Eating Your Way Green - Results

According to my TreeHugger training program, I was supposed to accomplish the following this week:

• Buy at least three organic vegetables or fruits
• Research Farmer's Markets and CSAs in my community
• Eat one or two fewer servings of meat
• Use reusable bags for grocery shopping
• Recycle any remaining plastic bags

So - how did I do?

• Well, I'm definitely trying to buy as much organic (and local) produce as possible. In fact, I'm rather suspicious now to anything conventional (although I can't let go of bananas). And as much as I love "fresh" berries, I have decided that I will wait to buy berries until they are in season in my region. One thing I've decided is that starting to eat local in the fall is not a great idea, because it doesn't give you a chance to preserve the delights of the spring and summer. So I'll spend this winter learning as much as I can about local foods and eating it as much as possible and then try to become a more hardcore locavore come spring.
• On the second goal, I have tracked down all the Farmer's Markets in the area. The most convenient location being across the street from where we live. I haven't had a chance to do the CSA research, but I'm sure I'll have lots of time this winter. Finding Outpost was a great step forward as well. I'm now a member and plan to go back today and get my produce for the week.
• Since I don't really eat much meat anymore, this one didn't really apply to me. However, for our weekly dinner out on Friday, I twisted Todd's arm (Rebecka chose to stay at home) and took him to a totally natural, vegetarian restaurant called Cafe Manna, where the floors are made of bamboo and the menu covers wear a soft cork. I had the special (yum!) and Todd had a noodle dish with tempeh, which was adequate.
• Hello - I've been using reusable tote bags for my groceries since we moved up here! Every now and then, I forget and feel really guilty. I was excited to find that our grocery store for the basics, Pick N Save, conveniently located within walking distance from our apartment, gives you a 5 cent credit for each reuable bag you bring when you shop. That makes me happy!
• N/A - got rid of these a long time ago.

Of course, there is a lot more to do under the "So You Want to Do More" section:

• Avoide purchasing two or more processed foods (bye bye Balance Bars...)
• Bring your lunch to work (always!)
• Read labels and find out what's local (very challenging in regular stores, but Outpost rocks when it comes to labeling local/regional foods)
• Plant your own garden (OK, this is one I'm going to be reading up on this winter)
• Read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (I chose Animal, Vegetable, Miracle instead)
• Join the Slow Food movement (I'm in! And $60 poorer...)
• Purchase extra fruit in the spring and fall and dry or can it (back to my point about starting locavorism in the spring rather than the fall)

Hmmm - I'm doing better than I thought I was...

I'm off to run a 5K!