Bringing it all back home

Traveling abroad has taught me quite a few lessons. Yes, it taught me some more language. It taught me some more about different cultures. But it taught me something more important. I may only be one person, but what I do with my life affects the world, sometimes in a big way.

I've been flitting around a number of websites, which started at one that some Clarkson students work on: izzitgreen. I was hoping it would be a review of common products that I would want to buy, so it could tell me whether or not they are sustainable, but I'll have to keep looking for that.

Along the way, I've found that 'Chilean sea bass' live so long they should never really ever be eaten, and that many shrimp we buy cheap are farmed. I never recall eating Chilean sea bass, but apparently they live for 50 years and rarely reproduce, so harvesting them at all is not a good idea for their populations or the other animals (like whales) that rely on them for food. The more important thing for me was the shrimp. I NEVER knew that farmed shrimp would hurt the environment. However, apparently farmed shrimp are often produced in converted mangrove forests. If you are unfamiliar with mangrove forests, they are home to some of the coolest trees in the world, which live in more water than normal trees do. Go look for pictures. They're cool.

So in addition to buying local food, I'll be using this guide to help buy fish when I need some variety in my diet. Currently, I'm enjoying fresh homemade salsa, homemade tomato sauce, homemade pickles, local yogurt and veggies (including some of the sweetest sweet corn ever!), and fresh chicken from a local Amish family. It's pretty delicious. I have some purple potatoes from the local farmer's market (where I purchased the majority of the above) that are calling my name for dinner within the next few days. It's nice to be able to say that the food on my plate all came from within a few miles.

I do hope to continue to buy some of my favorite processed foods, however. This will require a little bit of research. At least R. W. Garcia made my purchasing of tortilla chips a little easier by labeling that their corn is non-GMO.

Well, I believe that is enough food research for the night. I'm hoping to speak with my students momentarily!