Summary

In "Lily's Chickens," Kingsolver describes the chickens in the chicken coop her husband built in their enclosed garden. She uses her chicken coop as an example of ethical food practices in contrast to the average American's over consumption of resources. Kingsolver believes in preservation as a personal and political act, yet acknowledges that she still must burn yet fuel on several trips for book tours. She adds that goods from grocery stores depend on a high amount of fuel for transportation and preservation (114). In order to combat fuel waste, she suggests that pursuing an organic life or planting seeds in a garden cuts down the environmental effects of transportation (115). She also purchases whatever else she needs from local growers at farmer's markets, who count on their support (116). Otherwise, she purchases nonperishables from...