Eat Well
-
The Green Way to Decaffeinate: Eco-Friendly Methods for Tea and Coffee
Full disclosure: I’m a caffeine junkie. I’m on my second cup of coffee as I’m writing this, at 8:38 in the morning, and will drink many more before the day is through. But when a reader (okay, my mom) asked me about the most eco-friendly way to decaffeinate a coffee bean or tea leaf, I…
-
Sip Sustainably: Let’s Ditch Those Toxic Cups
I wish I could say it was my altruistic love for Planet Earth that made me flip the switch to using sustainable hot beverage cups. But I made this change for selfish reasons: my long term health. The planet just reaps the side benefits. The Dirty Truth They’re everywhere. Paper cups from trendy coffee shops…
-
How to Grocery Shop Like You Rule the World
My title is a bit tongue in cheek, but also it isn’t. One of my favorite ways to vote with my wallet is to say no, thanks to factory farms and GM crops, and yes, please to foods that nourish my family and the earth. I don’t choose the best of the best with every…
-
Egg Label Madness — What does it all mean?
Does anyone else’s head swim in the egg aisle? With a hundred different labels like cage-free, free-run, and free-range, it’s tricky to understand which of these distinctions matter, and what each means for our health, the planet, and the welfare of chickens. If budget is your main concern, I think you’re safe with conventional eggs.…
-
How to Choose Milk that’s Healthy for You and the Planet
When we vote with our wallets in the grocery store, it’s not just the planet that benefits. In almost every case, the best food for the environment is also the healthiest option for human consumption. The same is true for milk. Sustainable isn’t always cheap, so don’t beat yourself up for not making every choice…
-
Sustainable(ish) Halloween: Eco-Friendly Tips for a Green(er) Celebration
Halloween has typically been one of my biggest sustainable fails. Between the packaged treats and polyester costumes, I’m really in no position to be giving anyone advice about anything. But this year, maybe we can tweak that. My sustainable step for this week is to do better this Halloween, to get into the spooky spirit…
-
Celebrating International Coffee Day: Sip Sustainably
Our sustainable step of the week is in honor of International Coffee Day, celebrated on October 1st each year. It began in 2015, and it’s a day to appreciate coffee farmers and promote awareness of the ethics of fair pricing and sustainable coffee farming. We’ve all heard the buzzwords — organic, fair trade, shade-grown. Somewhere…
-
There’s plastic in my tea!
The Hidden Danger: Microplastics in Tea I recently learned that most commercial tea has plastic built into the teabags to seal them. When you pour hot water onto the teabag, guess what melts into your drink while the tea steeps? Billions of microplastics and nanoplastics, that’s what. If you think that sounds unhealthy, you’re right.…
-
How to Rock It as a Costco Shopper, in 13 Sustainable Steps
Let’s face it: the biggest barrier for most of us when it comes to sustainable shopping is price. We’d all love to have earth-friendly, health-friendly everything, but other than the MOST sustainable ways to shop (thrifting and abstention), the cost of voting with our wallets is not always sustainable for those wallets. Enter the big…
-
Grocery Store Cheat Sheet for Healthy Eating
Does anyone else’s head swim in the produce aisle? I know this stuff — I research it and care about it — but for some reason, every trip to the grocery store stumps me at least once. So I made myself a cheat sheet. Sharing it in case anyone else would like to copy or…
Sustainable Steps 