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Grow your own

Jay Weinstein, Forecast Earth Food Correspondent — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:27:55 PDT

While your neighbors might prefer to look out on a fertilized, dandelion-free lawn, there's no doubt that growing vegetables in your yard makes good eco-sense. The debate about whether economies of scale beat local food distribution methods becomes moot when the produce at your table used absolutely zero fuel to get from your garden to your kitchen.

Front-yard farmers are taking a bite out of global warming by planting oxygen-generating, vegetable-producing green plants on their property in both cities and suburban areas. While planting melons, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and peppers in front of your house might not yield the 6000-pound harvests that the Dervaes family produces on their 1/10-acre urban lot in Pasadena, CA, it can go a long way toward cutting your own carbon footprint, and slash your grocery bill at the same time.

For those who wonder if it really matters if they grow their own, when the scope of the global warming problem is so huge and developing countries are starting to emit faster than we are cutting down, sustainable food author Michael Pollan has an answer: It does matter. In addition to policy changes in government and industry, it will take changes in personal behavior to turn things around. He points out that consumer spending represents 70 percent of our economy, and so in the end, it really is all about us.

However long the growing season is where you live, you can supplement your food supply with healthy foods that are usually much more delicious than store-bought by growing them at home. Even apartment dwellers can grow lettuces and herbs in window boxes. By updating the World War II-era concept of victory gardens, urban and suburban residents can make a big difference, and enjoy the fruits of their labor in ways they may never have imagined.

LifeWire provides original and syndicated content to web publishers. Jay Weinstein, a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America, is a New York based food writer, editor, and cookbook author. His food articles and recipes have been featured in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Newsday, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, and numerous other publications. His latest book, The Ethical Gourmet, focuses on ecologically sustainable fine foods. He's currently working on a book about sustainable use of water.

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.

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.

How sweet is that message?

Trystan L. Bass — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:02:25 PST

"Be mine." "Hot stuff." "Kiss me." Cute messages of love on a classic Valentine's Day candy -- the biggest selling sweet other than chocolate for February 14th.

But not the sweetest message you could give to the planet. Here are the top three reasons why Valentine's conversation hearts are not eco-friendly:

#1 -- Sugar

Did you know that sugar production around the world is damaging natural treasures like the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's coast and the Everglades wetlands in Florida?

According to WWF International, 121 countries produce the annual 145 tons of sugar the world eats. And unfortunately, this sugar cane and sugar beets are grown with plenty of pesticides and create toxic runoff into soil and water.

The Sugarcane Production and Environment Report (PDF) notes that it takes a whopping 1,500-3,000 liters of water to produce just 1 kg of sugar. Refining factories regularly belch out soot, ash, and other solids, while ammonia is released during sugar processing.

Better management practices could make sugar a cleaner product. But until cane growers agree to be sustainable, consumers might want to make more informed choices.

It'd be great if we could find more fair-trade sugar, but in the meantime, it's not a bad idea to cut back on sugar. Easier on the waistline anyway.

#2 -- Corn syrup

Next in the original recipe for Necco's Sweethearts Conversation Hearts is corn syrup. Now, we're not positive if this is the awful high-fructose corn syrup that's in so many of our processed foods (and has been linked to the American obesity crisis). But any kind of corn syrup has little to recommend it.

Corn is massively over-farmed and subsidized in the U.S., and this is causing a host of environmental problems right on our doorstep. Grist points out that corn farmers pour 10 billion pounds of fertilizer on their fields every year, and this junk washes down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. The waste creates a giant algae bloom known as the "Dead Zone" that kills fish and marine plants.

#3 -- Gelatin

Number three in the recipe and the third reason these seemingly innocent treats aren't so innocent for the eco-minded is the stuff we usually associate with wiggly-jiggly Jello. Gelatin is often used in candies and desserts as a stabilizer or to simulate the mouth-feel of fat.

If you weren't aware of it already, gelatin comes from animals. Specifically, it's the boiled-down collagen from connective tissues, bones, and skin of cattle and pigs.

As we've noted before, raising livestock for food is pretty inefficient and produces far more greenhouse gases than eating a plant-based diet. You don't have to be hardcore about it -- just cutting back on animal products a few days each week for a more flexitarian lifestyle is earth-friendly.

Intstead of conversation hearts ...

Want some alternatives to those candies? If you're the sentimental type, buy a pack of recycled-content pink construction paper, cut it into big heart shapes, and write your own sweet messages on each heart.

Scatter them around your Valentine's house, tuck one in your honey's briefcase or purse, sneak one in the car before your loved one drives off to work -- this will be a Valentine's Day to remember!

Or if your sugar prefers something edible, go for fair-trade or organic chocolates. That'll guarantee a gift that's rich, decadent, and sweet on Mother Earth too.

