The Good Life #4: Food
Today is Blog Action Day, a day for bloggers to raise awareness of environmental issues. To find out more, visit the Blog Action Day website.
I’ve been reading a lot lately about the food we eat, and the impact it has on the planet. It’s prompted me to make some changes… maybe not “hardcore” changes, but definitely a start.
- Cutting down on processed, prepackaged food: Not only is prepackaged food generally pretty unhealthful, it’s also wasteful. The bags, boxes, and packets add up, and not all of them are recyclable. I’ve started eliminating a lot of frozen or shelf-stable boxed meals, and I’ve substituted items with minimal packaging and/or items in bulk or larger sizes.
- Vegetarian at home: I’m too much of a meat-eater to go back to vegetarianism full-time. Recently, I tried a month of keeping kosher at home, though, and made it a lot easier on myself by sticking to vegetarian foods. The habit’s kind of stuck with me. What better incentive is there for cutting back than knowing that you’re cutting back on some serious carbon emissions?
- Eating locally: The two things that made me stop keeping kosher are good cheese (animal rennet just doesn’t cut it) and locally baked bread. I’ve started to look for more local products: produce from local growers, artisanal cheeses, and locally baked bread. It tastes better, supports Californians, and reduces carbon emissions because the food didn’t have to travel so far. I’d love your suggestions for local food sources I should try!
- Drinking less Diet Coke: I know it’s bad for me. It’s a can full of chemicals! I set out to cut out Diet Coke completely a few weeks ago, and since then I’ve only had a few cans here and there. Baby steps.
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Tell me about it. I adore Diet Coke and Coke Zero but I try to avoid them for the same reason. Try drinking sparkling water instead. It’s not the same, but at least you get the bubbly part. I like the flavored ones made by Crystal Geyser (lime, lemon, orange, mixed berry). You can also get some plain water and add some fruit juice.
By Amy on 11.28.07 3:55 pm
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