It’s always nice when a win in one area of your life leads to another win — and that’s exactly what happens when you make eco-friendly food choices. Your body benefits from more nutritious meal ingredients, while the impact to the planet is minimized thanks to sustainable growing and production processes. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Grow your own produce garden.
Long shipping distances contribute to higher carbon emissions, so the closer to home your food is grown the better for the environment. And what could be closer than your own backyard? Spinach, strawberries and bell peppers are some of the easier things to grow. If you lack space, even growing your own herbs in a small windowsill can make a difference. Or check out a community garden.
Choose sustainable wines.
It can be easy to focus on choosing sustainable local produce and forget about the other items that go into a meal, like condiments and even wine. There are plenty of Canadian wineries leading the way with green processes, like using energy-efficient lighting and capturing rainwater for reuse. Whether it’s for drinking or cooking, do some digging to find a sustainable local vineyard for your wine.
Research brands before buying.
We can’t grow everything we eat at home, so whenever you’re grocery shopping, do your research and choose products from companies doing their part for the environment. For example, Bimbo Canada, the country’s largest and oldest commercial bakery behind popular brands like Villaggio, has strong sustainability practices. In the last year alone, it’s saved more than four million units of waste from landfills and is on track with its carbon footprint reduction goals to reduce environmental impact by 2025.