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Food and drink: Hot on the hundred trail

Putting your carbon-free money where your mouth is

If you’re feeling cynical about your 100-buck carbon tax rebate, don’t. Hadi Dowlatabadi, professor at the Liu Institute for Global Issues at UBC and renowned researcher into all kinds of fascinating things futuristic — such as how we humans are going to contend with climate change — isn’t touched by a shred of cynicism over it. And, for what it’s worth, neither am I.

By Mr. Dowlatabadi’s measure a carbon tax rebate like this is a good way of compensating for the new 2.4-cent/litre carbon tax at the gas pump. He thinks it’s the right behaviour-modification tool attached to the right spot — the consumer end of business — and a nice way to jump-start new conversations and new ways of thinking. Like this.

Let’s suppose for a minute that we’re talking about a single person living in a condo at Creekside. The rebate, which should be in your hands or at least your mailbox by now, is a clear hundred bucks you didn’t expect to get. (A family of four, on the other hand is getting $400 — $100 for each man, woman and dependent child, as the premier said.)

So how are you going to spend that sucker to reduce your carbon footprint? The media’s doing a pretty good job of covering the obvious options (buying 100 bucks’ worth of energy-saver bulbs or new weather stripping) and the not so obvious (adding a computerized fuel gauge monitoring device to your car).

The food zone also falls into the latter category, mainly because we all eat, too much, some would say, and usually do it more out of habit than mindfulness. So in the spirit of following in Carole Taylor’s green shoes — from local designer John Fluevog, by the way — here are some low-cal carbon strategies for leaving a better planet for the next seven generations:

1. Go for a 50/50 garden: I say spend 50 bucks on leasing a community garden plot for the year and 50 bucks for plants, seeds and a watering can. Not only will you have lots of salad and stir-fry ingredients all summer long, and into the fall, you’ll also have a lot of fun and get to mingle with some neighbours you might not otherwise meet. For a plot in Pemberton’s community garden, visit Solstice Organics or call them at 604-894-1410. For one at Whistler call Whistler Community Services at 604-932-0113.

2. Go whole hog on organics: Okay, so some people argue that organic food is more expensive than run-of-the-mill, commercially grown food. I say give your head a shake. First of all, North Americans pay less than 10 per cent of their disposable income on food; in Europe, it’s 20+ per cent, and third-world residents pay 50-75 per cent of their disposable income on food. Then what price do you place on millions of tons of pesticides and carbon-based fertilizers dumped into our ecosystems every day so one guy wearing a gas mask can farm 15,000 acres? And what price commercial agribusiness where 4-5 companies control 60-80 per cent of global food supply and everything along the system from production and transportation to warehousing, packaging and marketing?

So buy yourself $100 worth of the finest organics money can buy. Start with the tastiest treats. Try organic strawberries, tomatoes and chicken, ideally locally produced. Throw in an organic watermelon. You might just find that they taste and look so great that you’re satisfied with less. Plus, you did pay a little more so I bet you handle everything with more respect and care (subtext: you waste less).

At least go bananas and buy $100 worth of Green & Black chocolate (the “green” represents the organic sources, the “black” the darkness of the chocolate). Invite a bunch of pals over and see what y’all think. Melt the Green & Black and dip in organic bananas. Yum.

3. Go squeaky-green clean: Drop 100 bucks on eco-friendly cleaners. Once again, maybe you’ve been holding yourself back ’cuz they seem to cost more, but you just got a $100 windfall so treat yourself. In our home, we love Bio-Vert and Nature Clean products: they work like a hot-damn and they’re made right here in Canada. Bleach-free bleach, anyone?

4. You’ll never meet a farmer you didn’t like: Do some concept shopping and spend your whole kit and kaboodle at a farmer’s market: Whistler, Pemberton, Trout Lake, Salmon Arm, it doesn’t matter. Shop till you drop (a hundred) and have a blast mingling with the sources: the fine people who grow the goods, bake the breads, make the crafts and sauces. Better yet go right to the source — a farm. Load up your car with family or friends so your carbon footprint is minimal and your fun factor optimal, and spend the day at North Arm Farm in Pemberton. Tally how many fresh strawberries or butter tarts you can eat and still stay standing.

5. Bottoms up to disposables: So you’re a busy but conscientious parent. You hate it that disposable diapers are the third largest contributors to landfills. Ugh. But you don’t have a spare minute to wash diapers, and a diaper service is way off the radar screen. Solution: get on down to Nesters Market with your rebate cheque and treat you, baby and the landfill to $100 worth of gDiapers. These amazing chlorine-free diapers are flushable; the poo-free ones are compostable. So save waste, save trucking, and add to your garden.

6. Get naked: Next time you’re grocery shopping, check out the bulk bins.   You get the real meal, stripped-down deal — no packaging, and the exact amount you need, so no excuse for stale goods tossed in the landfill, plus lots of stores are stocking more and more organic bulk choices.

7. Get hot: Pool your family’s cheques toward a good barbecue. Better yet, organize your condo neighbours and buy one you can all use. Yes, barbecues use gas or propane, but their ability to generate instant heat means their overall footprint is likely smaller than heating with your oven or stove. Plus you won’t be heating your house (tell me you only use your air conditioner when you’re really desperate, right?). If you grill everything there won’t be a dirty pot in sight, which always leads to happier chefs and sous-chefs. And isn’t all that summery char-grilled food really a carbon sink?

 

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning freelance writer who already has a pretty good barbecue and so donated her rebate to The Land Conservancy’s West Creek Wetlands project.