Vegan cupcakes take over the world

Trystan L. Bass — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:13:59 PST

Want to try something new with your Valentine? Try baking up some sweet treats that avoid animal products. Raising dairy cattle uses a ton of resources, so when we cut back on consumption, we can reduce our carbon footprint as much as if we drove a hybrid car.

Baking without dairy, eggs, or butter may seem like a contradiction in terms. But you'll find tons of cookbooks and websites to help. The Post-Punk Kitchen has a handy vegan baking 101 tip sheet to start you off.

Eggs can be replaced with silken tofu, soy yogurt, finely ground flax seeds, even a banana. Milk is easily swapped with soy, rice, or almond milk. And of course you can use margarine instead of butter, or use vegetable oil in a reduced amount.

One of the most popular desserts around is probably the cupcake. It's so trendy that specialized cupcake-only bakeries have opened up around the U.S., and brides are ordering cupcakes instead of wedding cakes. The book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World has taken this fad and made it eco-friendly and so have many green bloggers.

Want some inspiration before you hit the kitchen? Check out the luscious-looking vegan cupcakes photo pool on Flickr or the vegan baking pool. Now that your mouth is watering, let's get cooking.

The Bittersweet Blog has yummy recipes such as classic chocolate cupcakes and root beer float cupcakes. The only unusual ingredient in these is soy milk, which most major grocery stores carry. For people with Celiac disease, there's even a wheat-free version of the root beer float cupcakes.

Chocoholics will be tempted by the name of this recipe: too much chocolate for you, cupcake. These rich treats from the Have Cake, Will Travel blog use Dutch-process cocoa, plus chocolate chips. The same site has a more subtle recipe for low-fat rosewater cupcakes.

The Vegan Feast Kitchen whips up a almost-no-fat chocolate cupcake (earth-friendly and waistline-friendly!). And the Vivacious Vegan combines two great tastes into a banana peanut butter cupcake.

And if you're all cupcaked-out, how about some other Valentine's Day sweets? Start with heart-shaped strawberry muffins for your love.

Then try these surprisingly easy dark chocolate truffles. Even simpler are puff pastry chocolate 'ravioli' -- so elegant and charming, you shouldn't save them for just February.

If you're really ambitious, give authentic (and still vegan) petit fours a shot. Your loved one will be truly impressed.

Advice for the Lunar New Year

Vera H-C Chan — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:52:44 PST

Red and gold may be the auspicious colors of the Lunar New Year, but you can glean a little green wisdom from some ancient holiday customs.

Obviously, China hasn't set an exemplary environmental model in the last few decades. The country's accelerated growth has blackened its skies, gummed up its waterways, and endangered its food supply.

However, recent changes pushed by coal mine accidents, food safety, and the upcoming Beijing Olympics point to a more environmentally informed policy shift.

Perhaps a better example is to explore the principles behind long-held Chinese traditions and apply these to modern-day scenarios.

Lunar New Year customs differ across regions, countries, and in Diasporas around the world, but let's analyze a few and see how we can use them to celebrate our environment every day.

The vegetarian feast
The family gathers on New Year's eve for a table groaning with dishes, the homonyms of which evoke prosperity, fortune, and fertility. Some families adopt the Buddhist tradition of a meat-free meal to honor the notion of not taking a life on the New Year and cut those animals some slack.

By now it's well-documented that animal agriculture sucks up fossil fuel resources in their care, feeding, and transportation. One United Nations report estimated personal veganism was more emissions-friendly than driving a hybrid. You may not go whole hog (so to speak), but taking one day out of the week to be meat-free could be a good compromise.

Watching the spread
A traditional Chinese diet incorporates soy, greens, fruits, and fungus. It has also long emphasized fresh foods, and the New Year takes that cornucopia to an extreme. Sweets, while important, aren't as prolific either.

For those families who do serve up meat or fish, they are served up whole. Interpretations vary, but many feel that sliced foods present a "broken" dish, while whole foods represent family unity and reinforce notion that an animal's sacrifice deserves to be recognized. In other words, you gotta look that fish or duck in the eye and give thanks.

Pay off your debts
This may be little tough in our credit card culture, but the practice does apply to personal debts as well as business ones. If you knew you had to pay off your debts by the New Year, you'd likely rethink how you spend your money in the first place.

This is another way to assess personal consumption, especially when you throw in the whole newfangled concept of carbon footprints and offsets.

The flow of presents
In American culture, giving cash used to be considered a crass etiquette breach. Gift cards these days have become a suitable next step, but as most cards are unrecyclable plastic, that makes paper money comparatively far less offensive.

Enter the red envelope (called lai see or hong bao) and the tradition of giving crisp bills to all single folk (including children) and employees. The red envelope also gets passed around on birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings.

