Local foods provide exceptional taste and freshness. It also 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
Local foods strengthen our local economy and supports endangered family farms.
Along the way it losses nutrients, burns fossil fuels and contributes to global warming
Food taste better because the fresher the produce the longer it holds it’s vitality and it’s nutrients
Local foods preserve genetic diversity due to the large number of variety local farmers produce in order to provide a long harvest season
Keeps the money in the neighborhood. For every 100 dollars spent at a locally owned business, $45 goes back into your community and our tax base. For every $100 spent at a chain store, only $14 comes back.
Small Changes You Can Make
Enjoy raw fruits, vegetables and salads to reduce energy consumption.
Clean produce in short water baths rather than with running water.
Replace appliances with more energy efficient models. You’ll save energy and maybe even benefit from additional savings with an energy credit.
Avoid plastic containers in favor of Eco-friendly storage.
Switch to reusable stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic.
Run your dishwasher only when full and on the lowest energy setting (for example – let the dishes air dry instead of using the heated dry setting).
Consider composting. Use egg shells, coffee grounds and cover with torn pieces of cardboard to create a compost heap that yield rich soil.
Buy minimally packaged foods.
David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge suggests making one day a week meat-free. And yes, that small change will make a difference. Just as opting not to drive one day a week will make a difference. And as that one day grows into more days a week, we will start to see bigger differences. An analogy sometimes used to illustrate the relative effects of incremental dietary changes on the environment says that eating meat is like driving a huge SUV, eating a vegetarian diet is like driving a compact car, and eating a vegan diet is like riding a bicycle or walking.
Composting leftovers will ease the burden on the landfill, give you great soil, and keep your kitchen wastebasket from smelling. Apartment dwellers and yardless wonders can do it too! And yes, a composting toilet can be part of the miraculous cycle as well.
Meat is the most resource-intensive food on the table and eating less of it can be the single greenest move a person makes. Producing meat requires huge amounts of water, grain, land, and other inputs 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 meat eater, for starters, try cutting out a serving of meat each week. Going vegetarian or vegan is a profoundly meaningful environmental choice.
Eating a plant-based diet keeps the earth green. Each vegetarian saves one acre of trees a year by the food they eat. It is these trees which keep the planet alive by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. In addition, they provide a habitat for millions of species, many of whom are rapidly going extinct as their natural homes get eaten up by human greed.
According to John Robbins, the average vegan uses about 1/6 of an acre of land to satisfy his or her food requirements for a year; the average vegetarian who consumes dairy products and eggs requires about three times that, and the average meat-eater requires about 20 times that much land.
When you eat organic, don’t just picture the healthy food you are putting in your body, picture the healthy ecosystems which produced that food, the workers who are safer from chemicals, the land, water, and air that is being protected, and the wildlife that is being allowed to thrive. Organic vegetables, fruits, grains, juice, wine and beer are grown and processed in ways that support healthy people and a healthy planet.
Raw nutrients of the day:
1 oz E3Live with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon bee pollen
16oz Cafix
3 NuPlus
3Quinary
3 Fortune Delight
2 garden salads
Mushrooms with spinach and parsley
Sprouts and red leaf lettuce salad
2 oz E3Live with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon bee pollen
8oz Passionberry Bliss Kombucha drink
1 vege meatball and 1oz spaghetti (zuchinni, carrots, squash and tomato)
1 piece of almond fudge
1 piece of coconut gogi berry fudge
46 oz Calli
Below are some green photos.
Quote of the day:
Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might...Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your objective. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Celebrate Life and be green,
Alma
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