VAUDREUILDORION

Exhibit spotlights women in the world of fashion

Health-conscious citizens gathered at Roxboro Library last Wednesday to attend an eco-lunch workshop put on by Réseau des femmes en environnement. The presentation covered sustainable, eco-friendly ways to prepare and store foods to make a minimal impact on the environment while promoting ecoresponsible development, which means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Attendees were encouraged to participate in a dialogue comparing the merits of eating out at a restaurant/cafeteria versus cooking at home. Participants came up with some very clever, outside the box responses such as the mental health benefits of eating outside of the house as well as the psychological boost of being around others. Participants agreed that they would love to support restaurants that are known to compost, recycle and donate their leftovers to those in need. While many people automatically think that home-cooked food is better for you and the environment, an important consideration is that for some children, the only healthy, balanced meal they might consume for the day may come from a school cafeteria. There’s no fixed right or wrong, but instead, it depends on individual circumstances. Buying in bulk when possible makes sense if you’re a larger family. Looking at the carbon footprint of what you’re buying is also essential. Do we need to consume berries from Nicaragua when Quebec blueberries might be in season? Maybe not. Another consideration is to look for products that contain the least amount of packaging. There are some great eco-friendly options available regarding using washable fabric sandwich bags instead of plastic or paper. Using a container is better than using a plastic sandwich bag and when possible, skip the straw in your drink. These are simple steps we can all take to reduce our ecological footprint. A great tip was to prepare five portions of a meal at a time when you cook. It saves time, energy and resources. It’s also great whether you’re single, in a relationship or have kids. Who doesn’t love a great meal to go? Have you ever heard of the Dirty Dozen? It’s a list of a dozen fruits and vegetables that are deemed more likely to contain pesticides. The Réseau des femmes en environnement advises when possible to purchase those items organic. The produce listed on the Clean 15, however, are less likely to contain pesticides. Approximately a third of the food that is produced worldwide is lost or thrown away. That amounts to 1.3 billion tonnes of waste per year. Here in Canada, 30 to 40 per cent of food is wasted, representing more than $31 billion. If you have leftover tomato paste, pesto or yogurt, pop them in an ice-cube tray and stick them in the freezer. Use ripe fruits to make a smoothie, pie or compote. Even simple tricks such as using cooking water from your soup to lengthen a sauce or water household plants work great. Five million garbage bags are produced every single day in Quebec; yet, not surprisingly, nobody wants a landfill in their municipality. It’s time for us all to take sustainable, small steps toward our planet’s future. Workshops such as these are a great way to educate the general public on essential life skills and simple ways each of us can make a difference.