Green Guide- Food
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Food
Whether you're buying groceries or eating out, it is important to take the time to understand what you're eating. Food takes energy to produce and transport. Many
foods are grown with fossil fuel based fertilizers and pesticides that can contaminate water and soil. Some foods must travel thousands of miles to the store, leaving a large trail of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. Eating responsibly is being aware of how and where your foods come from, which can help you evaluate how sustainably it is produced.
Quick Tips
- Eat local. (farmer's market, local restaurants, locally produced products)
- Buy foods that are in season.
- Try to avoid food products that are sold with excessive packaging. Buy grains and other dried goods in bulk
- Buy foods that are grown and/or raised in a sustainable manner. (ie certified organic, Fair Trade)
- Eat lower on the food chain. Try eating vegetarian one or two days a week. Check out Meat Free Mondays for some ideas.
- Read ingredient labels and nutrition facts. A good rule of thumb: if you can't pronounce the ingredient, think twice about eating it.
- Reduce or eliminate any chemicals used on your garden.
- If you don't have your own garden space, plant in a community garden.
- Bring garden surplus to work or donate it to the local food pantry or make a dish for LINK.
More Resources
A list of organic food you can find on the KU campus can be seen at the KU Dining Services page.
Share ideas and meet new people at Veggie Lunch on Thursdays at the ECM. Student cooks volunteer to make vegetarian and vegan lunch. This is a great way to make some new friends and discuss sustainable food options.
Local produce and products - and live entertainment - are available every Saturday, April through November, at the Lawrence Farmer's Market. There is even a market on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
If Saturday mornings aren't your thing, subscribe to become a member of a farm cooperative and receive fresh produce every week! Rolling Prairies Farmers Alliance is a cooperative made up of 6 small farms located in Northeast Kansas. Community Supported Agriculture (aka CSA) is a way for the local public to establish relationships with local farmers and receive weekly baskets of fresh produce from those local farms. Produce from the farms are delivered to convenient locations where members can pick up their weekly share in Lawrence.
The Lawrence Sustainability Network is another useful connection when discussing sustainable food and an array of other environmental issues that are relevant to the Lawrence area.
Why local? Buying locally grown and locally made products is especially beneficial because it cuts out long, expensive transportation costs, which produce greenhouse gas emissions. Locally produced food demand helps local farmers and producers stay in business, giving you the freshest food option and keeps your money in the local economy.
Not from Kansas? Local Harvest is a great way to search sustainably grown products all over the US!
Eat lower on the food chain. If you don't want to calculate the specifics of the above article, this one will give you a crash course in thinking more about where and how food is produced.
Sustainable Table is an organization looking to inform and connect people to strengthen the demand for sustainably produced food.
If you're a sucker for fast food, here are some fast, fast food tips. Although you may be on the go, read up on the Cheeseburger Footprint to find out why you may not want to "just grab a burger." Cheeseburgers have more connections to SUVs than you imagined.
If you are still hungry to learn more about food, go to FoodRoutes or check out this article called Diet, Energy and Global Warming, which addresses the health and environmental consequences of our dietary habits with regard to the production of meats and plants.
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