Let's Talk About the Environment: FOOD

I became a vegetarian in 1988 to eat lower on the food chain.

But it's amazing to me how difficult it is to find a choice of vegetarian entrees in restaurants when I dine out with friends who are not vegetarians. Unless it's in a Thai or Chinese restaurant, there's usually only one cheesy item (which is high in saturated fats) to pick. And portions in restaurants are so large. What I'm saying here is that chefs, restaurants, the food industry have to develop delicious, healthy dishes that are gentler to the environment. It's hard to do it on your own.

Last year we gave up soft drinks which has cut down on a significant amount of resources. We have a water filter pitcher in our fridge so we don't buy plastic bottles of water.

We rarely buy bottled water unless we are going hiking with the dogs. Otherwise, we can't really afford to make any "green" changes right now.

We bought a water filter and have stopped drinking sodas in cans and paper cups from anywhere but especially have stopped buying bottled water......we have also planted two trees this week and started our vegtiable garden as well.....we are also starting a compost pile and have recycled anything recyclable to neighbors, friends, and recyclable plants. We're trying very hard to go green....just wish we could afford a green car too.

We don't buy water bottles and we stopped eating beef. We are also starting a small garden in our backyard this year and will try to support our local farms. It's not much, but if we all did a little bit we could make a big difference.

We don't buy water bottles

All the choices for the limited space we have for growing food have been selected to help supplement our purchase power for other food. Rarely do we eat out anymore; but when we do, we choose private locally-owned, neighborhood places only. We purchase at local farmers. We try to re-think all pre-packaged foods in single-serving size and produce our own at home for much less. And, we just decided to convert two more meals each week to vegetarian, primarily for cost savings, then health choices.

We eat a lot of fresh veggies that we raise ourselves. We are in the process of planing Cherry trees in our back yard orchard.

I don't eat beef, and rarely eat meat at all. As much as I like yogurt, I've decided not to start a "yogurt habit", since yogurt containers are not recyclable. I don't buy bottled water, and if I have to buy a soda/beverage out, I'll go a couple stores down to get a recyclable plastic bottle or can rather than a throwaway cup whenever possible.

We just switched our regular cereal brand to Mom's Best Naturals. Not only are these cereals delicious, they're also made with all natural ingredients (no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup!) AND they company uses 100% renewable energy from wind farms for their cereal production. It's also competitively priced - something more all-natural foods need to be. It's a fourth generation family owned business, too.

I'd eat a lot greener and healthier if I could afford more of the foods that are green and healthy.

I've been a vegetarian for years. I buy organic when possible, and do my best to support local business

We are switching to organic foods as much as possible. We'll be growing a few vegetables this year and have given up highly processed, highly packaged foods. Cooking and baking as much as possible from scratch has saved us tons of money but is also very green.

I've made a list from one I found in a local magazine of all the farmer's markets in the area so we can purchase our produce there and support local growers.

I'm a vegetarian who buys organic products and does as much shopping as possible at the Farmer's Market to support local agriculture. I've been taking a hard look at packaging, trying to cut down on waste. I order things via the internet with preference to companies that package products in recycled/compostable containers, which go to my compost bin. Rather than buying a new container of something (dish soap, shampoo, household cleaners, I look for products that also have refills. I use the Catalog Choice web site to stop unwanted catalogs from being mailed to me, as I "catalog shop" online. I only use nontoxic and organic products in the house, yard, and garden.

As far as food goes, we buy as much organic foods as we can afford to buy. We try to buy mostly fresh foods since those are healthier and they also use less packaging. As far as our home goes, we've been using all natural, eco-friendly cleaning products, personal products (like shampoo, toothpaste, etc) for over a year now. We also have the CFL bulbs in all our lights. We turn off the lights when not in use. We have 2 smart power strips that use less energy. We keep our cars well maintained to save on gas usage. We also trip-link to save on gas. We recycle everything we can. Overall, I'd say we're pretty green!

I recycle everything!

I sure wish we had a longer growing season here where I live. But I am trying to buy local as much as possible, and have started a few plants from seed on a windowsill. We had a frost last night, so we have to be careful.

never buy bottled water. recycle. turn off my surge protector at night to save energy. ride bike to the gym and work

a healthy reminder to spruce up the garden

I started with making sure that 1 thing in my shopping trolley was organic. It doesn't take extremes to save the planet. Then I switched my light bulbs to more energy efficient ones (another small step). Now I try to remember to bring in my cloth bags (instead of plastic or paper), shop 40% or more organic veggies, and have committed to not eating meat (vegans rock!). But it is still just about that ONE THING you can do for your part of helping the planet. Start small. Recycle, reuse something that the 'old you' would have thrown away, or just commit to eating local for a meal. We can change old habits and make informed choices just with one small step.

The Green Moderator asks: How are you changing your food consumption to help the environment?
We have been using a CSA (community supported agriculture) for three or four years now. I buy from the bulk section of the local co-op as often as I can remember, you know, for stuff like pasta, rice, flour, nuts, spices, and more. I also use my own bags, even individual plastic bags. I just save all the bags I can: bread bags, apples and grapefruit bags, etc.

