Food Footprint

After reading David Suzuki's urgings on how and what we should try to eat on a day to day basis I have been trying to become more aware of my food choices. In the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving break I almost entirely eliminated meat from my diet. This was a huge change for me considering I normally eat some meat four or five times a week. When I read that "raising 1 kg of beef generated the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 150 miles" I decided to try to lay off of meat for a while.

With no money going towards meat I was able to spend the little bit extra on organically and locally grown produce. Additionally the only meat I did eat over those weeks was some non corn fed, eco raised salmon and a locally raised, grass fed beef meatball. I also cut back on the amount of eggs I used but kept the amount of milk and cheese the same. I felt healthy eating predominantly vegetables and fruits and I felt good knowing I was at least trying to reduce my "ecological footprint from eating by up to 90%."

While this was an interesting experiment for myself, it was also frustrating. I wanted to buy only local organic produce but with the difference in price coupled with my rent and electric bills I couldn't always do that. Had i been buying more meat and stuck to only humanely and organically raised products the price increase would have been even steeper. It is deflating to someone trying to become a more thoughtful eater, as well as urge others to do the same, when finances come into play as a limiting factor. I found the best prices on organic produce to be at farmer's markets and feel that in order for there to be a larger movement in reducing our food footprint there has to be a push to continue the expansion of supporting more and more local agriculture through markets and CSA's to eventually lower the price of good food so that it is obtainable by the masses.

-Christian-