FOOD

So, I’m a vegetarian, which means that food is always an issue for me. I have to be really picky about where I go out to eat, what I buy, etc. Before interning at the Greenpeace office last fall, I always thought that stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods (health food stores) were the best places to shop as a vegetarian – plentiful amounts of meat substitutes and lots of alternative options. I started shopping at these places partly out of diet changes but also because I was concerned about the environment. But in researching the practices of grocery stores, even ones like Whole Foods, I’ve found that it is nearly impossible to shop at a supermarket that doesn’t inflict environmental harm in selling its products. So when I shop, I try to buy things that are a) vegetarian, b) remotely healthy/good for me and when I can afford it, making sure that it’s local. But it’s definitely hard to do all those things!
Thinking about what I’ve eaten in the past few days, the food that I would guess has had the greatest environmental impact would be eggs maybe? I eat eggs a lot because they are a good source of protein, and their cheap, but I found an article on water consumption, and it takes a ridiculous amount of water to produce eggs. Not to mention the land and food it takes to maintain chickens. Also, I had some strawberries this morning, and I bet that eating out of season fruit is also pretty bad for the environment because it takes shipping and resources that aren’t always readily available. For example, it has a way bigger impact to ship strawberries to D.C. from California in the middle of March when they are out of season, than from Maryland or Virginia in the middle of June when they are in season.