Note: In exchange for participating in the challenge and writing this post, I was given a gift package from Green is Universal. All opinions here are still my own.
It's an easy challenge... and an important one. I found there was little in the challenge I wasn't already doing, but One Small Act has spurred me on to keep at it and to remember the reasons why I do these things in the first place.
Do you want to know the number one reason why I care about doing things that are good for me and for the environment? I do it for my grandchildren. Let's face it. I probably won't be around to see the devastating effects of our carelessness and self-centered living. But my grandbabies will. And I don't want them to have to live with the consequences of my generation's, and yours, reckless behavior. So, when you start focusing on future generations, how can you not care what happens to this earth?
Some people have actually said to me, "God created the earth and He can take care of it." What blatant disregard to God's instruction to Adam in the Garden of Eden found in Genesis 2:15. God told Adam to tend the garden, not destroy it. He gave the responsibility to mankind. I take that seriously.
That's why I love challenges like the Eco Eats Challenge! I think you will, too. So far, in the past few days, I've completed quite a few of the challenges, like ditching the paper towels and using rags instead. Just this morning, I knocked over a full cup of coffee, which spilled across the kitchen table and onto the floor, splashing nearly everywhere! What can I say? It's been that kind of day. I also tripped going up the steps and smashed my right hand against the wall. Ouch.
In past years, after a spill like that, I would have reached for the paper towels and used half a roll to clean up the mess. What a waste!! It makes me cringe to think of my blatant disregard for the environmental impact of that action. Today, however, I just reached under my sink for several absorbent rags and old towels. The mess was cleaned up and I felt good about having only wasted a good cup of coffee (fair trade, by the way) and not half a roll of paper towels.
It's the little things, folks. I keep saying it because I mean it. And that's what the One Small Act campaign is all about... the little things. Won't you join me? You'll be glad you did.
Are you interested in 'eco-eating'? NBC's Green is Universal is hosting an "Eco Eats" sweepstakes from September 29 - October 17. To join, visit their free green-living tool, One Small Act,
and join the "Eco Eats" challenge. Everyone who signs up and tackles at
least one action by October 17th will be entered to win one of five
6-month subscriptions to NatureBox. No Purchase Necessary. Must be US resident and 18+. Read official rules here.
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| Too good to waste |
Yesterday, I asked if anyone could offer me some guidance about freezing corn and no one, not a single one of you, responded. What's that about?
Maybe you're as clueless as I am. So I did some research and here's
what I discovered:
After
cutting the corn off of the cob, I need to blanch it by boiling it in a
little bit of water for about 4 minutes. Then I immediately dunk it
into ice water (with lots of ice), drain the water, and put the corn in
freezer containers.
Sounds easy enough. I can't wait to try it this coming weekend. If you have any other suggestions, let me know. Or if you want to learn more about freezing veggies, click on this link from ecoCENTRIC.
In the meantime, I had some grass-fed ground meat in the fridge and decided I better get it in the freezer since the expiration date was just a few days away. We'd had red meat within the past couple of days and didn't want to have it again right now. Sometimes it's hard to know whether or not to freeze what we have or keep it in the refrigerator so it's ready to be cooked. But the important thing is to not waste it, so this time around, freezing was the best option.
But really, other than saving money by not wasting food, why does this matter? Food waste comes with an environmental cost as well as a cost to your grocery budget. It is estimated that nearly one-third (1.3 billion tons) of the global food supply is wasted annually. Average families of 4 generally toss out about $175 worth of food monthly! Ouch.
Wasted food accounts for more than 25% of all freshwater consumption and uses 300 million barrels of oil per year. With the current water crisis, this is a disturbing figure. Unless composted, the food rots in landfills, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas that traps 23 times more heat than CO2. Keep in mind, there is a cost to disposing the waste as well, close to $1 billion in the U.S. alone!
The more food wasted, the more food needed. That means more fertilizer, pesticide use (unless you're buying only organic foods), more processing, more transportation fuel, and, unless we all learn our lessons, more food wasting away in the landfill. Yikes.
That's why learning proper freezing methods is important, folks. It's about more than our pocketbooks. It, too, is about caring for this amazing planet of ours.
So, are you part of the problem, or part of the solution? What are you doing to prevent food waste?
Are you interested in 'eco-eating'? NBC's Green is Universal is hosting an "Eco Eats" sweepstakes from September 29 - October 17. To join, visit their free green-living tool, One Small Act, and join the "Eco Eats" challenge. Everyone who signs up and tackles at least one action by October 17th will be entered to win one of five 6-month subscriptions to NatureBox. No Purchase Necessary. Must be US resident and 18+. Read official rules here.
Disclosure: In exchange for participating in the challenge and writing this post, I was given a gift package from Green is Universal. All opinions here are still my own.
