What's Greener? Take-out vs. Eat-in

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Part of our vitality is the earth's vitality.  How we treat ourselves is often a reflection of how we treat the earth.  The people who recycle and compost are unsurprisingly people who also take care of themselves through their diet and lifestyle.  From my observations, the "hippie-ness" of someone is highly correlated to the amount of love for the earth someone has.  I don't think it's a coincidence that the weather for the past couple decades have been off kilter.  Global warming is a reflection of our society.  Not just in how we are physically abusing the earth but also how we are polluting it with our mindsets.  Our focuses on making money, being innovative, and being gluttonous have heavily contributed to the condition of the earth.
As I improved my diet (moving to more local, plant foods) and started meditating, I definitely noticed that I feel more connected to and appreciative of nature.  For that reason, I thought I'd post occasionally on how we can become greener.  I'm going to state upfront that I'm not expert on the environment but want to grow more awareness of it through this blog.
Today I wanted to talk about eating out. From a nutritional standpoint, it is always better to make your own meals and eat at home (or eat at someone else's home cooked food at their home).  But we live in a busy world where sometimes that's not an option and also splurging on a meal that you don't have to cook for yourself is nice.  Did you know that thirty-two percent of meals in the US are eaten outside of the home?  That's about one a day.  That's not to say 68% are cooked at home.  A large percentage if that number includes take-out meals. 
I admit that I like the occassional take-out from the local Thai restaurant.  On one of my visits, I thought about take-out vs. eat-in and which is greener.  To me, all of the steps taken to take-out or eat-in are all the same except the use of take-out containers.  This is the factor that, in my opinion, makes eating in a restaurant more green than eating take-out at home (unless you bring your own containers).  So be greener and eat in the restaurant instead of taking out.
What are you thoughts on taking out vs. eating in?  Any tips on being greener?

Farmers Markets: Why Should You Go?

It's been a crazy week here and I'm heading to school this weekend.  Expect shorter but just as sweet posts  while I'm in NYC listening to Paul Pitchford speak.  In the meantime, check out the June newsletter that came out today and sign up to receive it every month if you haven't already! 

One of my goals this summer is to really become a regular at the local farmers markets in Boston.  I am blessed that the city has a plethora to visit on various days throughout the week.  There is even one twice a week across the street from South Station which is only 10 minutes away from my office.  There are so many advantages, health and otherwise, to buying local and fresh. 

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Tasty: We are talking about fresh food.  Food that has usually been picked in the past 24 hours or less and at a peak of ripeness!  This means that the fruits are going to be sweeter and juicer and the vegetables are going to be more colorful and crunchier.  My friend has been known to purchase heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market and eat them as her afternoon snack.

Nutrient-packed:  A produces' freshness is highly correlated to its nutritional value.  (A) They weren't picked while under ripe and allowed to ripen while traveling on a cargo ship and truck. They are picked at their peak of ripeness and brought to the market. This means that they were allowed to grow to their fullest potential and to reap the most benefits of the soil and sun.  (B) They haven't had to travel as far as grocery store produce which means that they haven't lost as many nutrients between garden and kitchen. (C) Many farmers practice proper crop rotation, a technique that has been abandoned by the larger farming industry.  Rotating crops allows the soil to replenish its minerals which still utilizing the very valuable land. 

(Likely) Organic: Many local farmers actually follow gardening methods and philosophies that would qualify as organic including crop rotation and not using dangerous pesticides and herbicides. Unfortunately, it costs a lot of money to get that certification and many farmers cannot make that investment.  The best bet is to talk to the farmers and understand what they growing methods are.

Eco-friendly: As I mentioned, many farmers follow organic growing techniques which are definitely eco-friendly.  Not using pesticides and herbicides means they stay out of our air, water, and soil as well as any wild animals that come in contact with them.  Crop rotation allows the soil to rebuild its supply, essentially give it time to heal.  Additionally, the produce has a much lower carbon footprint than produce found in the grocery store.  This is the case with organic fruits and vegetables too.  Many of which come all the way from Central and South America!

Local Economics: Lastly, you are supporting a local economy and folks who are doing honest work and growing food to nurture us.  Who deserves our money more than them?

These are only some of the reasons to start checking out your farmers markets.  I hope one or all of these reasons compel you enough to do that.  Don't know if you have a farmers market near you?  Check out Local Harvest to find one!

Meaty Mondays Series: Meat & the Environment

This post will be the first of my Monday series on all things meat.

In April, San Francisco was the first US city to embrace and fully adopt the Meatless Monday concept.  Mondays became a pseudo-holiday where residences became vegetarian.  The city encouraged shops and restaurants to support the weekly event with menu choices and specials featuring meat-free items.  This adoption is part of a larger international campaign to reduce meat consumption.  I'm not telling you to stop eating meat but below are some issues you may not have previously aware of when taking a bite of your burger or cutting into your chicken breast.  Today, I will cover the environmental impact of eating meat. 

Our planet needs to grow food to feed more and more people every year.  Natural resources are in decline.  The livestock industry uses a disproportionate amount of resources for their yield, especially in comparison to the agricultural farming industry.   Here are some major environmental considerations when choosing to eat meat - Planeteer-style. 

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Goooo Captain!

Earth (Land): We use a ton of land just to grow meat.  Not only do we use the land to physically raise animals, but we also use land to grow their feed.  About 70% of the grains harvested in the US are grown with the sole purpose of feeding farm animals.  Every pound of meat takes about 16 pounds of grains! Imagine if we reallocated those grains to feed people! What a difference that would make in the world hunger issue and food costs.


