Tag Archives: food packaging

Plastic Bags: Use Less at the Grocery Store

April 16, 2010

FROM BLOG OF LOUISE ROSS, BOULDER, CO, APRIL 9, 2010

MARKET TO MOUTH PLASTIC BAGS Amy 015It was almost a year ago that I wrote a post titled Re-Use Your Plastic Bags. Around that time, as a way to gather data for a book proposal based on this blog, I was sharing my expertise as a grocery shopping-cum-cooking consultant. One of glaring things I noticed shopping with people is the consistent and unnecessary over-use of plastic bags at the grocery store. Above is a pic of one of my client friends looking very sheepish because I had gently admonished her; every time she picked up an item of fresh produce, she grabbed a plastic bag.Whether it was ears of corn, a pound of apples, oranges or heads of lettuce, Amy, like so many people I’d shopped with, put her fruits and vegetables into plastic bags before depositing them into her shopping cart. Now, you’re probably thinking, “What’s wrong with that?! I do it; I put all my fruit and veggies in plastic bags.”

In response, I’m going to ask that you ponder why?!  I’m guessing your answer might be something along lines of “because they’re there!”  Right above the vegetables, or over by the fruit, it’s easy and it’s convenient to grab a plastic bag from one of the dispensers for your lettuce, potatoes, lemons etc.  In fact, one of my clients said that the reason she used plastic bags is because she thought it would be more convenient for the check out person! Yet, I’ve never found loose, un-bagged produce to be an issue at the check out. In other words, I’ve never had a check-out person say, “Excuse ma’am, we need you to put all your fruits and vegetables in individual plastic bags; it makes our job easier.” Of course, the reality is it’s not my responsibility to make the check out person’s job easier or more difficult (and I don’t believe grocery stores require that of me).

But waste, in particular plastic bag waste, is my responsibility. In fact, it’s everyone’s responsibility, including the check-out person at the grocery store, to reduce the number of plastic bags going into landfills. The title of the post I linked to above is Re-Use Your Plastic Bags, and if you read that post you’ll note that I’m not suggesting you do away with bagging your groceries in the small plastic produce bags or the large plastic carry bags.

Rather, I’m advocating using recycled plastic, and fewer plastic bags altogether, and then keeping your plastic bags and reusing them again and again, in fact, until they fall apart. As we move closer to Earth Day 2010 “use less plastic” will be the re-occurring message in this blog. If like me, you’re a visual person, and if you’re serious about wanting to change your relationship to plastic bags, and thus your relationship to the environment, watch “Plastic Bag,” an 18-minute indie film narrated by German film director, Werner Herzog. Reminiscent of the French film “Red Balloon,” it’s a poignant story on the vortex in the Pacific Ocean where plastic bags swirl about for eternity.

http://markettomouth.blogspot.com/2010/04/plastic-bags-grocery-shop-without-them.html

http://markettomouth.blogspot.com/2009/05/reuse-your-plastic-bags-other-earth.html

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Eating Healthy for You and the Earth

June 1, 2009

hands holding a green globeAuthor Michael Pollan recently inspired me when I heard him say, “What happens on our plates is the most profound effect that we have on the natural world.” Obviously what we eat makes a big difference to our wallets and our waistlines but we often don’t consider that our most profound engagement with nature is through the food we buy and eat. Our daily food choices impact our internal and external landscapes more than anything else we do.

The farther a food has traveled from its source, the less life force it offers. Locally-grown foods, unaltered by processing, satisfy you and your taste buds. Fresh raw vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are on the top of the list, ideally organic.  Wild-caught fish and free-range beef, pork, and poultry also offer sustenance. However, did you know that the United Nations has determined that livestock production is responsible for 20% of the greenhouse gases that are part of worldwide global warming, more than cars, planes, and all other forms of transportation put together? Also worth considering from the Environmental Defense Fund:  if every American replaced just one meal of chicken per week with vegetables, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.  You don’t need lots of variety or quantity at every meal to eat a balanced diet. It’s more important to eat variety throughout the week and across the seasons.

Also consider the garbage generated by your choices. Tons of food packaging sit on our earth and float in our precious water sources. Consider filtering your water if needed and hydrate your thirsty cells throughout each day from a glass or stainless steel container. The earth will breathe a sigh of relief when we commit to no more non-decaying plastic. Consider primarily eating foods that have a life cycle, decaying back into the earth just like our bodies and all of nature.

Earth and body-healthy foods do not harm those who are planting, raising, distributing, or selling them. Imagine a world where you know where your food comes from and all who come in contact with it. Not everyone can plant a garden and grow their own food, but you can support the farmers and gardeners around you.  Spring is the perfect time to venture out to local farmers’ markets, explore our many co-ops, and consider Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs). Invest up front in local farmers who deliver sustainably grown foods direct to you.

Drink in the life-sustaining energy of pure unaltered foods that are in colorful abundance all around you and check inside. Your body knows exactly what it needs for optimum health. Insist on delicious nourishing whole foods that are created with care from healthy plants and animals, are grown and harvested with methods that support our earth, and are produced and sold by people and companies with integrity. Offer gratitude for each healthy choice, and your body and the earth will continue to generously support you in return.

Published in Whispers of Spirit, June 2009. Whispers of Spirit

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