Marc LeFebre
5/02/2019 9:21 AM
I can make better, more affordable purchases, and waste less food.
A Cleaner Texas Feed
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Marc LeFebre 5/02/2019 9:22 AMAcquiring local food is difficult! Changing or even slightly modifying several of my behaviors simultaneously is difficult. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodHow does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodFun fact: Your brain and stomach register feelings of fullness after about 20 minutes of eating. While dishing food out, we tend to load our plates with more than we need. Using smaller plates helps to mitigate this. Aside from the environmental benefits, what other benefits might come out of eating smaller portions?
Marc LeFebre 5/02/2019 9:20 AMImproved efficiency of digestion resulting in better health and greater level of comfort. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodAn average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Where would you rather use this money?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodDo you have any personal connections to a farm or farmland? If so, what are they? What feelings are evoked for you when thinking about declining farmland?
Marc LeFebre 5/02/2019 9:19 AMMy grandparents lived on a farm when I was young. I have a strong emotional connection to that farm, although it no longer exists. It is now an neighborhood of houses. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodDependable fresh food, supporting local farmers and building resilient communities are just a few benefits of local food systems. Which of these (or other) advantages inspire you the most?
Marc LeFebre 5/02/2019 9:17 AMDependable fresh food inspires me the most of the benefits. Supporting local farmers for increased food security also is a major benefit. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFoodIn your opinion, what contributes to people in North America eating more meat than any other countries? What does this say about North American values and ways of living?
Marc LeFebre 5/02/2019 9:16 AMAn emphasis on high protein diet, combined with affordability of meat. I think American's tend to think of meat as the staple of their diet and as part of a healthy diet. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLand UseHow is planting trees good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health?
Cris Valentini 4/24/2019 3:03 PMBeing around trees releases stress, planting trees is a good workout, and spiritually trees represent growth, strength and potential. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONMaterialsName some of the human activities impacting the health of water systems, both locally (your watershed) and globally (freshwater and oceans). What can you do to improve the health of water systems?
Cris Valentini 4/24/2019 2:41 PMHuman activities like polluting via pouring chemicals down the drain, not cleaning up oil spills, using and then littering with single use plastic, releasing balloons, drinking in public and littering the cans or bottles (especially while floating the river!),and using confetti eggs (all that paper is litter) are just a few of the things that affect the local watershed and global systems. Improving the health of water systems means making lots of public changes and educating people to make the personal changes they need, like picking up trash and disposing of it properly. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONLand UseAs you learn more about the scope and seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, what impact does that have on your thinking and actions? What are the parts that feel overwhelming? What parts help you feel hopeful?
Cris Valentini 4/24/2019 2:12 PMIt drives me to advance even more into the lifestyle we've adopted and encourage others to follow along. (I don't expect anyone to join us, we're pretty far along and most people think we're crazy.) The overwhelming part is just how much it time it takes to make good choices, and that you must constantly police and review them since they change so quickly. It makes me hopeful that more and more people are becoming aware, and it is forcing some companies to change. Unfortunately that also leads to quite a bit of "greenwashing" which makes people feel they're making a better choice when they may not be.-
Cris Valentini 4/25/2019 8:36 AMBecky as far as eating seasonal some of it is common sense. You wouldn't have fresh tomatoes in the winter or lettuce in the heat of summer for example. Going to farmers markets can really kind of open up your eyes to what is in season, as will signing up for a CSA. And when you're ready to start to learn to forage you really become in tune with the seasons and what is available. -
Becky Hardin 4/24/2019 6:01 PMI definitely struggled with green-washing when I first started out. It was hard to find time to research products beforehand at first. It definitely becomes a lot easier once you've gotten most of the research out of the way ^_^. Mainly I focus on avoiding anything that comes in a plastic container if I can help it. It gets more tricky after that. I make the the products come in recyclable containers, and then it's figuring out if the ingredients, creation and shipping of the product are sustainably done.
When it comes to purchasing produce, I would like to learn how to eat according to the seasons to decrease carbon emissions on foods I buy by avoiding those that have to be shipped much further.
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