Can Foods Fight Global Warming?
7 foods that fight global warming
Featured item: APR 21, 2008
Unlike certain fad diets, low-carbon food plans like eating less meat and buying local produce actually promote healthy lifestyle changes that result in long-term benefits for you and the planet. And when life calls for convenience foods or a little indulgence, there are these yummy foods, below. From companies that are offsetting all or almost all of the greenhouse gases involved in producing them, these foods don't contribute to climate change. (Some of them may contribute to your waistline, however, if not used in moderation. Remember—anything packaged is best eaten in small doses, in between all the fresh fruits and veggies you're having, of course.)
Eating less meat, buying local—and when you need 'em, buying the following foods—reduces CO2 emissions, which means you're doing your part to slow global warming.
Having spent a majority of my life as an equal-opportunity eater, I'm naturally wary of most diets and meal plans that tend to sap the joy from my all-time favorite activity. But after learning about the environmental impact of the food we consume from places far away, I decided to give a low-carbon diet a go. So far, I've been surprised by the ease with which I've been able to curb my meat intake (my jeans now fit better, too!), and delighted with the fresh produce from my farmers' markets (for both epicurean and financial reasons). Plus, thanks to a growing number of food and wine purveyors who are adopting zero-carbon policies, I can treat myself to my favorite comfort foods, gourmet coffee beans and pinot noirs without a smidgen of guilt. I guess that sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it, too!—Meg Donahue
Annie's Homegrown
Show us someone who doesn’t like mac n’ cheese, and we’ll show you someone we just don’t want to know. Offering five kinds of organic macaroni and cheese, Annie’s Homegrown also sweetens the pot by offsetting the carbon dioxide emissions from their corporate headquarters, manufacturing facilities, distribution warehouse and mobile tour.
Ben & Jerry's
It’s not surprising that socially responsible ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s is committed to licking global warming: After all, what if all the world's ice cream melted? (Ha.) The company offsets 100 percent of its manufacturing sites’ CO2 emissions and was so inspired by Al Gore's global-warming film An Inconvenient Truth that they donated a copy of the DVD to every high school in Vermont.
Carbon Neutral Wineries
Releasing carbon dioxide is a part of the fermentation process of wine (just like releasing too much information accompanies the drinking of it), but Grove Mill winery in New Zealand is the first winery in the world to go carbon neutral by funding reforestation efforts to offset unavoidable emissions. Stateside, Chehalem in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and several other wineries have teamed up to make their wine-industry area carbon neutral, too.
Clif Bar & Company
Reach for a Clif Bar during your work-out or on a work break and you’ll support renewable energy in more ways than one. The company implements energy conservation efforts, runs its company fleet on biodiesel and offsets the remainder of the CO2 emissions created by its offices, bakery and business travel. Plus, Clif Bars use recycled packaging materials and are made with 70 percent organic ingredients.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Want a cup of joe that goes the extra mile beyond perking you up in the morning? Green Mountain Coffee Roasters sells organic and Fair Trade coffee and offsets 100 percent of carbon emissions from the roasting, operations, delivery fleet, business and commuter travel. Plus, it's packaged in a biodegradable "ecotainer" made out of renewable materials.
Royal Hawaiian Honey
How sweet is this? Royal Hawaiian Honey (available at Whole Foods and other natural markets) offsets all of the carbon emissions related to its energy-use activities. Need another reason to drop a dollop in your tea? It’s organic!
Stonyfield Farm
With an array of organic dairy products including yogurt, milk and ice cream, Stonyfield Farm supports 50,000 acres of pesticide- and chemical-free farmland and offsets 100 percent of the CO2 emissions produced by its facility’s energy use. The company also donates 10 percent of its profits to environmental causes, amounting to nearly $2 million in 2007. Non-vegans and lactose-tolerants: What better reason to eat dairy?
Comments
3 comments
ChloeJo said:
Cheese? You've got to be kidding me. In stride with eco-consciousness, vegan foods are incredibly more green than animal products. In fact, just last year the United Nations did a report called 'Livestock's Long Shadow' that revealed livestock production is more responsible for global warming than ALL TRANSPORTATION COMBINED. Who knew? That includes dairy production, DUH!!
"...livestock production is one of the major causes of the world's most
> pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity... livestock are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, a bigger share than
that of transport."
Read the report here: http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0612sp1.h...
Even 'grass fed' and other supposed 'humane' animal products are grossly misrepresented as compassionate, when they are not: http://animalwelfareinstitute.blogspot.c... hter-law.html
Additionally, there is simply not enough land to both raise "grass fed" animals and meet the current demands of animal consumption. So "grass fed" simply become an unrealistic luxury product for those who can afford it. We have to cut down on meat-eating, dairy/ boob milk guzzling one way or another.
If you do not already have a vegan menu planned for Earth Day, I urge you to do so - and also to spread the word about this incredibly easy problem to solve by simply going veg, organic, and local!
Vegan ice cream is SO much better for you than DAIRY ice cream anyway. You'll lose weight, feel great, and eat divine cuisine. You can sign up for www.chloejo.com updates on awesome vegan options and recipes.
For the Earth,
Apr. 21, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. EDT
blarguments said:
Great point about livestock, after all their methane emissions are FAR worse per pound than CO2...(as a greenhouse gas)...
Even still, we are omnivores. There is no way I can give up meat or meat products because of gas emissions. It just won't happen.
Still I love vegans because they make my meat cheaper to buy & eat.
Apr. 21, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. EDT
GoVegan said:
If your not interested in ending world hunger and helping the environment, then what about the welfare of the animals raised for your meal?
Your meat has a face and it feels pain just as easily and as much as you do.
With so many vegan 'meat' substitutes out there and with all of the information on the link between eating meat and your health, there is no reason to eat meat...and taste is not enough of a reason to slaughter innocent creatures.
Apr. 22, 2008 at 11:03 a.m. EDT
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