Here are some helpful hints from the guys at National Geographic to help do the right thing by the earth this Thanksgiving.
Price is important. While organic can be expensive, their market survey (including Whole Foods, Fairway, Fresh Direct and and our local farmer's market at Union Square) shows that sometimes, as with organic wines, prices are the same or quite close. To protect your health and the environment, you can pick organic for those items, like apples, pears, spinach and potatoes, which have the heaviest pesticide loads. Choosing organic helps keep pesticides out of the environment and avoids the cruel conditions animals endure in massive factory farms. And with fuel prices shooting up, picking foods from local farms can reduce costs and will save on the miles your meal travels before it reaches the dining room.
So fill your holiday table with a bounty of organic foods—everything from turkey and ham, to cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, fruits, breads and desserts—using The Green Guide's downloadable Smart Shopper's Holiday Companion (see below). It includes price comparisons (organic vs. conventional) of all potential items on your list. Buy Local. Produce can travel thousands of miles before reaching your plates, but there's no reason to pay the cost of trucking and consume more oil, when you can get to know your local farmers and seek out homegrown delicacies. To find a local farmer or farmer's market in your area, visit Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) and use their search engine.
Let’s see, buying food grown without pesticides and harmful chemicals from farmers nearby – what could be more traditional than that?
Source: National Geographic
http://www.thegreenguide.com/gg/pdf/holidaycompanion2007.pdf
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