Eco-Friendly Products

My most recent trip to the supermarket was refreshing – I noticed more people using reusable grocery bags than ever before.  Granted, there were still far more people walking out with plastic bags, but at least we're moving in the right direction.  Another way to have a positive impact on our planet is by shopping for eco-friendly foods.

I once saw Carlos Mencia, the comedian, make a joke about how he was more environmentally friendly than vegans because he eats beef.  His argument was that cow flatulence contains methane gas, so by eating the beef, he's lessening the amount of methane that could end up in the atmosphere.  Vegans, on the other hand, eat plants that help the environment by transforming carbon dioxide to oxygen.  Funny?  Maybe.  Better for the environment to eat beef?  Not necessarily.

Of course, the problem with is argument was that in order for him to eat beef in the first place, the cow had to exist, and likely added to the amount of methane in the atmosphere.  In fact, our growning consumption of beef in this country is leading to more methane gas in the atmosphere than ever before as well as farm land that is continually stripped of important nutrients, rendering it useless after a period of time.

That is not to say that one has to stop eating meat to eat eco-consciously.  However, avoiding gluttonous consumption of beef can help.  There's no need to eat a 16 ounce steak when you can get the same satisfaction and nutritional benefit from a smaller, organically raised piece of meat.

Eating organically raised food is key.  Organic farming avoids the use of chemicals and pesticides, which pollute our environment as well as the food we eat.  Further, organic farmers rotate their crops to maintain the integrity of the soil, ensuring that overfarming never renders land useless.

So, the next time you're at your local grocer with your reusable bag in tow, stop by the organic section for some foods instead of your usuals.  Also, try to pay attention to the amount of packaging that the foods you purchase use.  The less packaging the better as those packages require less energy to produce.

Finally, the benefits of eating green are not limited to the planet.  Organic foods are healthier for you, plain and simple.