Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Earth Week: Eat Food

I've realized that the way I'm setting these days up, my use of No sounds a little negative...so, in the name of sociology, I'm putting a positive spin on them:

Sunday: Conserve
Monday: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Tuesday: Walk, Bike, Jog
Wednesday: Eat Local, Seasonal, or otherwise Eco-friendly Food

Since I've been living off leftovers from Easter, a wedding shower, and a poetry reading I haven't gone grocery shopping for some time and I don't plan on going for a while yet. I'd say leftovers are pretty environmental--Reuse and Recycle, right? We're growing a garden at home this summer, so I'll get my fill of seasonal and local food then, and I cut down my meat consumption a lot (I went meatless for about three months before breaking down and binging but I made it to a healthy balance and try to stick to local meat).

Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating LocallyI also started reading Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, which discusses the Western SUV diet--meaning even if you don't own a car, your food has probably traveled between 1,500 and 2,500 miles to get to your table. Authors Smith and Mackinnon decided to stick to a 100-mile diet for a year; since they live in Vancouver, this meant tropical fruits out and cabbage in.

Food, Inc.Why give up the luxury of food from literally all over the world? For one, if you buy your food locally, you know you aren't supporting slavery. You know who made the food you will be putting into your body and that there aren't 15 unidentified chemicals, preservatives, additives, dyes, extra sugar...you get the idea. Interested in the food industry? Check out PBS tonight at 9 or Friday at 10 to watch Food, Inc., a documentary showing why eating locally, seasonally and sustainably is important for more than just the planet.

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