Well Fed On the Town

Operation Green is a weekly Well Fed On The Town column where editors Cate O’Malley and Sarah Caron explore their efforts to live greener lives. Follow along as they forage for local food, find more Earth-friendly solutions and decide what their limits are.

Sarah Caron: One of the things that’s been on my mind lately is how far I am willing to go - both in distance and in practice - to be more green. For instance, there are out of area goods, like wheat, sugar and beans, that just aren’t available from a local purveyor. Those are things I just cannot live without. What do you think?

Cate O’Malley:  I totally agree.  Both with time being in limited supply and gas prices at an all-time high, we need to plan trips carefully and combine stops when we can.

Sarah: I guess I just don’t feel like being green has to be an all or nothing affair. You can be greener without giving up certain things that are necessary for you. I can’t stop driving so many miles to work, as an example, but I can drive a more fuel efficient car. However, even that is limited. With a baby on the way and a toddler, as well as a stepson, we need more car space. So that is even something I am going to have to compromise on.

Cate:  I hear you.  I hate the heat in the summer, particularly with Jersey’s famous humidity, so I’m not willing to forego my air conditioning to conserve electricity, but I am willing to raise the temp a bit on the AC in the spirit of compromise.

Sarah: Well, for me, this was never intended to be something with the widespread reach of an all-out attempt like No Impact Man. I mean, giving up toilet paper? No electricity? Those things are too much for me.

Cate:  I don’t know how he does it!

Sarah: I’ve made some good changes though. I stopped shopping at the chain grocery store in favor of the locally-owned market owned by a family who lives here in Connecticut. And, I’ve been getting out produce mostly from the farmer’s market. But meat is a challenge. I was fortunate to find a Connecticut cured bacon in that local grocery store and Connecticut milk is a cinch. But real meats are proving to be more of a challenge. Do you have a local butcher?

Cate:  We’re lucky that we have two - one is a general butcher that has everything and anything.  The other specializes in just pork products.  Since we’ve been focusing more on buying local, I’ve been patronizing them more, along with a local seafood market and bakery.  Now that farmer’s market season is finally here, most of our fruits and vegetables are coming from them, and I even found local honey and organic eggs there last week.

Sarah: I really envy that. it seems that big business has pushed out all the local butchers in this area. It’s really sad.

Cate:  It is sad … but just strengthens our resolve to patronize them more, you know?

Sarah: Yes, definitely.  So, what’s up for next week?

Cate:  How about what hasn’t worked for us in this “going green” operation?  I can think of two products that just aren’t cutting it…

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