Top 10 Ways to Decrease Your Carbon Foodprint
Here's a New Year's diet that will improve the health of the planet.
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About 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from meat production, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and meat consumption is on the rise. Livestock production also wastes a tremendous amount of water, and Midwestern feedlots contribute to much of the water pollution in the Gulf of Mexico. Cutting back on meat could make a big dent in those numbers. (Photo by Flickr user Sifu Renka)
Restaurants that serve local and organic foods tend to get a lot of attention, but eating a home-cooked meal is almost always the greener option. Restaurants waste an astounding amount of food, and they use more throwaway items, like straws and paper napkins, than most people do at home. 
There’s been a bit of a backlash against the locavore movement recently, but it’s hard to deny that buying local food is both tastier and better for the environment. Farmers markets are a good option, but the easiest way to ensure that your food is coming from a local grower is to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm-share.
As far as local food is concerned, it doesn't get much better than growing it where you eat it. That way, you can be sure of exactly what was (and wasn't) sprayed on the food that ends up on your dinner table. Not everybody has a back yard, but in cities like Chicago people are appropriating vacant lots and converting them into community gardens, and you can do the same. 
People often ask, “What’s better: local or organic?” My answer: Can’t we have both? Conventional (non-organic) farming currently pumps about 1.5 trillion pounds of CO2 annually into the atmosphere, but according to the Rodale Institute, organic farming has the ability to sequester millions of pounds of CO2. Plus, you won't be ingesting synthetic chemicals. Organic is worth the extra buck. 
As the organic food industry grows beyond a niche market into the mainstream organic advocates and watchdogs have observed a steady watering down of USDA’s national organic program. As a result, several large companies have gotten away with putting the organic label on big-polluting factory farms. Know your farmer, know your food. 
This one’s probably the toughest to abide by, because we’ve been conditioned to expect fresh lettuce, berries and tomatoes in the Chicago winter. But there’s an environmental price to pay for every mile those foods are shipped, so whenever possible, it’s best to stick to the foods that have been produced in season and closer to home. 
Canning is in fashion right now, and for good reason. It’s a great way to preserve tomatoes, lemons, or anything else that can’t be grown locally in the winter. Canning isn’t the only option though; dehydrating fruits like strawberries and peaches is a great way to store them for the colder months. 
A group of researchers recently ran the numbers on salmon, comparing organic to conventional and wild to farm-raised, and found that the most important environmental factor was whether the fish was bought frozen or fresh. The jury is still out on other fish species, but it seems likely that in most cases, buying frozen fish is the greenest option. (Photo by Flickr user Put the Needle on the Record)
No, not the grocery store chain (although they tend to have a decent bulk foods section); we’re talking about unprocessed foods that come without added ingredients and excess packaging. Meals made from whole foods are cooked from scratch aren’t just cheaper and better for the environment, they’re generally healthier too.
Limit Meat and Dairy
About 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from meat production, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and meat consumption is on the rise. Livestock production also wastes a tremendous amount of water, and Midwestern feedlots contribute to much of the water pollution in the Gulf of Mexico. Cutting back on meat could make a big dent in those numbers. (Photo by Flickr user Sifu Renka)
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