Part 1 #Live Consciously Challenge – grocery shopping
Food accounts for 10-30% of a households carbon footprint, that is the bad news. The good news is that simple changes like cooking with chicken đ instead of beef đ„© can reduce your meal’s carbon footprint by as much as 75%.
Let’s challenge ourselves to take stock of our current sustainability score and identify one or two areas where we can make a simple change to our grocery shopping, cooking and eating behavior to make an impact.
We have started the challenge in our team too. Stay tuned to see how we measure up against our own guidelines and what we want to work on.
Our behavior around #food consumption is one of the most impactful areas of a #sustainablelifestyle, since we eat every single day. But there is a lot of talk about these topics and it can feel overwhelming. This is why our team at Ready Set Dinner collected a #liveconsciously list of simple behavior changes that have a high impact. Most of them even have positive externalities for your #health, #familyrelationships or your wallet. We start with tips around grocery shopping đand will give you more ideas around cooking and eating in the upcoming weeks.
#1. Shop more local groceries
Tell us something we haven’t heard ⊠how about this? It supports your local community, itâs fresher, tastes better đ, and helps eliminate CO2 emission from long transports.
There are even online farmerâs markets, like Market Wagon, WhatsGood or GrubMarket out there these days, which make it super-easy. And here are some quick resources to help you find local CSAs, Farmerâs Markets, and Co-Opâs.
#2. Stay in-season
In fashion, the chase of the latest trend creates huge sustainability issues. But when it comes to food the best choice is to always be in-season. Buying seasonal produce will give you the highest nutrient density, the best taste and is better for your wallet. Bookmark this guide so youâre always eating vogue.
#3. Buy ugly, unwanted food
Discrimination is so pre-historic. Letâs be honest, once your stomach acids start digesting for nutrients itâs not a pretty sight. Start giving those misfits and imperfects a new home. Or use ToGoodToGo or Flashfood to buy food close to expiry at very attractive prices.
#4. Be picky
This may seem counterintuitive based on our cry to eat more ugly food âïž, but itâs not what weâre implying. Be conscious and knowledgeable when youâre grocery shopping, meaning donât trust everything you read! The Alternative Food Network explains the deception of marketing labels in their podcast. Itâs a great listen and if you need it on paper (or screen), use this food label guide.
TLDR Look for labels that say: Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Grassfed and USDA Certified Organic. If it doesnât say 100% itâs closer to 70% đ€š.
#5. Bulk up when grocery shopping
Weâre not talking about the weight room although they do say itâs one of the best exercises to incorporate into your routine. Weâre talking about ingredients, youâre paying more than you know for pretty branding and packaging!
#6. Rock reusables
Weâve been reciting Reduce, Reuse, Recycle since the early 90s and yet weâre still buying bottled water like itâs going out of style. If you ask us, reusable bottles are way more on trend. Those individual water bottles are actually one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and (obviously) plastic waste. Also remember to bring your reusable grocery and produce bags, and stay clear from products that use excessive plastic in their packaging.
#7. Turn your thumb green
That #WFH life is here to stay, meaning you have more time to incorporate some new hobbies. Why not find one with dual-purpose. Starting an edible garden đ± does not only put food on the table with zero food miles, it is also a fun pastime, good for your mental health and a great way to get kids excited about vegetables.
#8. Keep ’em fresh
When you get home from grocery shopping, make sure you store your food well, so that it lasts longer and that items that need to be used up sooner are well visible. Consider creating a designated section in the fridge for food that needs to be eaten in a day or two.