What is an
“Eco Luncheon”?
Features organically and locally grown food
with a focus on “sustainability”
Sponsored by the American Democracy Project
and the EarthDay365 Planning Committee
http://www.ecostiletto.com/index.php?/Beauty/whatisgreen/
What you are eating today?
Salad
 Local greens
 Roasted Beets
 Brunswick Candied Pecans
 Local Honey Roasted Butternut Squash
 Blackberry Vanilla vinaigrette
Entrée and Sides
 Herb Grilled Free Range Chicken
 Green Beans tossed with Roasted Tarragon
 Roasted Red Potatoes
 Fresh Rolls with local organic Honey Butter
Dessert
 Double Chocolate Bread Pudding
Where is today’s food coming from?

Beets - Mike Benben farms
◦ Sturtevant, WI *531 miles

Free Range Chicken - Johnson Family farms
◦ Belton, MO *60 miles

Potatoes - Lopata Gardens
◦ Winthrop, IA *387 miles

Green Beans
◦ Vernon County, MO *107 miles

Candied Pecans
◦ Brunswick, MO *75 miles


Average Distance for these ingredients: 232 miles
Average Distance for a normal meal: 1500 miles
http://www.cuesa.org/learn/how-far-does-your-food-travel-get-your-plate
What we usually eat…

Processed foods
◦ Contain additives,
substances intended
to change the food in
some way before it is
sold to consumers.
◦ Some additives linked
to cancer, asthma and
birth defects.
http://www.musclebomb.com/personal_trainer_nyc_blog/uploaded_images/food-796124.jpg
http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/additives/
How much hamburger is actually in
your fast food burger?





8 fast food burgers studied.
37.7% to 62.4% water content.
Comprised of about 12.1% of hamburger
meat.
Some non-meat items found included
bone, cartilage, and plant material.
Sarcocystis parasites were discovered in 2
hamburgers.
 Annals of Diagnostic Pathology
How do you know what’s “green”?

100 PERCENT ORGANIC
◦ Every ingredient in the product is organically
grown: No pesticides, antibiotics, chemical
fertilizers, bio-engineered, synthetic growth
hormones or irradiated ingredients.
http://www.ecostiletto.com/index.php?/Beauty/whatisgreen/
How do you know what’s “green”?

CERTIFIED ORGANIC
◦ At least 95 percent organically grown
ingredients.
How do you know what’s “green”?

ECO CERT:
◦ Contain at least 95 percent certified by an
independent European agency.
How do you know what’s “green”?

LOCALLY GROWN

Less fuel used to transport products and less
preservatives needed to keep them fresh.
How can you shop “green”?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
BYOB…Bring your own bag!
Walk to the store
Buy more rice & veggies. They are grown with
less energy and natural resources than
livestock.
Choose locally raised livestock, and select
chicken over beef, which requires pastures that
often supplant natural vegetation.
Buy in bulk, it reduces packaging waste.
Only buy what you will eat. It’s better to take
another trip to the store instead of wasting
food.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5086071_shop-green-grocery-store.html
TED Talk

Alex Laskey

How Behavioral Science Can Lower Your Energy Bill
http://www.ted.com/talks/alex_laskey_how_behavioral_scien
ce_can_lower_your_energy_bill
Join us after this luncheon for the
Cob Construction – Affordable and
Sustainable Workshop

Michael Reinhardt will present a workshop
on sustainable alternative construction,
including a hands-on demonstration of the
construction of a cob pizza oven.