Here’s a sampling of helpful resources. More to come!
Local Harvest – www.localharvest.org
- Local Harvest is a great resource to find locally grown organic produce. Use the website to find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies. They also have an online catalog for items you can’t find near you.
Everyday Justice - www.everydayjustice.net
- Everyday Justice is one of my new favorite books about consumer choices and just living. It gives practical tips for living more justly in the day-to-day. The blog offers more tips and articles about loving our neighbors in the way that we live.
Better World Shopper – www.betterworldshopper.com
- Better World Shopper is my favorite iPhone app to use while I’m shopping and the website has the same great content. It grades companies based on five categories: human rights, the environment, animal protection, community involvement and social justice.
Eat Kind - www.eatkind.net
- Eatkind.net is a portal of directories and an information source serving compassionate consumers, ethical food producers, billions of farmed animals and a global environment and human population burdened by unethical food production, trade and selling practices. Founded in 2004, Eatkind.net is a self-funded, not-for-profit project of Canadian writer, editor and activist Syd Baumel.
Eat Wild – www.eatwild.com
- Eatwild.com is a great resource for information on “safe, healthy, natural, and nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry, pork, and dairy.” The website also provides information about local farms that sell grass-fed products.
Sustainable Table – www.sustainabletable.org
- Sustainable Table is a great place for information about sustainability. It’s a wonderful starting point for learning about the basics of agricultural practices that are concerned with “conservation and preservation, biodiversity, animal welfare, economic viability, and social justice.”
MooGrass Farms – www.moograssfarms.com
- MooGrass Farms is a private Illinois farm club/co-op. A reasonably priced annual membership allows you to purchase items from grass-fed beef and free range eggs to natural bath products and organic coffee. Local pick-up in Wheaton.
Chicago Farmers’ Markets – http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/event_search_result.html
- A list of over a dozen farmers’ markets in downtown Chicago.
Seafood Watch – www.montereybayaquarium.org
- The Seafood Watch recommends which seafood to buy or avoid, helping consumers and businesses become advocates for ocean-friendly seafood. You can get their recommendations online, in printed pocket guides (these can be downloaded on their website or found at many local zoos), or on your mobile devices (I use the iPhone app at the grocery store and restaurants often!).
Whole Foods Market – www.wholefoodsmarket.com
- Not only is Whole Foods a great market concerned with sustainability, it’s also an incredibly pleasant place to shop. It can be pricey, but I’ve found myself enjoying grocery shopping, cooking and eating a lot more since I’ve started frequenting Whole Foods. They’ve also got a great iPhone app: Whole Foods Recipes.
FamilyFarmed - www.familyfarmed.org
- FamilyFarmed.org’s mission is to expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally grown and responsibly produced food, in order to enhance the social, economic and environmental health of our communities. They work directly with growers in the Midwest as well as with local and national organizations that serve growers or are working to build local food systems. They also work through their website, annual FamilyFarmed EXPO, and Chicagoland CSA Guide to educate the public about eating locally grown food, supporting Midwestern farm families, and becoming members of local CSA programs. This is a great resource to use to find a local CSA, as well as local farmers, producers, and restaurants that support locally grown food.
thanks for this resource.