What is an “Eco Luncheon”?

1. What is an “Eco Luncheon”? Features organically and locally grown food with a focus on “sustainability” Sponsored by the American Democracy Project and the EarthDay365 Planning Committee http://www.ecostiletto.com/index.php?/Beauty/whatisgreen/

2. Salad • Local greens • Roasted Beets • Brunswick Candied Pecans • Local Honey Roasted Butternut Squash • Blackberry Vanilla vinaigrette Entrée and Sides • Herb Grilled Free Range Chicken • Green Beans tossed with Roasted Tarragon • Roasted Red Potatoes • Fresh Rolls with local organic Honey Butter Dessert • Double Chocolate Bread Pudding What you are eating today?

3. Where is today’s food coming from? • Beets - Mike Benbenfarms • Sturtevant, WI *531 miles • Free Range Chicken - Johnson Family farms • Belton, MO *60 miles • Potatoes - Lopata Gardens • Winthrop, IA *387 miles • Green Beans • Vernon County, MO *107 miles • Candied Pecans • Brunswick, MO *75 miles • Average Distance for these ingredients: 232 miles • Average Distance for a normal meal: 1500 miles http://www.cuesa.org/learn/how-far-does-your-food-travel-get-your-plate

4. Processed foods • Contain additives, substances intended to change the food in some way before it is sold to consumers. • Some additives linked to cancer, asthma and birth defects. What we usually eat… http://www.musclebomb.com/personal_trainer_nyc_blog/uploaded_images/food-796124.jpg http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/additives/

5. 8 fast food burgers studied. • 37.7% to 62.4% water content. • Comprised of about 12.1% of hamburger meat. • Some non-meat items found included bone, cartilage, and plant material. • Sarcocystis parasites were discovered in 2 hamburgers. How much hamburger is actually in your fast food burger? • Annals of Diagnostic Pathology

6. 100 PERCENT ORGANIC • Every ingredient in the product is organically grown: No pesticides, antibiotics, chemical fertilizers, bio-engineered, synthetic growth hormones or irradiated ingredients. How do you know what’s “green”? http://www.ecostiletto.com/index.php?/Beauty/whatisgreen/

7. CERTIFIED ORGANIC • At least 95 percent organically grown ingredients. How do you know what’s “green”?

8. ECO CERT: • Contain at least 95 percent certified by an independent European agency. How do you know what’s “green”?

9. LOCALLY GROWN • Less fuel used to transport products and less preservatives needed to keep them fresh. How do you know what’s “green”?

10. BYOB…Bring your own bag! • Walk to the store • Buy more rice & veggies. They are grown with less energy and natural resources than livestock. • Choose locally raised livestock, and select chicken over beef, which requires pastures that often supplant natural vegetation. • Buy in bulk, it reduces packaging waste. • Only buy what you will eat. It’s better to take another trip to the store instead of wasting food. http://www.ehow.com/how_5086071_shop-green-grocery-store.html How can you shop “green”?

11. TED Talk • Alex Laskey • How Behavioral Science Can Lower Your Energy Bill http://www.ted.com/talks/alex_laskey_how_behavioral_science_can_lower_your_energy_bill

12. Join us after this luncheon for the Cob Construction – Affordable and Sustainable Workshop • Michael Reinhardt will present a workshop on sustainable alternative construction, including a hands-on demonstration of the construction of a cob pizza oven.