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Packing It In

When we first started the Bite, during interviews, Jen and I were often asked "Which one of you is more green?"

The answer was always one of my wicked little pleasures in the workday.  Although Jen is greener than I am - hands down - at the time, I was living in Brooklyn.  In NY, I took public transit everywhere, and if I needed organic milk, well, I could just walk to my little corner deli and get all the organic goodies I wanted.  Meanwhile, Jen was living in a small town in Montana, an hour's drive from the closest co-op.  Thus her trip to get HER organic milk packed a somewhat bigger footprint.

So for one glorious moment, I could feel smug and green and good for the planet (until Jen would remind me and the interviewer that she was a vegetarian, which pretty much trumps the eco-impact of my daily diet in one swift play).

Still - it's a scary stat, and one worth noting: when we talk about the carbon output of the foods you eat - the embodied energy of your grocery choices - a full HALF of the fuel used to get that strawberry to your table comes from your own drive to the store.

So pack it in, kids.  Load up not only the car, but also the fridge (which works better when full anyway).

-Heather... off to feel guilty as I toss out the rotting produce I forget to eat before I headed to Europe...

Posted by: jboulden on 01/05/2007
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Jo  on January 05, 2007 at 12:08 PM 11
I was surprised to read the thing about having containers of water in the fridge increase efficiency? Is that for real (ie, what's the footnote?) I'll really do that but haven't seen it on any of the "reduce your carbon footprint" top ten lists I've seen over the past few months ...
Beki  on January 05, 2007 at 12:34 PM 12
I live in a pretty "green" city with great public transportation. I don't own a car and I know a lot of people who don't......and I know that's common on the east coast.....but the left??? Still.....I love grocery shopping online. It's like a gift having someone bring it to my door. And we have a fabulous organic/sustainable grocery that delivers. Once the farmer's market closes that's my main way to shop.
Toshio  on January 05, 2007 at 01:20 PM 13
Jo- The Consumer Energy Center website (from the CA Energy Commission) has the containers tricks and many other energy-saving fridge tips: http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/appliances/refrigerators.html The American Red Cross details how packing your fridge full can help preserve food during a blackout: "If you have space in your refrigerator or freezer, consider filling plastic containers with water, leaving about an inch of space inside each one. (Remember, water expands as it freezes, so it is important to leave room in the container for the expanded water). Place the containers in the refrigerator and freezer. This chilled or frozen water will help keep food cold if the power goes out, by displacing air that can warm up quickly with water or ice that keeps cold for several hours without additional refrigeration." http://www.redcross.org/general/0,1082,0_92_4418,00.html
SABRINA RYALL  on January 05, 2007 at 01:50 PM 14
I always feel better with a stocked fridge... usually i can get away with doing one major shopping trip every couple of weeks...and walk to the neighborhood grocerie for supplements such as additional vegs or milk...it's taken a while to learn to get enough vegs so that i have plenty, but not more than i'll eat before it goes bad... i'm usually on my bike or the bus anyway... sometimes when i'm out doing something with my mother or brother, i ask them to drive me to the store on the way home...but that isn't too often... i figure if i ever learn to drive and get a car...i'll get lazy and drive all the time...i'd rather be active, ride my bike and not have to worry about driving in traffic...
Elizabeth  on January 05, 2007 at 01:51 PM 15
I almost always ride my bicycle to the store. It's a recumbent bike with lots of luggage space (including great panniers made from recycled four-gallon oyster buckets by a company called Cobbworks) so it can carry a lot of groceries in one trip.
Stasi  on January 05, 2007 at 09:18 PM 16
Just curious about the source of the stat that 1/2 of the transpo cost comes from the drive to the store? How did you arrive at that figure? It seems it would vary wildly depending on how far one lives from one's store and how far one's food travels. If I drive (or walk) 1 mile to the store to pick up groceries transported 1500 miles (the national avg distance), then I'm not contributing half the pollution for sure!
idealbite  on January 06, 2007 at 11:46 PM 17
For those who ride their bikes, you should check out the XtraCycle. It gives your bike the carrying capacity of a (very) small car without the pain of hauling a trailer around. Very cool!
Kaydee  on January 09, 2007 at 12:22 AM 18
According to a recent report from the UN (Livestock's Long Shadow), animal agriculture produces 18% of greenhouse gases--more than all transportation combined. So while it's great to debate modes of transportation, it seems much more pressing to get people to examine what they eat. Meat (and dairy and eggs) are killing the planet faster than our cars (and planes and boats and trains).
Richard Gerard  on May 20, 2007 at 10:56 AM 19
I am an inventor. My latest invention was developed to simplify the chore of carrying and managing all those bulky plastic bags we all get, and hate, from the supermarket. Just one of my easy carry bag handles will allow the user to carry up to 50 pounds of groceries home, to your door, in just one trip. If you drive to the supermarket, my easy carry plastic bags handles will keep all your plastic bags of groceries upright and together. Your groceries will never spill on the floor, or in your trunk. They're easy to use, efficient, and inexpensive. You can learn more at http://www.baggybuddy.com
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