Food That Doesn't Cost the Earth

Posted by Rolf Joho on January 31st, 2010 filed in What Causes Global Warming

You don’t have to be a environmental scientist to know that we are having a huge influence on the state of our planet and people are only starting to take action now. Going back a couple of decades, not many people worried about where their grub tableware or other products were sourced from. It was a case of what do I want and where do I get it. This attitude is not sustainable however, and a shift in thinking is needed especially in these times of weak economy and global warming. A healthy approach can start at home by being considerate about something as simple as your next meal.

Local Suppliers. It seems all to easy these days to buy exotic fruit whenever you want it or pick up some foreign spices from the local shop. However, a huge amount of these products are flown thousands of miles from other countries and this causes problems. Not only does the transport release vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, due to burning fuel and having to use a food and wine fridge to keep the produce chilled all the way, but also local food suppliers struggle to compete with low foreign costs. If you want to see the important businesses in your local area survive for years to come then make sure you use them whenever you can.

Less Packaging. The amount of packaging that you will find on many supermarket products these days is gratuitous. A single cake might be singly wrapped, inside a little box with a plastic place-holder, which is cloaked in cellophane and transported within a cardboard box, with the other cake boxes. More often than not this packaging is unnecessary, so try and avoid those products that go over the top with it.

Ethically Sourced Accessories. More than just the food you buy can influence the planet when you eat. Everything from the cutlery you use to the little wine gifts you buy others can have an impact and you should think carefully before making a choice. Ask yourself where this product has come from, is it something that could be made from a more sustainable material, and is this a disposable product when I could be buying a reusable one? Disposable chopsticks for example cause thousands of trees to be cut down every day, when a good reusable pair can last a lifetime.

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Title: What to make of the year without a winter.(THE LION'S DEN)
Author: Robert Royal
Publication: National Catholic Reporter (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 2, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 43 Issue: 14 Page: 17(1)

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