Blogs

Build a better brunch

Trystan L. Bass — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:04:29 PDT

Whether it's Mother's Day, Father's Day, or a romantic breakfast in bed, sometimes you want to make a brunch that's really special. And nothing says you care like choosing wholesome, good-for-you and good-for-the-planet ingredients.

Let's start with that morning classic, the incredible, edible egg.

We hope the chicken who laid the little orb on your plate spent her life clucking around on a sunny farm, pecking at worms, and chasing merry chicks. But the reality of modern agribusiness isn't so pretty.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, most egg-laying hens in America are confined to cages with only 67 square inches of space per bird. These crowded battery cages are stacked on top of each other, and the chickens can't walk around or even spread their wings.

This is why many groups advocate for "cage-free eggs," sometimes called "free range" or "free farmed." But as the Green Guide notes, none of these terms are regulated or verified by a third party.

Only the term "USDA organic" is verified, and this confirms is that the chickens were fed organic feed, not given antibiotics, and were given access to the outdoors. But USDA regulations consider five minutes of open-air access each day to be sufficient -- and "access" simply means that a door is available and the chickens can use it. Nobody forces them to go outside, plus the "outside" may simply be a bare patch of ground.

And cage-free birds are not necessarily raised in a cruelty-free environment. Most cage-free hens have part of their beaks removed to limit stress-induced aggression. They live less than two years, which is less than half the normal lifespan.

Plus, it's just not that easy to find cage-free eggs, as the New York Times and others have reported. The idea has become trendy, so Whole Foods, corporate cafes (yeah, Yahoo!'s included), universities, Ben & Jerry's, and even Burger King are flocking to free-farmed yolks.

But only a reported 5 percent of American eggs are either cage-free or organic (that's up 2 percent in the past three years). And the prices are sky-high -- around $2 more per dozen, or so USA Today estimates.

If you can find genuinely free-range eggs from a small farmer, such as at your local farmers' market, some folks swear that the taste is better and the eggs are worth the price. But if you're in the city or 'burbs with only a big-name grocery store, well, it's hard to say if the cage-free label makes much difference.

A better bet to improve breakfast is organic fruit. Who doesn't love a beautiful bowl of fresh fruit in the morning, or maybe some chopped fruit topping a pancake or waffles? Just make sure you're not serving up pesticides with those sweets of the earth.

The not-for-profit Environmental Working Group has a handy list of fruits and veggies ranked by how clean they are. The results of nearly 51,000 pesticide tests on produce between 2000 and 2005 were analyzed to create this guide. You can get a printable PDF to keep in your wallet and take to the store.

This guide lists the dirty dozen fruits -- these are typically so contaminated, you should always buy the USDA-certified organic versions, which are clean. Common breakfast fruits on the list include peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, grapes, and pears.

The list of the 12 cleanest fruits -- ones you don't need to buy organic because they're usually safe -- also features some morning faves. Look for ordinary pineapples, mango, kiwi, and bananas.

Add a pot of fair-trade coffee, and you've got a brunch to make your mom, dad, your sweetie, and even Mother Earth proud.

Eating right

Trystan L. Bass — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:39:11 PDT

You've heard of low-carb diets, right? Atkins, South Beach ... but what about a low-carbon diet?

Just like our cars and the power plants the light our houses create CO2 emissions, the food we eat can contribute to climate change. Livestock creates 18% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, so meat and dairy products have a high carbon count. Processed, packaged goods shipped across the country consume a lot more energy than fresh, local foods.

You can calculate the approximate climate impact of your meal at EatLowCarbon.org, a nifty tool created by the food service company Bon AppÃ©tit. Just drag and drop ingredients into your virtual sautÃ© pan, and dish up an earth-friendly dinner.

I visited a couple places where Bon AppÃ©tit provides food service and encourages eco-friendly dining. See for yourself how college students and tech workers went low-carb this Earth Day.

Bon AppÃ©tit brought its low-carbon diet to more than 400 corporate and university cafÃ©s across the U.S. this year. The company contracts with places like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, adidas, Seattle Art Museum, Oracle Corporation, eBay, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Best Buy, and even Yahoo!.

At Santa Clara University, I talked to students and staff to see how they enjoyed the sustainable lunch choices. The response was very positive. An environmental studies major complimented the cafeteria for emphasizing local produce. The students also admired how Bon AppÃ©tit and the university worked together to educate people on making smart food choices.

