Her Guide to Green » Eating

Dining Green

dfritz — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:58:38 +0000

To belong to the Green Restaurant Association, there are certain standards that you have to uphold. There are three rating levels, two star, three stars and four stars. Green Restaurants are located all over the country and you can probably find several in your own state or metro area. The rating that a GRA certified restaurant receives is based on a pointing system, more points, the better rating. Certifying restaurants for the past two decades, the GRA takes its job seriously. The following criteria creates the basis for GRA’s ratings:

The GRA also rates on new builds and renovation projects and events with required minimum points to earn a certificate. The GRA website gives you several ways that you, as a consumer, can green your dining experience. You can also sign up for their newsletter to get updated information on all Green Restaurant Association news.

Buy in Bulk, Don’t Waste Packaging.

dfritz — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:24:18 +0000

By Dena Fritz

Buy your products in bulk and you can help save our earth! The landfills are being loaded up with consumer packaging and we can do something to put a stop to it. Wasteful packaging, for products like toilet paper, paper towels, napkins… buy a product in bulk and it is wrapped one time compared to buying it every week and in the end, you have thrown away several wrappers. You may even pay higher prices by buying food and produce in fancy excessive packaging. They look nice but when unwrapped, the quality is not better, just prettier. Buy your meat in larger quantities and break up, place in reusable containers to freeze. That means less Styrofoam, which NEVER breaks down in a landfill.

The same goes with many products that are boxed needlessly. Deodorant now comes without fancy boxes, who needs them? They go in the trash and kill trees anyway. Look at these things when shopping and try to buy things that go package free. Many manufacturers are looking at ways to display their products without all the needless dump fillers. You can do your part by shopping smart and avoiding all the over-done packaging that are most times just marketing ploys.

Warm UP With Pacific Natural

ealexandrakos — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:21:26 +0000

Pacific Natural Organic Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

With a chill in the air, we find comfort in warm filling foods. Pacific Natural Foods has an incredible selection of delicious, organic choices. Our favorite for fall is their USDA Certified Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Creamy Tomato natural soup. This amazing, flavorful soup not only warms you up, but fills you up. We suggest putting a spoonful of non-fat sour cream in a hot bowl of soup, and enjoy the rich, gluten free goodness. If this flavor isn’t your cup-of-tea, there are 12 others to choose from.

Pacific Natural started in 1987, and has a focus in making delicious, natural, and organic food. They take great pride in aiding with community initiatives including a Wetlands Project, and the Oregon Food Bank. As far as their pride-and-joy goes, all of their food is Certified to the Source. This means that they track “the origin of every ingredient that goes into their food”. By doing this thorough process the are able to ensure the highest quality products.

Check them out at Pacific Natural Foods

Locally Fresh

ealexandrakos — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:30:17 +0000

There’s nothing quite like going to your local farmer’s market and buying fresh local produce. Walking through each stand picking out the best fruits and veggies makes for a rewarding task. Aside from the big smiles and friendly hello’s you get from the actual farmers, it’s actually green.

By buying your produce locally, you promote the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions. You may ask how? Basically, what it comes down to is the less distance your produce travels from farm to table, the less impact there is on the environment…it also makes for fresher food.

So this weekend, when you plan your trip to the grocery store, go to the farmer’s market instead. Support local growers and support a greener, healthier living!