Grist Greens Your Fridge
Getting a head start on the spring cleaning, Grist has written an article on how to green your fridge. One of their great tips:
Be unconventional. Keep a list on your fridge of these eight additional troublemakers: conventional versions of milk, peanut butter, baby food, ketchup, corn, cottonseed oil, beef, and soy. Each month, pick one item off the list -- corn and its byproducts, for example -- and find a way to feast without it. You'll be reducing your household intake of toxins, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones. The earth will be happier, too.
It seems corn is an essential part of our crop needs. Perhaps, the larger question is how to grow it in a "safe" manner. It is bad enough looking at it as a food crop, but now it is also a main "oil substitute crop" !
The big problem is regulation of fertilizers,..and I don't know how we are going to attack the problem with so many corporate farms! It will take a new political administration, a new ag department, a new EPA and a tremendous amount of public awareness to change things,.......indeed a difficult task....
Posted by: steve limbach | February 28, 2008 at 07:52 AM
This is a brilliant idea. I've saved so much money on baby food and got rid of everything else by feeding it to my six month old daughter.
Posted by: Randy | February 28, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Since I am a vegan, soy is an important part of my diet and would be difficult to eliminate. Does anyone grow soy beans organically? I don't ever see soy beans for sale at my local farmers market.
I have a plot in a community garden where peanuts, corn and dozens of other vegetables are grown organically. We need to encourage people to grow "victory gardens" as was done during WW II.
Posted by: Ellie Antonio | February 28, 2008 at 08:23 AM
All animal products (including poultry and dairy) should be included in this list, not just beef.
Posted by: vicki | February 28, 2008 at 10:04 AM
I was horrified to see peanut butter on the list until I realized that you are talking about high fructose corn syrup. My peanut butter has one ingredient... peanuts oops also salt.
No SUGAR of any kind.
Posted by: Pam | February 28, 2008 at 11:05 AM
BUT pewnut butter and milk made me 5'10 and what I am today at 78 years old.
Posted by: Georgia | February 28, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Peanut Butter. Make sure it says 'Organic' and not just 'Natural'.
Posted by: Canadian Coco | March 06, 2008 at 02:53 PM