Environmental Stewardship
There’s a lot that needs to happen to turn things around and take care of our planet (for own sake and our kids’). The good news is that there’s a lot of reasons to be optimistic and proactive. Here are some things I’ve found have been impactful in turning your home kitchen into an
Cooking at home and reducing food waste are two big reasons that meal planning for homemade meals have been a central tool in my behavior-change strategy to be a better environmental steward.
Sometimes products are helpful but you don’t need to buy more stuff to green your kitchen. Understand your region’s challenges and resources. There are a lot of products that are out there, but again, reducing use of products overall is the best strategy. With an eye towards not buying more and more and more, I have found a few things that are useful and have reduced my reliance on single-use packaging:
The professors in my program have been heavily involved in researching and drafting what’s called the EAT-Lancet report, a nutrition study that tries to evaluate planetary boundaries in terms of what dietary patterns and agricultural practices can support a growing global population. A big takeaway is the impact that shifting away from a meat-focused eating pattern can have. In my own efforts, I’ve not fully identified with adopting either vegan or vegetarian mantels because I enjoy all these foods and rigid labels don’t resonate with me. I have, however, become much more intentional with decreasing frequency of meat-focused meals and using smaller quantities:
- Use meat as seasoning
- Start by dropping to ¾ pound for recipes that call for 1 pound