Super Eco

Photo credit: Jenny Rollo, stock.xchng

What's your carbon foodprint? No, that's not a typo—I said FOODprint, not FOOTprint. That's right, you can actually lower your carbon footprint by the foods you choose to eat, lightening your impact on the Earth as you crunch and munch your way through the day.

Your environmental foodprint (a term coined by Jennifer Wilkins of Cornell University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences back in 2006) is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to grow, process, package and transport your food. Sounds like a tangled mess, right? Hold on, because the The Cool Foods Campaign can help you break it down, cool as (an organic) cucumber.

First step: Figure out how to choose foods that don't contribute to greenhouse gases and a higher carbon foodprint.

1. Is this food organic? Organic food is the cooler choice.
2. Is this product made from an animal? Limit conventional meat, dairy and farmed seafood.
3. Has this food been processed? Avoid processed foods in general.
4. How far did this food travel to reach my plate? Choose locally grown foods when possible.
5. Is this food excessively packaged? Buy whole foods in bulk.

Next step: Check out these tools for choosing cooler foods.

1. Learn the top 5 things you can do to lower your carbon foodprint.
2. Download the Cool Foods mini shoppers guide for quick reference at the grocery store.
3. Read more about lowering your foodprint, with complete references.

If you haven't tried using a pocket guide before (like the Environmental Defense Fund's pocket seafood and sushi selector or the Environmental Working Group's pocket guide to pesticides and produce), give it a shot. It may sound a little OCD, but you'll be glad to have a tiny reference chart tucked into your wallet the next time you're confronted with an aisle full of choices at the grocery store.