Five Steps To a More Sustainable Life

Eat Seasonally: Eating food that is currently in season for your part of the world helps to reduce pollution. When you live in the Pacific Northwest and buy a nectarine in the middle of January, you can be sure it was not grown locally. Food that travels a long way requires more energy and has a greater impact on the environment before it reaches your plate. Also, because it must travel so far, it is often picked when it is not ripe leading to a less than fresh taste.
Ditch the Plastic Water Bottles: Bottled water causes a whole host of problems. Americans consume over 1500 bottles of water every second. These bottles are clogging our landfills because only a small percentage of them are recycled. The plastic in the bottles has also been found to leach harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals into the water and bottled water cost significantly more than tap water. Buy yourself an inexpensive water filter, save significant dollars at the grocery store and avoid exposing yourself to harmful chemicals.
Reduce Your Meat Consumption: Meat can be an important part of a meal but reducing your overall meat consumption can have a big impact on the environment. It takes roughly twenty-five times more energy to produce one calorie of beef than to produce one calorie of corn for human consumption. However, you don’t have to give up meat entirely. Try going meatless just one day a week or even just making meat an accent part of the meal and not the main course. Every bit of meat consumption reduction makes a positive contribution to the environment.
Grow Your Own Food: Not everyone has room to plant a giant garden in their backyard but most people have room for a few pots for herbs or tomatoes. Squeeze in a small container garden wherever you find a patch of sun. Food just picked from your plants offers the freshest, most sustainable option in food production.
Cook Your Own Food: Cooking your own food allows you to have greater control over what is actually in your food and how it is prepared. With that control, you can be sure your ingredients are produced in a responsible, sustainable manner. Besides, nothing tastes better than a home cooked meal prepared with love from the ingredients you grew in your own yard.

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