Factory farming contributes to massive air and water pollution as well as global warming. It also wastes vast amounts of grain not to mention its cruelty to animals and the overuse of antibiotics. Learn more at www.factoryfarm.org and find meat raised sustainably at www.eatwellguide.org. To learn more about organic foods, visit www.organicconsumer.org.

5. Support fair trade products and worker rights Fair trade ensures farmers get a fair price. We can now buy fair trade coffee, tea, fruit, and more and bring fair trade into our local cafes and restaurants, hospitals, and university campuses. Find out more at www.transfairusa.org.

6. Transform the buying power of your community We are all part of institutions — churches, hospitals, workplaces, schools, city councils — and we can encourage purchasing choices based on shared values. To find out more about bringing local, whole foods into your school or other institution, visit www.foodsecurity.org.

7. Create "brand-free" zones Advertisers spend billions of dollars every year to tell us what to eat, wear, and believe in — ads that bombard us in the classroom, doctors' office, even public bathrooms. To learn more, visit www.commercialfree.org.

8. Get a new media diet Today, six corporations control most of the major media outlets, but thankfully we have hundreds of ways to make our own media and alternative sources of information. See www.indymedia.org, www.alternet.org, www.gnn.tv for independent news and www.freepress.net to more about how to get involved.

9. Learn more, teach more Here are just a few suggestions: Food and human rights: www.foodfirst.org, trade and agriculture policy: www.publiccitizen.org and www.iatp.org. For a great list of additional resources visit www.gracelinks.org.

10. Host a party, teach-in, study group Even a small group of people can make a huge difference! See www.moveon.org for creative ideas about gatherings, events, and local organizing around issues that matter to you and visit www.eatgrub.org for ideas about creating intimate and fun dinner parties.

Special thanks to WHY and Anna Lappe at the Small Planet Institute

Watch for the Next Issue of Circle! on June 7