Sustainability isn’t just about giving up all your favorite stuff… It used to be going green started with a long list of stuff you had to stop doing, stop using, stop buying. And there wasn’t always a realistic option to replace what you’d given up. But these days there are better options becoming available all…
Following a stroll on a lovely, yet plastic-strewn, Balinese beach, Glenn Adams and daughter Gaia Shekhinah set out on a mission. The two formed The Last Straw, a campaign that encourages island businesses to end their use of plastic straws and embrace reusable alternatives. The two spoke enthusiastically about their efforts, and their next plan…
Claire Hope Cummings does not mince words when it comes to the state of global food production and sustainability. The award-winning author, journalist and environmental lawyer has been speaking out about the dangers of genetic modification for years, and has traveled the world documenting both the changing climate and the proliferation of genetically modified seeds. Her book Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds, received high praise from Michael Pollan and the New Yorker, and was described by fellow author Vandana Shiva as “a wake-up call about the threats facing our seeds and the freedom of the seed.”…
In the US, there is no law that compels manufacturers to provide a complete ingredient label, making it difficult to distinguish between the ingredients and chemicals found in these seemingly ordinary products. Consumers should be aware that even products labeled as “green” and “non toxic” can have harmful effects.
Tips for buying sustainable and responsibly produced drinks. Guide menu (click on any menu item and go directly to that section) Wine Beer Tea Coffee UNDERSTANDING WINE LABELS What is organic wine? The answer to this question depends upon where you are. In the US, organic wine is defined by the USDA as wine made…
Not only do we love eating fresh seafood, we also choose it for its health benefits. Now, with the ocean under attack from climate change and pollution, and fish and seafood stocks disappearing through overfishing and loss of habitat, your choice of seafood is more important than ever. Here are articles to help you navigate…
Chef and owner of Soléna restaurant in Bordeaux, France, talks to EthicalFoods.com about local sourcing in Aquitaine and how this year’s weather is affecting his menu.
With so many different options, how do we really know that our earth friendly trash bags are helping the environment instead of just costing us more money? The key is in researching the materials used in making the trash bags, and understanding their environmental implications.
Climate change: what it costs and who is footing the bill. Maximilian Auffhammer, Associate Professor and Agricultural and Resource Economics Director at UC Berkeley, looks at the effects of climate change through a different lens than most. As an environmental economist, Professor Auffhammer breaks down actions that cause damage to the environment and puts a…
As meat and dairy prices rise, questions on the viability of the industry’s dependence on just a few key grains are being asked a little louder—and this time by more than just sustainable food enthusiasts. In order to understand the full impact of drought on the meat and dairy industry, it is important to understand…
On New Year’s Day 2013, Certified Organic beer becomes more organic. Read how changes in labeling could affect your favorite brew.
Darrell Frey talks about permaculture farming, the danger of GMOs and how to choose the best local, seasonal foods. Darrell Frey is the author of Bioshelter Market Garden and farmer/owner of Three Sisters Farm in Pennsylvania, which provides fresh, organic produce to the local foodshed, even in the cold winter months. Frey’s initial interest in…
Mixt is at the forefront of a new trend—eco-conscious chain restaurants. With casual lunch joints like Mixt embracing sustainable practices, green dining is no longer confined to upscale establishments. Now even weekly takeout lunches in bustling business districts can be both eco-friendly and delicious.
Defining sustainability in the restaurant industry, let alone measuring it, has proven to be an incredibly difficult task. A range of new businesses have emerged to help analyze a restaurant’s sustainability as well as provide certification for businesses to stand as a visual indicator to their customers of a restaurant’s ethical values—helping diners make smart choices.
From ice cream made to order to a globe trotting Singaporean kitchen, restaurants are turning a source of industrial pollution into a source of inspiration.
Margot McNeeley, founder of Project Green Fork in Memphis, Tennessee, talks to EthicalFoods.com about the challenges of helping restaurants move toward sustainable practices.
Restaurants are a significant source of pollution—from food waste to spent cooking oil to toxic chemicals. Eden Canon explores the ways in which the restaurant industry is cleaning up its act. From making simple changes, such as setting up recycling programs, to working with the city to turn spent cooking oil into biofuel that run city buses, restaurants are taking up the challenge to go green.
Over 500 million plastic straws are used in the United States every day, that’s over 46,000 bus loads of straws a year. Be Straw Free, an anti-straw initiative started by 9 year old Milo Cress, offers some helpful advice—and compelling reasons—to refuse, reduce or reuse.