Diet for a Healthy Planet

Action: Eat meat-free meals one day a week

• Plan ahead. If going meatless means changing your habits drastically, you’ll enjoy it more if you do some research and find really yummy recipes before you go shopping. For some great ideas, check out David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletters on this topic.


• Try veggie restaurants and meatless menu alternatives when you go out – they’re sprouting up all over the place! (Do you know some great veg places to eat? Let us know)


• Check out these cool web sites: Vegetarian Times, Epicurious, World Community Cookbooks (not exclusively veg but has great ideas; suggested by Ayisha Yeow, Vancouver, BC)
  

Action: Eat locally whenever possible

• Read labels when you shop. The best option is local, organic produce; the next best choice is to buy local, period.


• Talk to the produce manager where you shop. Tell them what you want and why.


• For more tips on eating for a healthy planet check out David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletter on this topic and The Green Guide to David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge (PDF).

Action: Replace chemical pesticides on your lawn, garden & houseplants with non-toxic alternatives

• Landscape with native species wherever possible. They’ve evolved in cooperation with the local flora and fauna and will thrive without need for chemicals.


• Do an inventory of how you look after your lawn and garden. Get rid of toxic substances (but discard them appropriately so those poisons don’t end up in the landfills). For information on how to do this, check out Product Care and the Georgia Strait Alliance Toxic Smart page. Find safe alternatives.


• Want inspiration? Check out the winners of our David Suzuki Digs My Garden photo contest


• If your city hasn’t (yet) banned pesticides, Take Action. Start a movement. It’ll be good for you, your family, your neighbours and the whole planet.


• Look for more tips on getting your garden off chemicals here and in David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletters on this topic (Pesticides, Get your garden off chemicals)

Why are these actions so important? Here’s the goods on how our eating habits affect the planet’s health.

Pesticide Poisoning – It’s real. It’s unfortunate. It’s also preventable. And it’s happening in backyards across Canada. Read Northern Exposure

Download the Green Guide. (PDF)
Download the Science of the Challenge. (PDF)

<< Back to What is it?