Lindsey Cromwell, the university's sustainability coordinator, pointed out that the low-carbon diet is in line with the institution's long-term goal of going carbon-neutral. "As a Jesuit university, we're concerned with the ethical implications of all our decisions," she commented. Stewardship of the planet -- down to the food we choose -- is part of the life education Santa Clara University provides.

Bon AppÃ©tit's Director of Culinary Support, Marc Zammit, gave me a tour of the university's kitchen and pointed out what made the Earth Day meals 'low carbon.'

Cutting out beef is a big part of it, but this doesn't have to mean going totally vegetarian. Raising chicken, pork, and fish uses fewer resources than beef. If you can go meat-free a few days a week, that's great (and pretty healthy too). But trying a tilapia fish taco instead of a hamburger like some satisfied students did is a start.

Cheese is a tough one for many of us to give up. But at the university deli, Zammit showed how you can create delicious sandwiches without a slice of cheese. Yummy spreads like hummus and pesto add creamy texture and loads of flavor without dairy. Definitely worth trying at home!

I also checked out the corporate cafÃ© at SAP Labs. Executive chef Melissa Miller showed me around her kitchen, where she makes tasty meals like chicken pho. This Vietnamese noodle soup traditionally has beef, but her low-carbon version was just as popular as the standard.

Miller's crew also makes potato chips from scratch -- this avoids packaging, since they can serve them from big glass jars. And fresh chips taste better too! What a treat.

The cafÃ© also provides crackers for soups in jars (instead of individually wrapped), and condiments like ketchup and mustard are served in refillable containers (not packets). All of this reduces garbage.

This is something we can easily do at home too. Buying in bulk is often cheaper than buying lots of individually packaged items. We'll spend less and have less trash, so it's a win-win.

Both cafeterias encourage diners to use real china and silverware whenever possible. Paper and plastic to-go containers are frequently not recyclable or just not recycled, so they end up in the landfills. At Santa Clara University, the cafeteria uses 7,200 to-go boxes each week. If you stacked them up, that'd be almost as tall as the Empire State Building!Â

That's something we should remember when we get take-out food or are tempted to use paper plates at home for parties.

Want to learn more about how you can go low-carb? Check out Bon AppÃ©tit's low-carbon diet tips, including research behind why this helps the planet.

And get a recipe from the chef at San Francisco's de Young Museum for seafood stew to whip up your own sustainable dinner tonight.

Cracking the produce codes

Jay Weinstein, Forecast Earth Food Correspondent — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:44:51 PDT

Have you ever looked at two bins of apples, one labeled "organic," and the other "conventional," and wondered if the apples might not be the same? I have. And since discovering a little secret of the produce industry, I've found that you really have to be a detective in the aisles these days.

The secret is the price look-up (PLU) codes. They're an international numbering standard that identifies each type of produce, so that computerized cash registers can ring up the cost of fruits and vegetables automatically. They're also a powerhouse of information for savvy shoppers. The code indicates whether the item is a conventional, organic or genetically modified (GM) crop.

The codes are based on four-digit numbers for conventional produce, to which an extra digit is added to indicate organic or GM status. If the number is five digits beginning with a 9, then the item is organic. If the item is five digits beginning in 8, then it is a genetically modified crop.

For example, the PLU code for bananas is 4011. If the PLU sticker on the banana bunch reads 94011, then they are organic bananas. If the PLU sticker reads 84011, then the bananas are a genetically modified variety.

There are PLU code stickers on virtually every piece of fruit, banded around every head of lettuce or bunch of spinach, and stamped onto the bag of every bag of organic salad greens. But that doesn't prevent certain confused grocers from mislabeling them. I've discovered conventional Fuji apples (4129) in the "organic Fuji apples" (94129) bin many times. It's strange that I've never found organic apples in the conventional bin.

In any case, knowing the codes will ensure that you get what you intended to get every time you shop.

Jay Weinstein's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.

The wearing of the green

Don Willmott , Forecast Earth Correspondent — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:56:15 PDT

If you haven't added any eco-friendly items of clothing to your wardrobe yet, chance are you will soon. There seems to be a mini-boom in green clothing lines underway, beginning with everyone's favorite middle-of-the-road retailer Banana Republic, which will begin selling a 50-piece collection made from sustainable fabrics like bamboo and organic cotton on April 22. That's Earth Day.