Eliminating the middle man (i.e., an unwanted gift) could cut down on gas consumption in getting or returning junk to stores and also allows the recipient to direct the cash flow into experiences (a honeymoon, sports tickets) or larger purchases (a house, college savings) rather than a collection of well-meaning but disposable goods (Hula Hands salad scoops). If your upbringing can't embrace giving green, consider other New Year's offerings like fruit and plants as earth-friendly presents.

Other practices stem from folk superstitions that no luck should be accidentally thrown out, so no cleaning that day (sorry, you still have to scrub in the days leading up to New Year), and you shouldn't wash your hair. The daily shower habit really is a 20th-century American luxury, but I'd leave that decision to your personal hygiene -- and to the people who have to put up with you.

Sun neen fai lok (as they say in Cantonese), and happy 4706.

Sharing an Earth-friendly Christmas feast

Trystan L. Bass — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:04:05 PST

As family and friends gather for holiday meals, you might consider creating a deliciously eco-friendly spread for the table. Some traditional dishes require a lot of resources, but it's pretty easy to find alternatives.

Here are some ideas for an Earth-friendly Christmas dinner:

Look for sustainable, locally grown foods and go organic when you can. Search Local Harvest and the Eat Well Guide to find stores and farms in your area that have fresh produce and meats raised without antibiotics.

The holidays can be a time of over-indulgence, but we can have our treats without going crazy too. The Vegetarian Kitchen has useful tips for eating healthy at holiday meals, including ingredients to substitute in recipes so you get flavor with as much fat.

If your Christmas guest list includes vegetarians and omnivores, the Good Karma CafÃ©'s tips for feeding vegetarians will come in handy.

In fact, a semi-vegetarian or all-meatless meal is quite festive and kind to the planet. Meat production creates as much greenhouse gases as driving cars, so why not skip the Christmas ham this year and make savory harvest pot pies or rich spinach lasagna?

The Veggie Table has a host of Christmas recipes including roasted chestnuts, winter squash risotto, eggplant gratin, and ginger-brandy cheesecake.

VegSource lists separate menus for an American country Christmas, an English-style Christmas, and a Christmas Eve in southern Italy.

And nothing compliments a good meal like a fine glass of wine. Low Impact Living explains the designations behind organic wines, so you'll know what you're buying.

Yahoo! Food also recommends 12 great biodynamic wines. These are vintages grown as part of a harmonic ecosystem without pesticides.

Don't forget dessert -- About.com has dozens of yummy vegan cookie recipes!

Vegan of the month

Trystan L. Bass — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:35:38 PST

In 1994, the U.K.-based Vegan Society named November 1 as World Vegan Day, and soon after, other groups decided that all of November should be World Vegan Month.

While a diet completely free of all animal products is a bit much for many of us, it's pretty simple to cut back on meat meals. Which really does cut back on your carbon footprint.

The difference between being vegan and a meat-eater is like swapping a regular car for a hybrid, according to a researcher quoted by Salon. And that kind of change adds up.

The "compassionate cook" Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is a vegan activist who shares her recipes and inspirations on her website and especially in a regular podcast called Vegetarian Food for Thought.

Tune in for a thought-provoking episode about Thanksgiving FOR the birds.

Learn everything you every wanted to know (and more) about tofu.

Get a look inside what it means to be vegan or vegetarian, and see how you can make a few changes in that direction. Maybe you could try it for a month... .

Don't forget to eat your veggies

Trystan L. Bass — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:54:20 PDT

I admit, I'm a carnivore -- or more accurately, a flexitarian. I like a little meat every now and then.

Back in college at Berkeley, I had a vegan roommate. Now, at that time, before Whole Foods -- heck, before the Internet -- being vegan was tough. Cookbooks were scarce, and Tofurky wasn't a Thanksgiving option yet. The other non-veg roommie and I pitied our pal who couldn't even eat cheap Spaghettios.

Now it's me who's drooling with hunger over the lush photos and rich recipes at VeganYumYum, one of a new crop of amazing vegan and vegetarian food blogs.

This ain't tofu and brown rice land. We're talking chipotle chili with apple and black beans, peach upside-down cake, herbed marinara sauce, mojito cupcakes, and mini baked donuts.

These fabulous recipes make it no great sacrifice to give up meat for a few meals each week. And going veg just once a week makes a difference.

According to Environmental Defense, a person who takes one meatless day every week saves 0.17 tons of carbon dioxide on average per year. The respected medical journal The Lancet recommends that people cut back on red meat consumption by 10%, not just for personal health, but for the health of our planet (register for free to read the full study).

VeganYumYum is coming out with a cookbook soon, so we'll all have more great recipes to go flexitarian, vegetarian, or even vegan in delicious style. Guess my old friend isn't looking for vegan Spaghettios anymore.