Are there any products that you buy that you know are harmful to the environment? Hats off to Kate for avoiding yogurt. I love it and eat one a day. I *know* individual packaging is a poor choice, but there ya go. I do it anyway. It's not offered in larger size. I only like Dannon coffee yogurt. A couple times a month I'll pick up a bottle of cold tea. Another poor packaging choice. I do buy green tea in large bottles in the summer. And yes, I could make my own (in fact, I do daily), but the large, plastic bottle is very convenient for the beach. I would like to try harder.

How might you change these habits? Good question. Is there a boot camp or tough love for wastefullness? What about a rivetting video on the Realities of Waste? I think as I see others doing the right thing and I hear more and more people sharing ideas, like we are here, I'll gradually increase my GreenLife.

Shannon mentioned not being able to afford to make any more green choices, but I'm not spending more by reusing packaging. In fact, I'm saving. Likewise, when I buy "seconds" on food, I'm greener and richer than if I'd chosen the Top Rate of an item. IME, green choices are thriftier in both the pocketbook and the soul.

We buy from the farmers market. We do use bottled water, unfortunately. For the area we live in, even the filter on the tap does not take out all the icky stuff. We can still taste it. And we have the best Pur filter there is.

I wish I could have a garden. I am attempting to get post to allow us to have one.

I recycle rain water for the few plants that I do have. Having cats does not allow me to plant on the balcony. The only plants they have not touched are the Cactus's on my window sill.

I am purchasing more organic food. Because organic costs more, I have to be selective in what I purchase. To get the most health benefits from organic produce, I spend my organic dollars on items such as lettuce and berries that do not have a peel or covering that would be removed prior to eating, and thus would have less chemicals on them. I also buy organic items that are on sale. I want to let merchants know I support their organic offerings.

I do buy bottled water, but refill the bottles with tap water. I have a small mouth, and it's much easier to drink from a bottle than from a glass. It also makes it easier to carry around the house, keep in the car or keep near the computer without spilling.

One thing I've paid more attention to recently is packaging. We try to buy items that have as little packaging, and with the most recyclable content, as possible.

We buy organic whenver possible, too - which is quite a lot, actually.

Gratefully, I have access to good locally grown produce. I'm vegetarian, so that is the large part of my food purchasing. Our grocers have all been giving a nickel credit for cloth bags (something I do anyway), so I've been doing that quite a while.

My big wish would be for more green-friendly packaging. We waste an awful lot of packaging material, even with the best recycling, due to redundancy in packaging.

Plastic is not all bad. Having paper bags break makes me avoid paper. I reuse the plastic bags.

I have reuseable bags but am not consistent about using them. I should because they do the best job and some are specifically for cold foods. I usually remember them when I go to shop at Trader Joe's.

I try to puchase organically grown food. Mostly for health reasons but also to help keep chemicals from being put into the earth.

One thing of note however, in the past the organic veggies in my local grocery store were just 1/4 to 1/3 higher in price than the chemically treated and/or imported. Last week the price had doubled. Now that not only makes me not buy it, but it makes me angry as well.

And those of you above who speak of starting your own home gardens? Think first about what lawn chemicals you or a past owner has put into that ground. You might want to plant in large containers instead. I do.

Large containers are a great idea for those who 1) still have lawn chemicals in their soil from previous years, 2) have back problems or other physical difficulties, or 3) have other soil problems, such as heavy clay soil or high acidity or alkaline levels.

Nos. 1 & 3 can be fixed with the usual organic practices of composting, planting a "cover crop" and tilling it under, letting a plot lie fallow for a certain period of time, etc. No. 2, well, if you have physical difficulties that won't let you garden for extended periods of time; containers can be low-maintenance (other than keeping them watered). I have a couple of large foam pots (no drainage holes) that catch the rainwater from the roof only a few feet away from my containers. I also have a "garden stool" on wheels with a compartment under the seat so I can haul my hand tools with me, sit down and work on my plants without having to bend over (mild back and knee pain).

I quit using pesticides and fertilizers altogether several years ago and now have the most actively growing yard in the neighborhood. (That's not necessarily a good thing, in my case. Weeds, you know.) My son says he could throw some tires in it in the morning and have a vehicle by sunset. We will be doing major work this summer prior to his going off to college in the fall. Got to get it low-maintenance so I can handle it by myself while he's gone.

I did buy a couple of cases of bottled water during Katrina and I keep them in my closet with the rest of my hurricane kit. I try to buy products in glass containers as glass is recyclable/reusable/not nearly so hard to get rid of at a chemical level.

I started a garden. Two, actually. I also planted four dwarf fruit trees. But I'll be honest and say I didn't do it for the environment - my kids are eating me out of house and home and I need to slow the grocery budget gobblers!
I also think it's been fantastic for my son - he's now in love with earthworms and is excited to see our plants grow up from seeds. He can't wait for the cucumbers and tomatoes. I can't wait for the pumpkin! :-D

Hmmm....interesting ideas in the comments here. I planted a garden this year but I haven't done anything else yet.

I hope it's ok to post these two links of mine. But one of the reasons I joined this group is to educate and inform people from the beginners level up to the advance.

http://www.squidoo.com/ravieisgreen
http://www.squidoo.com/babyzone

This is truly becoming a lifestyle for me. I have been seeing the benefits physically as well as the comfort of knowing that I am contributing to the good of the enviroment.