cooking for the environment

although the primary subject of "the petite pig" is food, every once in awhile there are issues i feel that are so important that they span the scope of all subjects. the environment is one of them - nothing we do could exist without it. we couldn't grow the food we cook with, we couldn't blog, we couldn't breathe the air that we do to live. while this entry takes a slight tangent from my regular food entries, i still hope you read on, because this has nothing to do with being an evironmentalist but it has everything to do with caring about the world we live in.  so please excuse me while i step onto my soapbox.

i was recently in maryland at home with my family, spending some much owed quality time with my family. i had left for europe for my latest project right around the time that al gore's "an inconvenient truth" came out to theatres but the movie remained on the top of my "to-see when i return to the states" list. so when my brother and i were trying to decide on what movie to see one hot-humid DC evening, it was the first movie i suggested. we headed to downtown bethesda and had dinner at one of my favorite local chains cafe deluxe, where the menu combines your homestyle favorites with a shot of urban sophistication. after our cheeseburgers and fries, we headed to my favorite theatre in the area bethesda row cinema where one can always count on finding the latest indie release.

for those of you who have not heard about "an inconvenient truth," it is a movie based on a lecture that gore gives about global warming. it is no romance but it is heartbreaking nonetheless. as the facts are stated, you can't help but feel a sense of hopelessness about the situation that faces our environment, that faces us. the future is bleak with the burgeoning economies of india and china and the continuing neglect of the climate by the current us administration. this movie documents gore, before and since the 2004 elections, traveling around the world delivering the message that global warming is happening and unless we do something about it, the world that we leave behind will be one much less desired. his stories show evidence of what is happening both north and south of us in the poles. average temperatures around the world are increasing. glaciers are melting. animals are dying. water levels are increasing. natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding and drought are more and more frequent and prevalent. we are changing the ecosystem through our actions. but perhaps the most dire slide he showed was what will happen to much of our landmass if water levels keep on increasing the way they have been. our world map makers will have to produce a much different picture. 

and how does this apply to cooking? every time you decide to cook something, you are using energy. but does this mean i'm going to scrap my love of cooking. no, but we can make choices  that will reduce our energy consumption in the kitchen. and by doing so, you usually save yourself time and money. i usually find myself cooking for no more than two people and it does not make sense to spend the time preheating a full-sized oven. usually my toaster oven provides more than enough space to roast vegetables or fishes.  for more tips on how to save energy in your kitchen, check out these links:

saving energy in the kitchen from hawaii gassaving energy in the kitchen from the union of concerned scientistskithen unplugged: a guide to saving energy in the room that guzzles it the most

and there are many, many more choices we can make to help the environment or offset our choices that do harm the environment.  in the past three months, i've taken 27 flights, traveling about 37,500 miles. for each mile traveled, an airplane emits about 340 grams of carbon dioxide into the air. yes, carbon emissions from airplanes are significant and are probably a huge contributor to global warming; however, instead of not being able to take that family vacation or not being able to attend that business trip across the world, you can choose to offset your carbon emissions through a variety of organizations. most are listed here in the carbon emissions offset directory. the money you contribute will be used to carbon offsetting projects taking place around the world.

my purpose is not to preach. by no means am i an animal rights activist or an environmentalist. if i was i'd be joining the likes of peta and greenpeace marching on their respective streetcorners. however, this does not mean that i cannot be conscious of what is going in the world around us. it does not mean that i cannot think about the decisions i make on a day-to-day basis and make decisions that hopefully prevent the destruction of this earth rather than cause it. you do not have to believe a word i say - you can see the movie for yourself and the facts for yourself at a local theatre near you. because at the end of the day, you don't have to believe in global warming. you just have to want to leave this world a better place for your children and their children and the many generations to come that will inherit either the destruction we have caused or the positive change that we have effected. it is your choice.

and with that, this foodie steps off of her soapbox and returns to her normal food-blogger duties. thanks for reading. thanks for thinking. thanks for believing.

Comments

[C-Neezy]

I checked and that movie is showing NOWHERE NEAR me. I guess my state/region's general political affiliation may prevent me from viewing until the DVD comes out. Will that be too late?

[C-Neezy]

Don't know if you saw the MTV Movie Awards last night, but Al Gore was on there and did a quick mini-version of some of the stuff he probably touches on in his lecture (mainly just the change in glaciers over the past 20+ years). Thought that was pretty cool, and a great way to reach a lot of the younger folk who can have an impact on this issue. Thought you might wanna know.

[Miss Mandy]

Jess for president!!!! :-))

Nicely put into words! I'll keep my eyes open for this movie!

xoxo