Don’t believe the hype. It IS easy being green. Start by eating local once a week and reduce plastic packaging, CO2 emissions, fuel consumption….and that poor carrot had to travel over 1800 miles to get to your plate! Instead, go to your farmer’s market (east coast, there’s no excuse this time of year), spend a fraction of what you’ll spend at the chain, and in the process think about who you can nominate for the Golden Carrot award to help reduce the chances that 1 in 2 of us will be obese by 2030.
Local Rationale
This issue’s infographic: we’ve been hearing so much about buying local — I hope the graphic above gives you a nice nutshell on why we should. “If the people of an average American city were to shift 10% of their spending from chains to local businesses, it would bring an additional $235 million per year to the community’s economy.” I don’t know about you, but I can think of a bazillion ways our community can use $235 million. Harder to be elitist nowadays.
“BUT its so expensive!” Do you remember Family Feud? Well, survey says, it is NOT more expensive to eat local especially, MOST especially this time of year! “A report released earlier this year by Jake Robert Claro, a graduate student at Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy who did the study for the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, found that prices at farmers’ markets were lower for many conventionally produced grocery items than they were at supermarkets. For organic items, farmers’ markets beat grocery stores every time hands down.”
And when you’re there, here are some tips on what NOT to say at the Farmers’ Market. “Do you have change for a $100 bill?” is one. Get a clue.
Obesogenic
Do you live in the diabetes belt? It could be because your urban environment is obesogenic: the way your neighborhood is built could kill you.
Did you know that a typical revolving door has widened from 10 feet to 12 feet? And that if we survive the real end of the world in October and the Mayan apocalypse in 2012, 1 in 2 adults will be obese by 2030? 50%! That translates to a very, very unhealthy society. Here’s the BIG picture from NPR.
One of the things we need to do to fight this trend is to retire Ronald – DO NOT LET CLOWNS FEED OUR KIDS. “While childhood obesity has many causes, most researchers agree that the major reason that rates have sky rocketed is that our children eat too much, especially too much high fat, high calorie and low nutrient food like that served in McDonalds. In addition, a growing body of research shows that television advertising encourages kids to eat more unhealthy food, that children who live or go to school in places with many fast food restaurants are more likely to be overweight or obese, and that children who eat more fast food meals are more likely to be overweight than those who do not. If a nanny sought to persuade our children to eat more food that makes them overweight and at risk of serious disease and premature death, we would rightly fire her and perhaps charge her with child abuse.” Why do we let clowns do it?
Instead, we should reward good work. Take that local carrot and nominate innovative School Lunch Programs for the Golden Carrot Awards! “The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) established the Golden Carrot Awards in 2004 to recognize food service professionals doing an exceptional job of improving the healthfulness of school lunches. PCRM looks for programs that encourage kids to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and that offer plenty of vegetarian, low-fat, whole grain, and nondairy options. Children who are raised on a healthy vegetarian diet have a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers compared with those who grow up on an average American diet.”