That's Fit

As Labor Day weekend platters of hamburgers, hot dogs, bbq'd chicken, corn, chips 'n dip, jell-o molds and brownies are shortly devoured, most will have no clue where the various foods come from. Also, the feast will likely be inhaled quickly so family members can return to the baggo game.

However the 40-50,000 people gathered for Slow Food Nation '08 in San Francisco this Labor Day weekend are doing things quite differently. Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic organization founded nearly 20 years ago to combat people's diminishing interest in the food they consume, where the ingredients come from, how food choices impact the globe, and even the disappearance of a slowly eaten, homemade meal around a sociable table.

Slow Food Nation '08 is the first-ever American gathering to support this nation's growing sustainable food movement, fostering the wider public's environmental connection to their food. Taste Pavilions feature food from across the country, leaders of the movement are sparking provocative learning and group discussion throughout the Food for Thought series and the Victory Garden is showcasing how World War II communities throughout America fed and supported themselves. Very cool. Here's the full schedule of eclectic events.

Our family's making a small contribution to the Slow Food movement -- my mom's making pesto right now with basil clipped from her garden as my niece tosses a salad with cherry tomatoes, peppers and green onions from our garden. I hope Michigan corn is on the menu tomorrow. Luckily we have no problem lingering forever tableside for colorful conversation, followed by a rousing game of midnight Monopoly ... after baggo, of course. Wishing you a memorable, perhaps slower Labor Day weekend everybody! Pic from slowfoodnation.org.

We planted our first vegetable garden this past spring and enjoyed it so much that we just spent the weekend doubling its size for next year. With a very small financial investment and a little bit of physical labor, we've been able to contribute fresh, healthy, organic foods to our menu and teach our kids some lessons about food production as well.

Rising food costs, food safety concerns, and an increased awareness about environmental issues have lead to an increase in backyard gardening. And some food activists are hoping to encourage that trend by putting an organic garden on one of the most well-known lawns in Amercia ... The White House.

When OnDayOne.org asked citizens to share their ideas for a better world, Eat the View shot quickly to the top. Eat the View is a program that advocates the placement of edible landscapes in high visibility places. You don't get much more visible than the White House! Activists hope that by promoting these kinds of gardens, backyard gardeners will again be encouraged to pull out their seeds and hoes. The idea is, if people start growing more of their own food, there will be less pollution created by food miles, pesticides, and waste.

So will the next President grow a garden at the White House? Time will tell. Sustainable practices aren't a new idea at the Presidential home; in 1917, President Wilson replaced power lawn mowers with a herd of sheep.

Are you trying to live a greener lifestyle? Looking at your diet is a good place to start. Pesticides, food miles, and factory farms are three important issues when we talk about the environment, as are artificial additives, food diversity, and vegetarianism.

The Daily Green has an excellent 30-day guide to greening up your diet. For instance, you could eat one meal a week that comes 100% from local sources. You could buy organic fruits and vegetables, instead of the conventionally grown versions. You could shop at a farmer's market or CSA, find a source of compassionately grown meat, or even make meatless meals twice a week. Finally, you can read books on the subject like Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food and Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food.

Check out the rest of their suggestions and start eating a greener diet today.

As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

Today is Earth Day, a day to celebrate our Earth and raise awareness about environmentalism. This is the 38th anniversary of the holiday, and the issue of sustainable living has never been more popular ... or more important. Here at That's Fit, we address green living through our Sustainable Community category, so feel free to check out some of our recent posts or to visit some of these popular green living blogs:

No Impact Man
Visualize Whirrled Peas
Little Blog in the Big Woods
Ethicurean
EcoGeek
Treehugger
The Daily Green
Grist
Sustainable Table
Lime

Last but not least, of course, is our very own Green Daily, a daily must-visit for the latest in environmental happenings. Take a minute to check them out!

As someone who works every day to lower her impact on the planet, sometimes I get a little frustrated. It can seem overwhelming at times, while I recycle every last piece of paper and obsessively turn off lights in the rooms we aren't using. Are we really having any effect? Are we doing enough? I don't know the answer to those questions, but I do believe that as more people contribute in the small and big ways that they can, we'll see a ripple effect.

There are big things you can do to effect change. But for some, those bigger things just aren't realistic. If you still want to do your part, however, you can try one of many smaller lifestyle changes that may help. For instance, you can:

• Lower your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. It'll be hot enough for you to use, but save you 3 to 5% a year on your energy bill.
• Change the direction of your ceiling fan. Set it to go clockwise in the winter to bring warm air down, and vice versa in the summer. If you don't have a ceiling fan, don't buy one.
• Try to upgrade electronics rather than replace. Electronics are a huge source of waste.
• Turn off your TV and other appliances, but unplug them as well. Appliances can be a drain on electricity even when they aren't turned on.

What about you -- what's your favorite small step toward greener living?

Don't forget to visit Green Daily for more green living tips!