10 Tips For Celebrating World Environment Day
Following the United States Department of Agriculture's announcement that "In 2010, an estimated 133 billion pounds of food from U.S. retail food stores, restaurants, and homes never made it into people's stomachs," it feels more important than ever that we cut back on our food waste.
Celebrate World Environment Day, June 6, by being especially mindful of the way you cook, eat, and entertain. Try these 10 tips!
- Instead of throwing bits and pieces of your food items away, use as much of them as you can! When you cook beets, save their greens. Save bones for stock, and use stale bread to make croutons or breadcrumbs.
- Cut back on paper waste! Using cloth napkins, real glasses and silverware, and plates you can wash is not only a greener option than using disposable paper goods, but also makes a table feel more complete.
- Join the USDA's Food Waste Challenge to reduce, reuse and recycle!
- Turn off the lights and have a candlelit dinner
- Compost your food scraps either in a corner of your backyard or at a farmers' market.
- Get as many groceries as you can at the farmers' market or join a local community supported agriculture (CSA) program. This will help you eat foods that are local, in season, and very fresh.
- Pick up your groceries in a reusable bag!
- Take your meal outside and enjoy it on your lawn or in a nearby park!
- Maintain a well-stocked pantry to help you cook mindfully—and entertain easily on short notice!
- Try using organic ingredients as often as possible. Not sure where to start? How about Homemade Organic Hummus or a Strawberry Sunshine Tofu Smoothie? Check out more of our best organic recipes here.