Eco-Conscious Eating
By Jessica Kinkade
Sustainable and organic foods prove to be fruitful for eco-conscious eaters across the globe.
Eating Consciously
A new eco-conscious movement promotes eating locally to reduce carbon footprints, helps stop global poverty and supports sustainable agriculture. Robert Frost of onestrawrob.com blogs about environmental issues and the food he eats. “The act of making a simple, environmental and ethical choice of what I’m going to put in my mouth is going to change the world,” says Frost. People who follow the eco-conscious movement seek to reduce harmful effects found in some foods by eating organic, sustainable and local produce.
What is Sustainability?
Pete Lammers, a livestock specialist at the National Center for Appropriate Technology, defines sustainability as a collective group of people who grow their own food, and who live in the community where most of their food is made, grown and sold. Lammers says that these people are more likely to make good and healthy decisions. Similarly, if farmers are living in the same community in which their foods are being produced and consumed, they’ll take greater care in producing high-quality, safe foods in a way that benefits their environment and community. That means fewer chemicals will be used, fewer carbon emissions will be released, and less soil will be eroded.
Eating Locally
Robert Frost, an eco-conscious eater and blogger at onestrawrob.com, grows much of his own food in his backyard garden. What he doesn’t grow himself, he procures from local farmers whom he knows by name. This ensures that he knows his food is of good quality and has been produced ethically and sustainably. It also serves to build a sense of community. Frost purchases his eggs from his neighbor, and he believes that exchange is a perfect example of the positive effects of eating locally on community health. “It’s knowing that by her supporting my nutritional needs, I’m supporting her economic needs, and that’s very important to building a community that I want to be a part of,” Frost said.
How To Eat Local
Eating locally can be a struggle in today’s fast-paced, commercialized society but it’s possible if you know where to look. Here’s how to get started.
1) Hit up your local farmer’s market. Local growers sell their produce in many cities across the U.S.
2) Participate in community supported agriculture (CSA). CSAs connect farmers and consumers in the same communities. Farmers send customers a package of fresh produce every week during the harvesting seasons.
3) Start your own backyard vegetable or fruit garden. It’s an easy way to ensure you’re getting the good food your body needs.
Eco-Vegetarianism
For many, eco-conscious eating has turned into eco-vegetarian eating. This includes eliminating meat from all meals because of the effects the livestock industry has on environmental and global health. Eco-vegetarianism has sprung up as a movement in its own right, with many even vowing to go vegan and not eat any animal products, including dairy. The effect on the planet of eliminating meat in diets is debatable, though, and the livestock industry has both positive and negative impacts on world health.
Livestock Benefits
Small farms are more likely to use an integrated system of agriculture where livestock and crops are raised on the same land. Instead of using petroleum-based fertilizers on crops — which uses non-renewable resources — farmers can use manure. Manure reduces the need to use the non-renewable petroleum found in other fertilizers. Eliminating transportation to export petroleum-based fertilizers reduces carbon emissions and import costs.
Dangers Livestock Pose to World Health
When livestock are raised in mass quantities, their production leads to pollution because manure gets into water sources. The EPA reported that 59 percent of the United States’ river pollution comes from the livestock industry. The livestock industry also uses eight percent of the world’s drinking water, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Many eco-conscious dieters avoid eating meat because livestock takes away valuable drinking water.
Global Effects
As globalization increases, poverty rates continue to pose problems for the entire global community. Robert Frost, eco-conscious eater and blogger at onestrawrob.com, strongly believes people should “think global, act local.” “For every pound of food that I grow for myself or purchase from a local farmer, that’s a pound more of food that doesn’t have to be exported,” says Frost.
Local Benefits
Eco-conscious dieting has a ripple effect. Dieters who eat locally see the positive benefits in their own lives. By interacting with local farmers and sellers, these dieters also see economic and social benefits in their communities. Says Robert Frost, an eco-conscious eater and blogger at onestrawrob.com: “I’m very close to my food. I can do an exchange with my neighbor for food, and now we’re all building a community.” Sustainable living efforts by communities have a global impact, reducing carbon footprints and pollution.
