Marching to the Market

On Saturday, about a dozen people walked to local supermarkets, but if Beth Radow has her way, the movement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

will one day become a stampede.

Radow, president of the Larchmont/Mamaroneck League of Women Voters, organized the morning walk with a couple goals in mind.

The first was to conserve fuel by encouraging people to walk to the supermarket rather than drive. The second was to help consumers make more educated and environmentally friendly shopping decisions. Radow hopes the idea will spread to the more than 900 chapters of the League of Women voters nationwide.

"It’s not always about what happens on the first day," Radow said. "This is all a process."

The group met on Chatsworth Avenue and walked down Boston Post Road to Stop & Shop. The next stop was Trader Joe’s. From there the group traveled by car to A&P.

"It’s good exercise and it’s good for the environment," Radow said. "It’s about shifting our dollars away from fuel and toward purchasing food items that are more environmentally friendly and healthy for our families.

Representatives from the stores met the group to hand out reusable bags, explain coupon policies and to discuss organic food options and green initiatives.

"I’m here for the cause," Larchmont’s Louise Perez said. "We’re such a wasteful nation. … I was carrying recyclable bags in the ’90s."

Larchmont’s Jennifer Jensen had similar reasons for attending the walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It’s about reducing our carbon footprint in Larchmont and learning what residents can do to help with that," she said.

Zoe Gould, 17, was the youngest member of the group. The recent Mamaroneck High School graduate will be attending Oberlin College in Ohio this fall and will be taking lessons from Saturday’s walk with her.

"They don’t teach this stuff in high school," Gould said of various shopping secrets such as the freshest milk going to the rear of the display. "I never really thought about any of this beyond taking it off the shelf."

And for Radow, that’s a crucial first step.

"We want to give our children a healthy planet to inherit," she said.