ecoyear

I am going to admit to Sharon Astyk envy.  For those who may not know her (www.sharonastyk.com, also known as Casaubon's Book), all you need to know is that she is the Martha Stewart of the low carbon footprint movement.

I picked up her book at the library last month (Depletion and Abundance).  Compared to her blog it is more concise and compelling - well worth a skim and a read.

The topic that grabbed me anew (I had read about it on the blog), is the Riot for Austerity. Apparently, in a discussion on whether developed world citizens could be convinced to roll back their overconsumption in order to avoid more global warming, George Monbiot argued that it was unlikely that we would have a successful popular movement to do so, because no one ever "riots for austerity". Sharon Astyk and friends picked up on that and started a group and website, divided environmental impact into 7 categories, and proceeded to attempt  90% decrease in their impact (over average US) in each category.

Wow!

I listed the categories, lamely thought through some things I might do, and dropped the whole thing.

Unfortunately, I failed to return the book to the library on time to avoid fees, and it stared accusingly at me from the passenger seat of my car until I finally found a moment to drive by the book return. And during that time, I changed my mind. Who am I to assume that I can't decrease my own contribution by 90%? Sure I can't make my husband stop driving to Denver and stop eating burritos, but I am in control of me, sometimes, and my three kids too, occasionally... So there.

As this website concerns the intersection of food with carbon footprint, I am starting with food, and listing 10 steps I can seriously see myself taking to decrease my carbon footprint when it comes to food. Given that I am already relatively well set up for local food, 90% impact relative to the average American diet is a reasonable goal.

Here goes:

1. Eat more raw foods.

I've touched on this many times before, but the fact remains that many foods are just as nutritious raw than cooked. Wheat comes to mind - sprouts in your salad may be more nutritious than bread, or pasta, and certainly easier than boiling the wheat berries for two hours to soften them. Worth keeping a food journal and looking through it for opportunities to eat more raw.

2. Reduce junk food

Aaargh! Why is this still such a struggle? How many times can I say "No candy!" without caving in or needing major psychiatric tranquilizers? I am going to announce that we are cutting back to 2 days per week only. Candy will be forbidden on other days. The kids can choose the days. Wish me luck.

3. Reduce processed food

I mean granola bars, muffins, pasta, crackers. Summer is around the corner and we will be trying fresh fruit, peas, corn just off the plant, etc...

4. Much more gardening

My neighbor and a friend, finding themselves low on the community gardens' waiting list, have asked whether I could use help gardening and eating from my garden. The more the merrier, I say! Maybe they can keep my motivation up, midsummer when I put off planting in parts of the garden that have stopped producing, for example, or watering - all bad habits that keep my yields low.

5. Dehydrate food instead of canning or freezing

This year I want to try to use my car, parked in the sun, to dry tomatoes, strawberries, and maybe apples. Also, I want to try making kale chips!

6. Use solar oven 2-3 times per week

That's a planning issue, like using a slow cooker. Recipes and ideas to come! You can buy a solar oven, or make one using cardboard, aluminum foil and glass. Many models are apparently available on the web.

7. Reduce the amount of food I buy from grocery stores

I'm not thinking I can kick my chocolate addiction, but I have slipped into buying applesauce, chips, raisins and other energy-intensive, overpackaged treats.  This is because I am getting lazy, and it is easier to eat those than to convince my kids to have fresh fruit and vegies. I can send them the overpackaged foods for lunch or snack, and if they don't eat them, the food does not go wasted. Nevertheless, more creativity could be brought to bear on that department.

8. Think milk, rather than yogurt and cheese

There are some advantages to  yogurt (think active cultures), but milk is good enough, and cheaper

9. You may already be doing this, but focus on local food, in season - and on what you preserve

This means finding your suppliers, and adopting new strategies (one that works for me is a seasonal cookbook, so I am not pining for asparagus in December).  I have become accustomed to thinking about getting eggs before I run out, as that involves an email to Jay Hill Farm, and waiting until the next day to pick up and cook the eggs.  The preserved food has been a great advantage here. I always have pesto on hand, tomato sauce, frozen strawberries, etc... So I also have an "anytime" cookbook.

10. Eat less meat and fish

Much less - none, if you can; Eat more beans if you worry about protein.