Stage 1 - Live without making garbage
Stage 2- Emitting no carbon
Stage 3- Least environmental impact with food choices
Stages After- Little environmental impact- consumer purchase, household (heat, electricity, water use)
Making choices to eat foods that have little environmental impact is harder than I presumed. This morning I was in a rush to get to an appointment, I opened my pantry and to my dismay there was absolutely nothing that was even close to environmentally friendly. I opted for two pre-made waffles, and ran out the door.
Now it is 4pm, and I steered clear of purchasing food items on campus all day-- simply to arrive at my home and find the only non- impactful item, an apple. So now I sit here with my apple, which, by the way, is not enough food to classify as a "meal", and dream of chipotle and Indian food.
Colin and I are on the same page when it comes to take out- there is almost nothing better to me than trying other people's cooking. I am obsessed with trying and photographing local eateries and tasting food from new cultures, as no impact woman I will have to discover other ways to satisfy my needs- possibly learn new recipes from varying cultures, or have a potluck with friends.
Last night I made wild mushroom sauce- this included buying around 6 lbs of mushrooms, madeira, wine, butter, and "more than gourmet" - veal base. At first I had felt that by grocery shopping instead of going to a restaurant was good behavior, but after unwrapping mushrooms and other items from their plastic I saw just how much trash was created and to be honest-- it was disappointing-- there was no need for all the plastic wrap, and in fact it made me feel less interested in returning to the shop where I had purchased the ingredients.
Things I am grateful for: apples, planners, tea, pens, computers.