Slightly stranger is the news that Swedish auto maker Saab is getting into the fashion game. Ecoscraps reports that Saab has unveiled the Pure BioPower Eco Clothing Collection, which features organic cottons and buttons made from Coroso nuts, which grow on rainforest palm trees. Actually they look kind of cool and sleek and Euro. Available starting in May at Saab Expressions.

And I should have seen this one coming. Spookily precocious 9-year-old Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter, is in the green fashion game, too. Ecorazzi links to a slide show of kid's clothing in the Bindi Wear International line. All the profits from the eco-friendly items will go to conservation efforts. They'll carry fun eco-slogans such as "Extinct Stinks!" on them to really make the point.

Preparing your organic garden for spring

Trystan L. Bass — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:58:39 PST

While much of the U.S. is still feeling winter's chill, gardeners know this is a great time to plan for spring planting. They pore through the seed catalogs and dream of lush green veggie beds.

Why not start an organic garden this year?

Cutting back on pesticides and chemical fertilizers is safer and better for your soil in the long run. And you'll find a wide variety of unusual plants to experiment with when you look for organic and heirloom seeds.

Many seeds sold in big garden shops are hybrids that have been breed to be uniform for commercial purposes. This sometimes sacrifices flavor and has put a dent in plant diversity.

But you can find a wide variety of seeds online. Heirloom seeds are for plants that were generally found before the 1940s and which are open pollinated. You can also get organic seeds that haven't been exposed to chemicals.

Here are some of the most frequently recommended sites:

Seed Savers Exchange: A non-profit organization selling seeds for heirloom veggies, flowers, and herbs.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: Ozark Mountain-based company offering 1,200 unique heirloom seed varieties.

Seeds of Change: A research farm and business selling over 600 types organically grown seeds.

Wild Garden Seed: Pacific Northwest farm producing organic seeds for salad greens, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Also, Mother Earth News has an extensive list of seed companies in each U.S. state, plus some Canadian listings. This is a great way to find open-pollinated and organic vegetable and herb seeds near you.

Once the seeds are on the way, you'll want to get the soil ready and learn to maintain your garden without chemicals.

While soil prep is a a huge topic and will vary a lot depending on local conditions, several websites have good pointers to get started.

Organic Gardening: This is the mother lode of tips and techniques for all things about your green garden. Don't miss the simple seed starting article and slideshow.

HGTV's Organic Gardening: Tons of info., plus videos, on everything from picking the right plants to mulching to using water wisely.

The Organic Gardeners Podcast on Lime: Short weekly audio shows about gardening topics with handy advice.

G-Living also has some detailed articles on seeds and soil preparation in the organic gardening section. All this should be plenty to keep you busy before the spring thaw.

What kind of food is that?

Trystan L. Bass — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:03:29 PST

Plenty of terms get tossed around at the grocery store and farmers market these days. Is that tomato an organic or heirloom variety? Was that pork raised sustainably and is it a heritage breed? And what is "natural" anyway?

Unfortunately, no one governs the exact definitions of these labels, so you have to ask questions before you shop. But first, you can read up at Yahoo! Food, where chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli gives her tips for decoding food choices and terms.

What coffee drinkers can do to help the environment

Trystan L. Bass — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:48:17 PDT

Are you a caffeine achiever? Does it take a grande double latte (no foam) to jump-start your mornings? You might want to check out Coffee and Conversation to find out how your java addiction affects the environment, especially bird habitats.

Coffee-bean plantations are home to many bird species, and how the coffee is farmed has a huge impact on bird population worldwide.

Coffee grown in shade is friendlier to birds and more sustainable in the long run, so several groups have come out with shade-grown coffee certifications you can shop for.

That's not all you can put your caffeine buzz to work on.

Check out the top five things coffee drinkers can do to help the environment -- it's as simple as avoiding multinational companies, buying organic, and bring your own mug, among other things.

Or use the interactive roaster map to find biodiversity-friendly beans near you.

And oh yes, you can get the dirt about that Starbucks on the corner. It's actually not too bad, especially if you try the Black Apron label beans.