ECO-FRIENDLY FOOD TIPS
Food tips to save the planet
Earth Day was conceived more than a half-century ago as a way to nudge Americans to care more about the environment. In the decades since, many cities and towns, including Pittsburgh, have organized Earth Day celebrations on April 22 to celebrate the planet, and inspire further action around issues of sustainability, environmentalism and conservation. (For local events, go to www.facebook.com/ Pittsburgh Earth Day .)
Green living is a lot easier than you might think. Even small lifestyle changes like eating less meat and supporting a local CSA can make a big difference to your health and that of the planet.
We’ve gathered some tips from local food experts and organizations dedicated to green practices to help you be kinder to the Earth when it comes to eating and drinking. They apply not just on Earth Day, but every day of the week.
Because don’t we all want a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Pittsburgh?
Buy more organic food. Non-organic agriculture puts billions of pounds of toxic pesticides directly into our soil, water and air every year, and remains one of our biggest threats to clean water. We’re not going to be able to tackle the needed changes to cool our planet without moving to organic agriculture, which helps remove carbon from the air and doesn’t waste fossil fuels on chemical fertilization. The single most useful personal action you can take for more sustainable food systems is to look up your local, state and federal elected officials and write directly to them, whether you want to see an end to single-use plastics or more neighborhood grocery stores that sell real food to people. If they never hear from you, they will never do what you want.
— Myron Aronwitt, Pennsylvania director, Clean Water Action
Learn to love oysters. Oysters are incredible creature that provide important ecosystem services. They are “filter feeders” that filter harmful nutrients and other pollutants from the water. A single healthy adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. Oysters are also a keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay. Their reefs provide valuable habitat, food and protection for other marine animals and plants. They are the most sustainable seafood.
— Jessica Lewis, executive chef, Spirits & Tales at The Oaklander Hotel
Reduce food waste. Our homes are
actually the biggest source of food waste along the supply chain. On average, we throw away over $2,400 of food every year. To cut down on waste, rearrange the fridge multiple times each week so that things that need to be eaten first are in front, even if it’s one serving. Also, keep a list on your fridge, and when grocery shopping, get a good combination of meal components that you can create on the fly. If you “almost” empty out your fridge and pantry weekly, it makes you get creative toward the end of the week. If you can’t use something up, freeze it. You can freeze almost anything.
— Leah Lizarondo, 412 Food Rescue
Make zero-waste cocktails. Peel and zest citrus before juicing and then you can use that zest and peels for other cocktail ingredients like syrups and garnishes or to create infused syrups or spirits. You can always freeze it to make it last longer. You can also use left-over bacon grease and other residual fat drippings for fat-washing spirits like bourbon. Also, use coasters instead of beverage napkins, along with reusable straws (most plastic straws are not biodegradable and are extremely difficult to recycle) and reusable drinkware.
Also, drink locally when you can. Some of our favorites are Lawrenceville Distilling and Maggie’s Farm for spirits, and Cinderlands, Hop Farm and Trace Brewing for beer. Being able to go direct to these places helps cut out the middle men and the quality and freshness is unrivaled.
— Cecil Usher, Mindful Hospitality Group
Buy local. Subscribe to a CSA (community supported agriculture) or purchase products from a farmers market. The average piece of produce in the U.S. travels 1,500 miles, whereas local food typically travels 100 miles or less, reducing CO2 emissions significantly. Also, reduce packaging waste by purchasing in bulk. This applies to both food and drinks!
— Ginette Walker Vinski, Sustainable Pittsburgh
Consider a local meal kit. Support Allegheny Eats, a new meal kit service for home dining that was launched in January and includes free food for restaurant workers. With one delicious purchase, you can thank and support restaurant workers, help sustain local farms and producers, reduce food waste and keep your favorite restaurants running. They are a real example of sustainability in practice, where the project supports people, planet and the local economy simultaneouosly.
— Ginette Walker Vinski, Sustainable Pittsburgh
Recycle organic material. Compost your food scraps and some of your paper products. This practice keeps organic matter out of landfills, where it generates methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas, while at the same time producing a rich humus-like soil amendment for your garden beds. Also replace single-use disposable plastics with reusable, durable water bottles, plates and cups. Finally, think about your purchases while in the grocery aisle. For example, choose a large glass jug of juice over a case of juice boxes. You can fill thermoses with the juice and then recycle the glass bottle. No waste!
— Nancy Martin, education specialist, Pennsylvania Resource Council
Eat meat and dairy from animals raised on pasture. Livestock raised in confinement offer no natural environmental benefits; they pose an environmental hazard. Animal waste can be a highly valuable natural soil fertilizer when livestock are raised to roam on pasture. But in confinement such large concentrations of animal waste needs to be stored and managed to prevent it from become hazardous since it’s not safely being recycled back into the earth.
Pastured meat remains a niche market — it’s estimated that less than 5% of the 32 million beef cattle, 5% of the 121 million hogs and 0.01% of the 9 billion broiler chickens produced in 2017 were raised and finished on pasture. Even if we were to consume only pasture-raised meat to move toward a more sustainable food system, we’d collectively need to consume less of it.
— Melissa Cipollone, PASA Sustainable Agriculture
Be plant-forward. One easy way to create a smaller carbon footprint with food is to focus on fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Make your center dish something that is plantbased. So often when planning a meal we start with meat instead of thinking, “I’m at my farmers market and they have these amazing green beans.” It’s a mindset, really.
Going vegan can be hard in the beginning because it’s a shift, and food is so ingrained in habit. You have to really accept you’re going to make a change. But once you do, it becomes automatic. And it’s so much easier now. Even at Giant Eagle they have vegan cheeses and all sorts of non- dairy milk, and faux meats packed with protein.
Start by switching to a vegan version of what you’re eating now, for example, a vegan grilled cheese. Then you’ll realize you can easily incorporate other whole foods into your diet.
Everyone will have a different path, but there are mentoring programs out there to help and give support. In addition to our organization, other resources (for recipes, eating guides and nutrition advice) include Veganuary and Veguary (organizations that encourage people to pledge to eat no meat or less meat during the month of February). When going vegan, it’s important not to be alone in the process.
— Ellie Gordon and Sean Moundas, Pittsburgh Vegan Society
Plant your own parsley. Herbs are generally hardy plants, so you don’t need a green thumb to give it a try! You’ll reduce the waste from packaging at the store and always have delicious, fresh herbs on hand. Also, remember to respect wildlife when you’re eating on the go or taking a picnic in the park. Clean up behind yourself to protect the animals that live there. Whether they’re fed intentionally or find your food by accident, wildlife can be very negatively impacted by human food. It damages their health, alters natural behaviors and exposes them to predators and other dangers. Similarly, make sure food (including food waste) is stored securely.
— Stefanie Marshall, Girl Scouts Southwestern Pennsylvania
Start a dialogue. The low- hanging fruit that’s available to everybody all the time is to engage other people in a dialogue about where their food comes from, what processes go into making it and if there is any post- user waste. Don’t be afraid to ask, “Can you tell me where you source your veggies because I’d love to know.” The number one thing that really impedes us from progress is not engaging each other on a human level about the world around us, and the decisions they’re making and why.
Also, buy local or regionally.
You should be able to trace food to your table without having to draw a family circus map. When you buy from a local producer or establishment, you are reinvigorating the local foodshed economy, and doing your part as a consumer to help repair and rejuvenate the earth and soil, and capturing carbon rather than releasing it. You’re also giving people jobs that have high value to society. It ain’t rocket science! — Don Mahaney, coowner, Scratch & Co.