Go Green Tips: Eat Locally!

 By: Christine Toorinjian

               Have you ever wondered where your food came from? No, I'm not talking about all that "Oh, this place does this!' or "Oh, this place has chicken hormones in their chicken!" I'm talking about things like: Where was it grown? Who grew it? How was it brought to my plate? You know, things like that. But have you ever asked yourself these questions? Think about it. Whether it be when you went out with some family, or if you just bought some groceries and was preparing dinner. Have you ever really thought about it? Well right now, your thinking will have to be put on hold. Here's what this week's blog is really about! Over the past years, and some may even say decades, local buyers (which SHOULD be us, have very much dwindled. With mainland competitors , Hawaii's growing popuation, cost of labor, land/water problems, lack of technology, and much, much more, local suppliers find it harder and harder to  keep up. But what the people really need to know is why they should buy locally. So here's some reasons and some tips to help you out:

            Reason #1: You'll be supporting local farmers. Won't seeing one less person out of work be satisfying, and to know that you just spread aloha to someone else out of just one magnanimous act be something very much worth your time?

            Reason #2: Local= healthier. You know why? It's fresher. Well picture this. Food that is locally grown is from right here in Hawaii. Food that is grown in the mainland is, well, grown in the mainland, literally hundreds of miles away. So take your pick. Food that goes straight from a farm to a store or restaurant, or food that goes straight into some packaged box for days, maybe even weeks to get to you.

            Reason #3: It's getting easier! Yes, you heard right: buying locally is becoming easier. More and more stores, such as Foodland and Times Supermarkets are picking up on the thrend of local food and are giving it a go! So if stores are giving it a try, why won' t you?

            Now on to the steps!

            Step #1: Meet is menacing. Just producing the meat takes up many resources and eating it less will surely make a life a bit green. Say amybe one serving a week?

            Step #2: Eat out. When you go out to eat, your supporting local chefs that cook with Hawaiian-grown foods. Spread the aloha of being local, and eat out!

            Step #3: Farmers Market time! If you want some of the frreshest and locally grown foods, go to one farmer market! Food there is basically straight from the farm to you.

            Step #4: Look at labels. Ask owners where they get their produce from. Just because something says that it's made n the U.S. doesn't mean it's grown here. For example, just because a banana has a Dole sticker on it, doesn't mean that it was grown here.

            So why don't you put this knowledge to some use, eh? Take some action and eat local.