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Finally
it is fashionable to be green. For
many years being environmentally
concerned had a negative
connotation. Tree huggers were
mocked and ridiculed or ignored.
Now, due to the threat of global
warming, even law makers are
getting on the environmental
bandwagon.
The
first step to living green begins
with awareness, and your first
stop on this journey begins at the
grocery store. When you pick up a
product start asking these
questions, Where did this item
originate? What are the
ingredients? Is this the best
product for my family?
It will take longer to
shop, but keep in mind that you
are doing this for your family and
the environment.
Many
years ago before
California
was irrigated and refrigerated
trucks were invented, mom and pop
grocery stores purchased from
local farmers. People bought only
items that were in season, meaning
tomatoes in summer – not January
or February. Today most of our
fruits and vegetables travel
hundreds of miles to get to our
stores. You can imagine the amount
of gasoline it takes to transport
this to us every day.
Make
a decision today to change your
buying habits. Since refrigerated
trucks use more gas, purchase
canned products versus fresh to
reduce that gas consumption. Skip
those February strawberries,
because they weren’t grown
locally, and they probably won’t
taste that great anyway. Every
week, substitute a canned item for
fresh. The canned item may even
taste better as it was picked at
peak ripeness versus days or weeks
in advance.
When
buying fresh produce, check to see
where it originated. You can find
this on the packaging or label.
Choose organic vegetables, such as
carrots and potatoes, over
non-organic when they travel the
same distance or less. They are
better for your family’s health
and environment, because harmful
chemicals aren’t used. If the
fruits and vegetables can be grown
in the
US
, buy them from the
US
. It doesn’t make sense to buy
apples from
Costa Rica
when they can be grown in
Kentucky
.
Most
importantly, buy fresh vegetables
and fruits ‘in season’ and buy
them locally. In a few months
farmer’s markets will open.
Start shopping there before
stopping at the grocery. If you
don’t see something that you
always buy at the store, ask about
it. It may be that it can’t be
grown in this area, but it’s
possible the farmer has never
considered this a marketable
product. And let’s not forget
that when you buy locally, you are
helping the local economy, as well
as the environment.
There
is an amazing statistic in Barbara
Kingsolver’s book, Animal,
Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food
Life. “If
every
US
citizen ate just one meal a week
(any meal) composed of locally and
organically raised meats and
produce, we would reduce our
country’s oil consumption by
over 1.1 million barrels of oil
every week.” That’s
barrels, not gallons. What an
amazing statistic! Choose to be a
part of that statistic by taking
the first step to living green.
Website
for in season fruits and
vegetables for Kentucky
: http://www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/fullyear.asp?state=18
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