Food That Doesn't Cost The Earth
http://www.foodndrinks.net/articles/5219/1/Food-That-Doesnt-Cost-The-Earth/Page1.html
Jenny Fountain
Jenny Fountain runs her very own wine accessories website selling glassware, designer bottle opener products and tableware. She writes about all her products and industry news By Jenny Fountain
Published on 01/12/2010
With a huge emphasis on environmentalism recently, how can you make a real difference at meal time?
Even if you don't stay up to date on current affairs, you can't have missed the focusing in on environmental issues lately. Even as recently as the 90's, not many people really considered where their nutrition tableware or clothing etc came 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. Even the things that we think are elementary can change the world for the better if everyone adopts a more positive attitude towards it. Taking some time to think about where you get and how you consume your food can have a surprisingly big impact.
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. The fact this produce is sourced thousands of miles away has not long been in people's consciousness and the impacts are large. Not only does the transport release vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, due to burning fuel and having to use food and wine coolers 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.
Fight Packaging. You only have to take a walk down one of the isles to see how much food packaging is wasted making products look pretty. 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.
Green Accessories. It is not only what food you buy than can have an effect on the planet. Everything from the cutlery you use to the little gifts you purchase for other people can have a knock on effect and so deserve consideration. 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.
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. The fact this produce is sourced thousands of miles away has not long been in people's consciousness and the impacts are large. Not only does the transport release vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, due to burning fuel and having to use food and wine coolers 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.
Fight Packaging. You only have to take a walk down one of the isles to see how much food packaging is wasted making products look pretty. 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.
Green Accessories. It is not only what food you buy than can have an effect on the planet. Everything from the cutlery you use to the little gifts you purchase for other people can have a knock on effect and so deserve consideration. 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.