Cascadia Scorecard News
November 2004

Thanksgiving is coming, or, if you live in Canada, has just passed. It's the time of year when, seated before our heaped and steaming plates, we're most aware of the abundance of food in our lives. Never before in human history has food been as widely available as it is now.

As we give thanks for this abundance, we might also contemplate the impact of the food choices we make. These choices can go a long way toward protecting our health and the health of the planet. Sightline has recently given the topic a fair amount of thought:

• It's more than just organics. The absence of pesticides in our food doesn't necessarily mean it's sustainable. We've also been thinking about the impacts of packaging and how far the food traveled to get to us. Sightline has commented on the importance of buying local here, and here.
  
  Unless, of course, we're talking about strawberries.
  
  The Food Alliance, an Oregon nonprofit that promotes sustainable agriculture, has a comprehensive system for certifying responsible growers and a list of where to shop to support those farmers.
• You say potato, I say broccoli. We're not going to advise that you lay off the mashed potatoes this holiday season. But starting in January, you might want to reduce the amount of potato products in your life. First, potatoes really aren't that good for you, as this post on "Killer Spuds" indicates.
  
  Also, among non-organic produce, the potato is one of the vegetables most heavily laden with pesticides. See Environmental Working Group's handy pesticides report card.
• Avoid fast food. If you haven't yet read Fast Food Nation, read the Cliff Notes (or should I say Alan Notes) for compelling reasons to avoid McDonald's-and maybe your kitchen sink-like the plague. Click here. See above for a reminder about the fries.
• Something's fishy. We've all read horror stories in the news about contaminated fish. But there is help. Read our blog entry about the perils of fish farming here and then print out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's handy chart of sustainable seafood (so you know to choose the wild Alaskan salmon over the Chilean sea bass).
• It's all connected. Here are some articles about policies and actions beyond your food choices that you can do to influence your health and the food available to us:
  
  Preserve local farms and reduce your risk of obesity by living in a compact community. Read more here.
  
  Reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and encourage businesses and the government to do so, too. Global warming could severely hamper agriculture in the Northwest.
  
  Curb government subsidies that encourage unhealthy lifestyles.