Treehugger

Today starts a new series of posts, that’ll appear once a week here on the TreeHugger blog. We want to make it easy and fun to take positive action to add some green to your life, so we’ll be breaking it down by category, suggesting a handful of ways to take some green steps, and explaining why they’re important; pick one, choose three or do them all -- we don’t mind -- as each one individually (or in combination with others) will help you further incorporate green into your life. And the title of the column -- Green For Dummies -- is not a reflection of the level of intelligence of you readers, of course; we just want to break it down to a level that anyone can approach and embrace. Today, we’ll talk about eating.



As something we all do several times every day, making greener food choices is one of the most impactful behaviors you can do. TreeHugger recommends the following:

Eat organic -- which means, of course, that there aren’t any pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or any other nasty chemicals used to help the food grown. That’s better for the food, and for your body, for sure, but way better for the ecosystem in which it was produced, too, as well as healthier for those who harvest the food, the plants and animals that require the surrounding land to survive. For more on organics, see the USDA Organic homepage [www.ams.usda.gov].
Enjoy fair fare -- or Fair Trade certified foods, ensure a proper wage and working conditions for those who harvest and handle it. But fair trade is green for the environment as well. TransFair [transfairusa.org], the only fair trade certifier in the US, has strong environmental standards built into its certification process that protect watersheds and virgin forests, help prevent erosion, promote natural soil fertility and water conservation, and prohibit GMOs and many synthetic chemicals. TransFair claims that their environmental standards are the most stringent in the industry, second only to USDA organic certification.
Think global, eat local -- Buying local food that’s in season is a boon for the environment for a lot of reasons. Since most food travels many miles from farm to fork (1,500 miles, on average, here in the US), food from local sources cuts back on the climate-change impacts of transportation. Local food also generally uses less packaging, is fresher and tastier, and comes in more varieties. It also supports small local growers, rather than big industrial agriculture and lets them get more for their produce by not having to spend so much on packing, processing, refrigeration, marketing, and shipping. This is a subject we’ve covered before here on the blog; check out the full entry [www.sundancechannel.com] for more.
Grow your own -- It doesn’t get any more local than right from your own backyard (or kitchen, even!), and you not only get the satisfaction of the do-it-yourself project, but you get to eat the delicious fruits of your labor. If your real estate doesn’t allow extra room for a garden plot, there’s always hydroponics [www.hydroponicsonline.com] or its waterless cousin, aeroponics [www.aerogrow.com].



Don’t follow the pack -- Instead of buying foods that come in extensive packaging, which is often petroleum-based plastics, look for unpackaged or minimally packaged foods. Bringing your own containers (and your own reusable shopping bag) to the grocery store is a quick ‘n easy way to cut way back on packaging; alternately looks for brands that use bio-based plastic packing -- there are a few out there, but there are more almost every day, it seems. Of course, try to recycle or reuse any packaging you can’t avoid; read this article [www.foodproductiondaily.com] for more info.
Compost the leftovers -- Greening your eating doesn’t stop when you’re full; composting leftovers (a subject we covered in some depth, starting here [www.sundancechannel.com]) will ease the burden on the landfill, give your soil and plants a fertile boost, and keep your kitchen waste basket from smelling. And remember, it’s not just for those who have room for a huge pile out back; apartment dwellers and yardless city dwellers can do it, too.
Ease up on the meat -- Meat is the most resource-intensive food on the table and eating less of it can be the single most green move a person makes. Producing meat requires huge amounts of water, grain, land, and other inputs often including hormones and antibiotics, and leads to pollution of soil, air, and water. A pound of beef requires around 12,000 gallons of water to produce, compared to 60 gallons for a pound of potatoes. If you’re a bona-fide meat eater, for starters, try cutting it out of one meal a week -- Meatless Mondays, or something like that. Going full-on vegetarian or vegan is a profoundly meaningful environmental choice, and it’s done wonders for Coldplay’s Chris Martin [www.treehugger.com] and Prince [www.treehugger.com].