This past weekend, my fiancé Nick and I visited the South Tampa Farm. We were dropping off our dear Alice, a gold-laced Polish chicken that turned out to be a cockerel, because the City of St. Pete considers crowing a violation of local noise ordinances. We’re grateful that the farm has a ton of room for him to run around and do what cocks do best, mate.

Anyway, we were surprised to see that they run on the honor system. Tampa – not Tampa Bay – is sometimes seen as trashy and sleazy (not my words, but just about everyone I know who has been), so we found it curious that the honor system works well for them.

As described by NPR:

Step up to the unmanned counter whenever you’re ready, figure out what you owe (scratch paper provided), and stuff the cash through a slot in the honor box.

That’s exactly what we did. In a small shed with a few refrigerators, I picked out kimchi and ricotta, while Nick went straight for the thick-cut maple bacon. Just outside was a box for cash with a sign that had their Venmo and Cash App listed – smart of them in today’s cashless society! Naturally, we transferred the total with a list of what we bought as a note, so they can inventory if that’s how they run.

Referred to as the “trust system” in British English, the honor system is “a philosophical way of running a variety of endeavors based on trust, honor, and honesty.” Running on the “honor system” means that rules governing one’s principles aren’t strictly enforced. This allows for more time cultivating and less time selling.

According to Merriam-Webster, the honor system is “a system (as at a college) whereby persons are trusted to abide by the regulations (as for a code of conduct) without supervision or surveillance.” For instance, when it comes to online courses, professors rely on students to take tests with honor, instead of cheating on them. If a student cares about their education, they will work hard to learn the material for future use.

In 1954, our income taxes ran on the honor system. A veteran IRS agent said, “Ours is an honor system, which is the only way it will work in a free society.” I’m intrigued by this concept, as I believe the IRS has over-reached in recent years. I like the idea of a value-added tax on luxury goods.

To tax people on the money they make seems crazy to me, especially in today’s day and age where about 13 million Americans hold two or more jobs at the same time. I know people who have a few side hustles, so how are they expected to keep all of their income streams and tax deductions in order? It’s a whole job in itself, which is why accountants do so well.

I wanted to do a blog post about the honor system because, a) there isn’t much quality content on the world wide web about it, and b) I believe this system goes hand-in-hand with making more sustainable choices. Our future depends on everyone doing their part, even imperfectly. A few people doing everything right helps, but it won’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. So, if we all take baby steps to reduce our collective carbon footprint, the world will be better off and give us more time to thrive.

Just like the honor system, a shift in thinking of how everything affects us (instead of you or me individually), trusting that others are thinking the same way, is an essential one. We need to honor each other, in order to honor Mother Nature.