Fire (Temperature): Global warming is a hot topic (literally).  Whether you believe that temperature fluctuations are a natural planetary cycle or directly attributed to human behavior, the fact is the earth's weather is going off pattern.  Warmer temperatures as well as more catastrophic natural disasters or untimely occurrences have been linked to global warming.  Major culprits include auto and plane emissions, deforestation, and lastly, raising livestock.  "In a 2006 report, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions — by comparison, all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions.(source)"

Wind (Air): In addition to the hot air that raising livestock produces, factory farms are the source of massive amounts of pollution.  The ill-living conditions introduce dust and dried feces and other not so healthy particles into the air.  "A study in Texas found that animal feedlots in the state produce more than 14 million pounds of particulate dust every year and that the dust 'contains biologically active organisms such as bacteria, mold, and fungi from the feces and the feed.' The massive amounts of excrement produced by these farms emit toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia into the air. The EPA reports that roughly 80 percent of ammonia emissions in the United States come from animal waste...When the cesspools holding tons of urine and feces get full, factory farms will frequently get around water pollution limits by spraying liquid manure into the air, creating mists that are carried away by the wind." Gag! (source)

Water: It takes 5,214 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef! (Source: Food Revolution)  Our usable water supply is already dwindling.  Shifting from one pound of beef a year would save more water than using a water efficient showerhead or washing your car or not turning on your lawn sprinkler.

In addition to the extravagant use of water to raise animals, there is also the water pollution that results from factory farming.  Animal waste is improperly discarded and oftentimes runoff into sources of water like lakes and streams.  These waste contain an extreme amount of bacteria, hormones, and antibiotics that are not meant to be in our water supply.  Summary-we are drinking that stuff.

And finally,

Heart (ethics): Now this isn't an environmental impact but ties nicely with the Planeteers theme.  Ethics in raising, killing and eating animals have been hot topics for centuries.  Historically, groups like the Native Americans and Indians have revered animals for their spirit and their physical contribution to our being.  Animals were raised, killed, and eaten with respect.  This is a far cry from what we do today.

The method of  farming implemented for most animals in the US is called "factory farming."  It is a bit ironic to couple "farming" with such an industrial word like "factory."  However, these words are indicative of how the meat industry views the cows, chickens, and pigs it raises.  These animals are treated as "inventory."  The system tries to get the most yield from these animals at the least cost which includes  money and time.  There is no consideration for the well-being of the animal itself.  They are subjected to extremely harsh living conditions where they do not get sunlight, fresh air, or even grass to walk on.  These wild animals do not have any room to move and exercise their muscles.  Their pens are muddy, grass-free and they are literally stepping in their own feces or worse, their dead counterparts. 


I encourage everyone to make wiser food choices around meat, starting on Mondays, for a happier and healthier planet.  Look for my post next week on the impact of eating meat and how we can make choices for a happier and healthier body.
 For more info:
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/environment.html
http://www.thedailygreen.com/ (this site is a great site for all things "green")
http://www.goveg.com/

Impact Change

Happy Earth Day! I’m not sure how many of you were able to catch Food Inc. last night. I stayed up (too) late to watch it and feel so motivated to continue my quest to help people make dietary changes and learn about good, whole, unadulterated food, the kind our bodies were meant to eat.

The film had great stories and messages to communicate to the public about our disjointed food system. The theme of the last 10 minutes of the movie is the one that will stick with me the longest and that is that we “can vote to change this system. Three times a day.” Every time we eat, buy and order food, we communicate a choice, a standard, and expectation of our food. Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonybrook Farm, said, we vote every time we are at the food scanner. Don’t you doubt for a second that food companies and supermarkets are tracking our every move. A great example is that Wal-Mart, the biggest retailer in the world, made the decision to not buy dairy products that have rBST (a growth hormone) because its consumers did not want them. Imagine if more consumers demanded grass-fed, humanely fed beef and pasture fed, free range chicken. What would Wal-Mart do then?

Don’t view yourself as one lowly person in the industrial food chain. Every one of us has a voice in the system and if we band together, we WILL be heard. Food has become big business-no doubt about it. And as demand for whole foods increases, the supply should follow-the basics of economics. You don’t have to make big changes that will throw your diet and lifestyle out of whack. Make small changes that you can live with. Take action by choosing all natural, whole foods at the supermarket. Explore the “natural foods” section that has populated every supermarket. Shop at the local farmers’ markets or sign up for a CSA this summer. Try to have one organic veggie a week. Opt to buy the organic, non-GMO tofu instead of the conventional. You can make a difference in what we consider to be food. Be empowered to not only make a difference in your diet but in the diet of the country and eventually the world. US industrial farming has ill effects on its workers (e.g., low wages, diseases, poor working conditions, allergy to antibiotics, fingernails falling off), its consumers (e.g., deaths from bacterial poisoning, obesity), its “products” (e.g., abuse and poorly treated animals, contamination), and the environment. Global warming can be partly attributed to the impact of flatulence from corn-fed cows, transportation of imported food from far away lands, destruction of the rain forests for agriculture or to raise animal foods, and the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers.

Whether your priorities are your health, your kids’ wellbeing, fair animal treatment, or the environment, be sure to make choices at the market or at restaurants that are in line with your beliefs.