Welcome to Adobe GoLive 6

Climate change is real, scientists tell us. The scientific evidence is overwhelming that human activity is contributing. And “more violent storms” are part of the climate change package. I'm all ears. The angry weather this winter in central Illinois has grabbed my attention. Weird “thunder snow.” Unidentifiable precipitation akin to Styrofoam pellets. Fifty-degree temperature drops in one afternoon. Global warming skeptics may try to reassure me that such climate variations are normal. But I'd rather choose the safer path. What's up? And what can I do right now to help?
Eat, I'm told. Carbon light, that is. Sure, there are plenty of other things, like walking instead of driving, changing light bulbs, avoiding sprawl and more. But ecologist Wendell Berry also informs us, “How we eat determines to a considerable extent how the world is used.” Climate change is fueled mainly by accelerated burning of fossil fuels, spewing greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The way we eat is thought to contribute at least one quarter of greenhouse gasses. Ecologist Bill McKibben minces no words. “We're living on an SUV diet. Our food arrives at the table marinated in oil - crude oil.” It takes 10 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce just one calorie of food when you add fossil fuels to make pesticides, drive tractors, harvest, dry, and transport food. Add to that food processing, refrigeration, packaging, and cooking. In contrast, traditional farming methods have historically produced 2 calories of food energy for every calorie of energy invested. Luckily we don't have to park an SUV in the kitchen.

Buy Locally Grown Food - Food miles is one way we measure the carbon treads of our SUV eating, meaning the distance food travels from farm to fork. Foods grown and sold locally travel only about 55 miles. But the average bite of domestic food travels 1,500 miles. That's like driving from Illinois to Florida just for a cup of coffee, spewing some 5,600 pounds of carbon emissions. Our average meal contains ingredients from five different countries and spends 7-14 days in transit, losing flavor and nutrients. Oddly, many foods racking up miles are found in our own backyard. For example, in one year the US exported nearly $400,000 worth of almonds to Italy, and imported the same worth from Italy. Why not save gas and eat our own almonds? Be mindful of where your food comes from. Look for local farmers markets. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Look forward to the rhythms, freshness and intoxicating flavor of your local seasonal foods, like crisp spring greens and ripe summer tomatoes. Ask your supermarket to look into local options. Good resources: Local Harvest www.localharvest.org, Food Routes www.foodroutes.org, Illinois Farm Direct www.illinoisfarmdirect.org.

Choose Organically Grown - Organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which are made of fossil fuels and natural gas. You'll cut demand for oil as a raw ingredient and emissions from transporting lots of chemicals. And you'll help protect yourself from toxins. For foods not indigenous to the US, like coffee, cocoa, bananas and other tropical fruits, look for Fair Trade products, which support small scale farmers globally who minimize their ecological impacts. For example, shade-grown chocolate or coffee are grown under tree cover, preventing clearing of “carbon-gobbling” forests and minimizing pesticide use.

Eat More Plants, Less Meat. Vegetarian diets (for protein think beans, nuts, seeds) economize carbon like a Toyota Prius, according to scientists. In contrast, meat-eating is the Chevy Suburban of diets. In fact, a recent United Nations report claims our global appetite for meat chokes out more greenhouse gasses than all cars and trucks in the world combined. Beef has the heaviest carbon footprint, and producing one kilogram of it is like going for a 3-hour drive while leaving all the lights on at home. Scientists urge us cut back on meat. Eating one less beef meal a week saves 300 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Check out the Vegetarian Resource Group at www.vrg.org. At the very least, choose “lighter carbon” chicken. Even choosing organic grass-fed beef (vs. grain fed) cuts emissions significantly.

Use Less Packaging - While some packaging helps keep food safe, most is for marketing appeal. All this short-lived wrapping takes energy to produce and transport, spewing greenhouse gasses. And plastics are made from petroleum. Take disposable water bottles. Eliminating the 37 billion bottles Americans buy yearly made from 47 million gallons of oil would be like taking 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air. So grab your re-usable bottle or mug (see www.KleanKanteen.com), a tinier inconvenience than cleaning up after a climate catastrophe. Ask restaurant owners to give discounts for reusable containers. Buy foods in bulk and refuse to buy those with lots of packaging, most of which are nutritionally dubious anyway. Finally, grab a re-usable bag to shop. The average American uses 300 to 700 petroleum-based plastic bags yearly. Check out lightweight, fair trade “Chico Bags” at www.chicobag.com. And lobby for better bag legislation like bans in San Francisco and many European and Asian countries.

Take Smaller Portions. When we “overeat”, what doesn't go to waist goes to waste, along with all the energy used to produce and deliver that food to us. So, eating carbon lite also means lightening our portions, tightening our belts, and treasuring the tremendous efforts to bring us each spoonful.
With each bite, you have the power to choose how the world will be used, including how much hidden greenhouse gas will be generated to serve your meal. Will you continue to tolerate that SUV parked in the kitchen? Or can you downsize to a hybrid? Or even a bike? You're in the driver's seat with each bite.

References

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