After working at Scholz Farms, she was employed by Joe s Gardens, in Bellingham, until she began working as a cashier at the Sehome branch of Haggen 10 months ago. Anything that Scholz Farms uses in the way of pesticides is used very early on in the growth of the plant, Scholz says. Glancing at the large kitchen to her right, she explains that she avoids foods certified as organic, or grown without pesticides, saying that these products are expensive and unnecessary. I m more concerned with fresh produce than with whether or not it s certified organic, Scholz says, her eyebrows arching over widening hazel eyes. I m a poor college student, Scholz explains.
Organics are just too expensive.
Stiffening her posture, Scholz runs her fingers over her dark-blond ponytail and clears her throat. I am health-conscious. I m a vegetarian and I focus on eating good foods, says Scholz, a strict vegetarian for the past five years. Tyler, a junior in environmental studies at Western, jogs up the stairs to the street, her brown leather Birkenstocks and thick wool socks sheltering her feet from the icy January air. It is the sort of day that drapes a charcoal sky over the city of Bellingham like a lampshade.