While 87% of travelers value sustainability, only 39% confirm that they achieve this ideal. One of the best places to start for eco-friendly wanderers is with your food intake. The production and transportation of food can have a massive impact on the environment, yet it is an essential part of everyday life. While the changes you make may seem small, they will add up to something much bigger. So if you’re planning on making your way across foreign lands, follow the tips below to eating sustainably. This will allow you to travel guilt-free and minimize negative impacts on the natural world. Through buying local and seasonal food, you can move towards sustainable eating when abroad.

Your Canine Companion

Sustainable, locally grown food is becoming more popular, with a third of Americans preferring local, environmentally-friendly products. Pennsylvania is keeping up with the movement too, with more and more cities in the state being awarded the Sustainable Pennsylvania award. But have you ever thought about feeding your canine companion with a similar diet? After all, dog food may not be the best option for man's best friend; veterinary groups estimated that 20% to 60% of American dogs are overweight and at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and blood pressure. But what are the alternatives?

The Wrightstown Farmers Market, this year’s “2018 Best of Bucks Farmers Market” will be opening for it’s 12^th regular season this May 5^th. WFM is excited to welcome back most of their same vendors as well as several new vendors, including Hickory Kitchen from Doylestown, serving perfectly smoked BBQ breakfast and lunch sandwiches. They also welcome for the first time Jersey Pickles, Sweetah’s Gluten Free Bake Shop, The Bread Box Bakery, LoRe Pasta and The Burning Cookie (sugar free, gluten free, grain free sweets). 

The regular market season runs on Saturdays, May – Thanksgiving, 9 – 1 PM, rain or shine.

Try out this Spring recipe using fresh seasonal ingredients found at the Farmers Market!

Action Item: Protect the Bees!

Pollinators like bees, birds and butterflies, help produce about one-third of the world’s food crops. If bee and bird-killing insecticides are not discontinued soon, our food supply could be in jeopardy.

Doylestown Farmers Market, located on South Hamilton Street between West State Street and West Oakland Avenue in Doylestown, will celebrate opening day of its 43rd year on April 14. The market begins the 2018 season with NEW HOURS from 8am to 1pm. 

About 15% of land in America’s cities sits abandoned or vacant. These spaces are associated with an increase of crime and stress to residents, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

By Jackie Edwards

31%, or 133 billion pounds of the available food supply in the U.S. goes uneaten, the USDA reports. Most of this food waste then goes straight into landfills where it emits pollutants, including methane, a greenhouse gas even more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Needless to say, food waste is a real problem — but it doesn’t have to be! Adopting a sustainable approach to food waste is easy. Reduce your overall food waste by becoming more mindful about what you buy and consume. You can then dispose of the little waste you’re left with with greener alternatives to landfills (garbage disposal systems, composting, and recycling!).  

By Jackie Edwards

Getting a good crop of vegetables up and running takes care, passion and dedication. Whilst doable without the most in depth technical knowledge or experience, there’s no argument against it being a labor of love. What about when you want to take it to the next level, though, and start producing big crops that you can hand out to all your family or sell for a tidy profit? Pennsylvania is a big agriculture player, with the state making $1.2bn of agriculture sales every year, so you’d fit in well.

Even if your gardening operation is lacking in space, there are ways you can get going with to create a bigger crop.

What’s in season?
 
The cold winter can bring thoughts of barrenness and the frozen ground, but many of our farms are still growing delicious produce this season.

Some of the local foods that are available include apples, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, potatoes, and turnips. Locally produced meats, cheeses, breads, and pastured eggs are also available.