We all need and love to eat, but there many choices we can make to green our diet. The food industry uses about 20% of the energy consumed in the United States. Of that 40% goes to process, package, and distribute our food and another 40% goes to refrigerate and cook.

EATING LOCALLY

The average food item travels about 1500 miles before reaching your plate. What does this mean? It means eating locally grown food can help reduce the amount of energy and CO2 emissions released into atmosphere. Support local farmers by buying locally grown food at farmers market and organic food stores.

EATING ORGANIC

Organic food is food grown without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. They also require about 50 percent less greenhouse gas-emitting energy to grow than conventional foods. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are derived from petroleum in energy-intensive processes that release harmful nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Runoff from those pesticides and fertilizers get into our soil and eventually our water. Not to mention... no matter how well you wash your produce, those harmful pesticides will always be there!

SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANTS

Eat at restaurants that buy ingredients from local farms and make an effort to conserve energy and water and cut down on waste. The restaurant industry represents 10 percent of the U.S. Economy. Greening that industry could make a big difference for our enviroment. Supporting sustainable restaurants who green their business practices helps support what they do.