Earth Day Resolutions

I’m starting to see that bright green color of new growth around town. Blades of grass are starting to poke up through last years’ thatch and even through the piles of sand along the road. Buds are appearing on trees and bulbs are popping up everywhere. I love the fresh colors of Spring, especially that special vibrant green that seems almost surreal after months of brown, grey and white.
April might be my favorite month (although I have a tendency to be in love with whatever month it is, and relish the fact that the Northwest has all four seasons). It is definitely the Month of Green. And it’s green for more reasons than just the multitudes of shades of the color cropping up wherever you look. April is also the month when we celebrate Earth Day and that’s a very green holiday (okay, so the word green is getting overused in the media, but please allow me the segue).
I like to think about Earth Day as a kind of New Years Eve celebration for the planet. I use April 22nd as an excuse to make resolutions to go easier on Mother Earth all year long. There are so many things you can resolve to do to lessen your impact on the planet, but this year my resolutions are all about making more sustainable choices when it comes to food.
Resolution #1: Buy more local food. Buying locally produced food is great for the planet and your taste buds (not to mention the local economy). Most of the food you buy in the supermarket travels an average of 1500 miles. Imagine the amount of pollution caused by trucking all that food across the country and the world. And then imagine how long it takes to get to your table and how much flavor and nutrition is lost along the way.
It just makes sense to buy what you can locally. I know it’s the end of winter and there doesn’t seem to be much local produce right now but there is local beef, lamb, pork, eggs and potatoes and soon the greens and asparagus will start coming in. The Farmer’s Market starts in less than a month. There’s still time to sign up for a share in a local CSA (which is like buying a share in a local farm). And now that Six Rivers Market (the new on-line local food market) is up and running, there’s a place to buy local food all year long. I’m going to give myself extra bonus points for buying local organic food, which goes one step further in eliminating hazardous chemicals from the environment.
Resolution #2: Grow some of my own food. Why stop with buying local? Why not grow your own? We’re starting a serious (at least as serious as you can get when you live in the woods) garden this year so I can have the freshest produce possible and I’m going to make an effort to preserve the food we grow so it will last all winter long. If you don’t have space for a garden where you live, a Community Garden is starting up at Dubs’ Field. Contact the Sandpoint Transition Initiative to find out more.
Resolution #3: Eat less meat and make sure the meat I am eating is grass fed and local. If you’ve read anything about Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) you know they are a nightmare for both the environment and the animals. Industrialized meat production is one of the most disgusting inventions of modern agriculture. Animals are packed together, never seeing a blade of grass, forced to eat a diet of corn and agricultural by-products (including bone meal and chicken poop in the case of beef production), most of which is grown with lots of pesticides and herbicides. Their waste is concentrated in huge lagoons that leach into the water table and occasionally overflow to pollute local streams and lakes. And the gas expelled from all these animals is a leading source of greenhouse gases.
Another problem with consuming lots of animal protein is that it takes about 40 calories of fossil fuel to make 1 calorie of industrially produced meat so it’s very resource intensive. Eating less of it is an easy way to lower your environmental impact.
Eating grass-fed, pasture-raised meat and poultry eliminates most of these environmental hazards (except for the gas thing and that’s where eating less meat comes in). You’re still getting less calories out than you put in, but the calories used to produce grass fed meat come mostly from the sun, not fossil fuels.
Plus it’s much healthier for you with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids (one of the good fats) and lower saturated fats (the bad guys).
Resolution #4: Eat fish only from sustainable fisheries. While we’re on the subject of protein, I might as well make sure the fish I’m eating isn’t causing fisheries to collapse. Too many of the world’s fisheries are on the brink of extinction and our unrelenting desire for more isn’t helping. The Monterey Bay Aquarium puts out a handy wallet-sized guide that shows what fish are being sustainably harvested and which you should avoid. I’ve printed one off and am going to actually look at it before I make my fish purchases.
Resolution #5: Buy in bulk. I’m not sure how much embedded energy is in all the packaging that surrounds our food these days but it’s got to be a significant amount. Buying food without all the bells and whistles and eye catching packaging not only decreases the amount of resources needed transport the food from one place to another, it also decreases the amount of stuff you have to throw away or recycle. An added benefit of food you can by in bulk is it’s most likely less processed than packaged food. Whole foods are healthier for you and take a lot less energy to produce, making them healthier for the planet, too! Both Yokes and Winter Ridge have a good selection of bulk food. I’m also giving myself extra points when I bring reused bags to the store to put all that good food in.
Last year’s resolutions to eat more organic food and to always bring my own shopping bags have been going pretty well, so I think I can handle these five new ones. I hope you’ll join me in adopting one or two of them as well.

Vicki Reich tries to live simply in Sagle and is glad she can start riding her bike to town again. She’s anxiously awaiting fresh local produce and would love to hear if you’re making any Earth Day resolutions. She can be contacted at wordomouth@yahoo.com

While you’re waiting for that fresh local produce to come in, try this delicious potato soup with some of the local potatoes still available from Vern’s Veggies.

Potato Soup with Chives
Serves 4

2 T butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 strips cooked bacon (optional)
2 t. paprika
4 lbs local potatoes, diced
5 c. chicken stock
1-3 pieces Parmesan rind (optional)
½ c sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
3 T fresh chives, finely chopped

Heat butter in a heavy stockpot. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until they soften. Add the bacon and paprika. Sauté 1 minute. Add the potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil then lower heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the Parmesan rind if you have any. Cook another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Using a slotted spoon, mash some of the potatoes to thicken the soup to the consistency you like. Place the sour cream in a bowl and add about 1 cup of the soup. Stir then gently add the mixture to the pot. Do not allow the soup to boil again. Add half the chives to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and sprinkle with remaining chives.