Making good choices is what has brought most people to the IU South Bend campus. Everyone is looking to learn, gain a new set of skills, share their knowledge and skills with others, and advance their careers or personal lives. These choices were made, for the most part, responsibly, with an end in mind – a reason for being here and doing the university thing.
In our day to day lives, there are choices to make everyday about where to go, what to do, who to see and be with, and what to buy to eat, wear, or share. To be an environmentally responsible person, making a sound choice is key. Not everyone can or should live in an off-grid house on three acres for raising animals and food in a caring, eco-sensitive way, and few worldly goods. There are choices available to everyone, every day, no matter your lifestyle that will allow for a balance that will meet needs and suit your conscience.
The first step is recognizing what some harmful consumer activities are, and then
prioritizing. Which activities are you able to alter, adjust, or drop altogether? We all want the greatest return for our investments, whether they are of time, energy or money.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has identified several “high impact activities” that will be reviewed here this month that may help guide the decision making process.
Food: With at least 840 million acres devoted to grazing animals and growing the grains they are fed, the average food item traveling at least 1300 miles from farm to plate, and petroleum based chemicals used by the millions of gallons to reduce pests and weeds, food makes an impact on the global environment.
Choices: Some starter questions include: where does it come from, what is in it, what went into making it, and how much energy was used to make it? These questions can help guide your food choices. Start out by eating less meat, and buying some organic produce (see side bar for top picks). Going completely vegetarian or vegan is not for everyone, but everyone can get by with at least one less meat meal a week.
To start making good choices, start small if you need to – but start. Remember to focus where and how to reduce your environmental impact in areas where the rewards are greatest for your life and the life of the planet.
Try some organics: Make the most of your health, and your grocery store or farmer’s market dollar. Try buying the following foods organic. They tend to either get sprayed, or absorb and retain, the most harmful, synthetic chemicals.
Peaches
Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Imported grapes
Carrots
Pears
Save your money: the following tend to have the lighter load of potentially harmful chemicals. When prioritizing food budgets, consider going organic with these later, if necessary – or grow your own!
Onions
Avocados,
Frozen sweet corn
Pineapple
Mango
(data from the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides at www.foodnews.org)
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