Earth911 Podcast, June 24, 2019: Food, Glorious Food!

It's time to eat sustainably in the sun. The Earth911 team sits down to talk about Summer eating. It is a perfect time to try some new foods and food-related activities. Maybe you have a garden or just a pot of herbs. Maybe you would like to try a new ingredient or make a vegan meal. No matter what your goal might be, we are going to talk about how to find great food, make great food, and avoid food waste. We talk about Earth Day Network's new Foodprints program, which will help you find low-impact alternative ingredients and recipes. We're also looking forward to Earth Day 2020, the 5oth Anniversary of the first Earth Day, when more than a billion people around the world are expected to participate in marches, clean-ups, and ongoing changes in their eating and waste-disposal habits.

If you are thinking about growing your own food, we talk about what we find are the easiest crops to grow, including tomatoes, herbs, and fruit trees. Buying natural foods is another alternative, including joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program and buying directly from local farmers at weekly markets or by subscribing to food deliveries. Start with a conversation with the produce manager at a local store, they have a wealth of information to share.

Ready for new foods? Here are 10 delicious vegan slow-cooker meals, 10 sustainable snack recipes, and the many plant-based milk options for baking. Finally, we cover food waste. We discard almost half our food each year before it is spoiled. Finding new ways to distribute food and reducing waste overall can help to feed everyone at lower costs. One of our favorite finds is a list of small-space composting systems.

And this week we answer Earthling questions about how to dump your garbage service, the challenges of a 55-gallon barrel of chlorine pool shock, and best way to move non-friable asbestos.

Join the conversation and share your thoughts with the community in our Earthling Forum.