Earth Day: 9 Things Carlsbad Residents Can Do

Here are 5 recommendations from Food Tank for ways to support the future of food, health, and agriculture:

Eat more colors
The colors of fruits and vegetables are signs of nutritional content. A richly-colored red tomato has high levels of carotenoids such as lycopene, which the American Cancer Society reports can help prevent cancer, as well as heart disease. The relationship between nutrients and color is also true for other foods. Eggs that have brightly orange-colored yolks are also high in cancer-fighting carotenoids, and are more likely to be produced by healthier chickens.

Buy food with less packaging
Discarded packaging makes up around one-third of all waste in industrialized countries, with negative impacts on the climate, and air and water quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s analysis of different packaging for tomatoes found that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) clamshell packaging increases tomatoes’ associated carbon emissions by 10 percent. The most effective way to limit the impact of packaging waste is to prevent it. Choosing foods with less packaging can also be better for our waistlines, since highly processed foods that are low in nutrients generally use more packaging than more healthful, less processed options.

Choose seasonal produce
Earth Day offers a great opportunity to bring more seasonal fruits and vegetables into diets. Many farmers markets, including the ones in Carlsbad sell seasonal produce. Locally sourced, seasonal products can also be found at major grocery stores. Another way to get seasonal foods is to sign up for a weekly CSA, which provides a mix of fresh, seasonal produce throughout the year. 

Invest in perennial crops
Perennial plants—plants that grow back every year—tend to hold water in soil more effectively than annuals and help prevent erosion. Their extensive roots also allow them to better access nutrients and water, reducing the need for artificial fertilizer. Researchers from the University of Illinois found that perennial prairie grasses are up to four times as water efficient as row crops such as corn and wheat.  The Land Institute works to breed perennial varieties of corn, wheat, rice, and other annual crops. 

DIY
Many Do-It-Yourself (DIY) food projects are easy and fun. Turning old t-shirts into produce bags to save plastic, starting seeds in eggshells, which can then be crushed for transplanting into the soil, and DIY foods such as homemade oat oralmond milk can all add a creative twist to healthy eating and sustainable agriculture. Plus, they are lots of fun for families.

Here are 4 recommendations from Kars 4 Kids for Earth Day 2013 activities:

Collect ladybugs 

Place them gently on your prized rose bush. Ladybugs love to eat aphids and can help keep your roses disease-free without harmful chemicals or harm to the ecosystem.

Build a Compost Bin

Stop wasting those potato peels and other vegetable matter that could enrich your soil. Spend part of Earth Day building your own compost bin.

Create a Shoebag Veggie Garden 

It’s April! What a perfect time to start your own vegetable garden. Live in a high rise? Grow a windowsill herb garden or how about a vertical hanging shoe bag garden?

Take a hike

Enjoy the beauty of natural settings in your area. Above all, Earth Day is a time to take stock and appreciate the bounty of nature.