Though the human race can live without cell phones, automobiles, and computers, we all need clean air, water and food to survive. But what are the best practices for growing and buying food?
- Eat Local- The average U.S. meal travels over 1,500 miles. By shipping one pound of apples
from an Iowa farm to a Washington market rather than a local one, 30% more fuel is used and 30% more greenhouse gases are released. When you purchase food at the grocery store, farmers only receive 3.5 cents for every dollar you spend. Buying local food will keep your money in the community, helps the community economically and increases the quality of life. - Eat Organic- Organic farming is typically 30% more energy efficient. This type of agriculture is not dependent on synthetic, petroleum based pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. Organic fruits and vegetables have higher levels of vitamins and minerals.
- Grow Your Own- By growing your own food, not only are you able to care for it from start to finish, but you are avoiding extra costs for packaging, marketing and transportation. Organic, heirloom seeds are recommended. (Heirloom limits exposure to pests that can wipe out monoculture crops. If you don't have a yard, you can grow your garden in a balcony or window sill box. You can also join a community garden.
- Go Veg- A vegetarian lifestyle can take up less energy.
- One pound of potatoes or wheat uses only 1-3% of the energy it takes to make one pound of beef.
- 1.3 billion people could be fed with the grain America uses to feed livestock.
- 165 lbs of carbon dioxide is released to clear rainforest needed to graze livestock for one burger. (Compare this to the 7 lbs of carbon dioxide released from your car everyday.)
To learn more about how your food choices can affect the environment, chat with Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle on Tuesday, May 15th @ 2PM ET.
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Tune into the Sundance Channel on Tuesday, May 15th to learn more:
9:00pm e/p
“Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Eat” Up-and-coming chef Kris Morningstar takes us on a tour of his new green restaurant Blue Velvet, where the food is grown locally, the décor is created from sustainable products, and the rooftop is morphing into a high concept produce garden; Local Burger owner Hilary Brown buys sustainable meat and produce from farms within 100 miles of her restaurant and challenges a fast-food addict to eat off the Local Burger menu for a month; Tom Szaky, young entrepreneur and CEO of TerraCycle, finds treasure in another man’s trash with his 100% green fertilizer line made from worm “poo” and packaged in recycled bottles.
9:30pm e/p
Our Daily Bread (U.S. Television Premiere) – Directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter. Shot at various European locations, this mesmerizing film takes us inside the world of industrial food production. Precisely framed tracking shots capture the efficient growth and harvesting of everything from pigs, cows, chicken and fish to tomatoes, apples, salt and sunflowers. There are no interviews, and only the odd conversation among workers; otherwise the sounds are those of animals, conveyor belts, combines and other machines. Grand Prize, 2006 Environmental Film Festival, Paris; Best Film, 2006 Ecocinema International Film Festival, Athens, Special Jury Award, 2005 Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival.
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Do you have a "Big Idea" for the environment? Join The Green to learn more about Robert Redford's new television series about sustainable living. To join, click here.
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Comments: 8
Vegies are great but don't forget fresh fruit. Organic fruit doesn't look nearly as "pretty" as the other stuff, but it's much more tasty.