Change the World

Here's the Change the World Challenge of the week. As a vegan, this one is near and dear to my heart. I've posted many articles about veganism and numerous recipes. BUT, I will address this further tomorrow.

If you eat animal products, then for one full day eat only meatless meals ... go vegetarian. Dairy products & eggs are permissible ... but no other animal products.

Or, if you are vegetarian full time ... then, for one full day, eat only vegan meals. No animal products whatsoever.

And finally, if you are vegan, full time, write an article about why meatless meals are good for the planet and perhaps include your favorite recipe.

So what do you think? Are you up for this one? If you need a little help, there are a few vegan recipes posted on Reduce Footprints ... just use the search engine at the top left of the page and insert the words "vegan recipe". And, I'll be posting another one on Friday.

Remember ... part of the challenge is to spread the word and get as many people as possible involved. For more information on how to do that ... and a little motivation, stop by and see our friend, Thomas ... he's written a wonderful article entitled "How to green the world by running your mouth". He's got some great words of advice.

Thanks, everyone!

We're changing the world ... one challenge at a time!

Eat S.L.O.W.ly

What do you think of when you imagine "dinner in France" or "lunch in Italy"? Do you think of cafes populated with diners lingering over coffee and dessert? Do you think of meals that extend three hours as the patrons talk and laugh and savor their food? Now what comes to mind when you picture lunch time in America? People scarfing down fast food in their cars?

Your mother told you to eat slowly and now there's even more reason to do so. Slow Food is a movement which began in Italy in 1989 to "counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." Slow Food employs a handy acronym to help you focus on your food choices:

S - Seasonal
L - Local
O - Organic
W - Whole

The Slow Food website is chock full of great information. Visit it here: http://slowfood.com/

Reminder: To enter the giveaway for a free copy of A Day with a Perfect Stranger, by David Gregory, please e-mail me at seewhykinsman@gmail.com. Winners will be drawn Sunday, March 8th.

You'd Better Clean Your Plate . . . There Are Little Kids Starving . . . HERE!

This weekend I read an article in Delicious Living, a free magazine from our co-op. I'm still reeling from what I read about wasting food:

If only we all had smaller eyes — or bigger stomachs. U.S. residents throw away about 100 billion pounds of food every year (nearly 3,000 pounds per second), enough to feed 60 million people. At the same time, more than 35 million Americans are hungry or on the edge of hunger. At greatest risk are households with children, families headed by a single woman, and people with incomes below the poverty line. We've got an abundance of food; we just waste lots of it. Consider this: We recycle half of all used paper, a third of all used metal, but only 2 percent of leftover food.

I'm beyond horrified. Long time readers know my dad lived through The Great Depression and, believe me, there was nothing great about it. He got his first job when he was 4 years old, setting up pins at the bowling alley. A year later he got a job hauling scrap metal and tires over a mile. When he grew up, he wasn't afraid to invest in the stock market, but the one thing he HATED was wasted food. Consequently, so do I.

Please read the rest of the article here to find out what you can do to help. And remember these common sense rules from my dad:

1. If you put it on your plate, eat it.

2. If you don't know how much you can eat, or if you will like it, take only a tablespoon -- you can always go back for more.

Reminder: If you want to enter to win one of two copies of Outlaw Marshal by Al and JoAnna Lacy, please send your name and mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com; winners will be drawn Friday, February 20th.

Also, today (Noon, Eastern Time) I'm going to be a guest author at reducefootprints.blogspot.com. Please make sure you check it out and click back there often for all kinds of information and tips regarding how to minimize your impact on this bruised and battered planet. Walk softly over to reducefootprints.blogspot.com.