Buy Local

The Buy Local Challenge is going on now through July 26th in the state of Maryland. It is a voluntary pledge to include locally grown products such as produce, eggs, meat, fruit and wine in your meals for one week. It was conceived and launched in 2007 by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) to highlight the benefits of buying local to Maryland's economy and environment.

This year, SMADC extended the invitation to all states to participate in the annual Buy Local Challenge with the idea that a unified nationwide effort during the last full week in July will be a profound way to spotlight the need to support local farms.

If everyone across the country embraced the Buy Local Challenge, it would bring a positive and profound impact to our farms, our communities and our planet for generations to come.

Why buy local? First of all, you get fresh, nutritious food that supports your local economy and decreases pollution and green house gases because food travels a shorter distance. Why ship produce from California when you can find it in your own back yard?

According to the Buy Local Challenge, if every household in Maryland purchased just $12 worth of farm products for eight weeks (basically the summer season), over $200 million would be put back into the pockets of our farmers.

So buy local! Visit your local farmers' market, join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or ask your local market to provide local produce if they aren't already.

Find out where to buy local in Maryland.

Find out about farmers' markets and CSA in Maryland and across the U.S.

Find out what fruits and vegetables are in season right now.

Take That Extra Step and Eliminate Bottled Water

The other day when I was walking out of my gym, a fellow member was walking about 10 feet in front of me. Suddenly, she stopped, took a final gulp of water from her PLASTIC water bottle and threw it in the trash can or, as I like to call it, the LAND FILL BIN.

I was shocked. I almost said something, but I was afraid if I did, I would sound angry, so I kept silent, stopped, and let her walk ahead of me. I then picked the bottle out of the can and walked the mere 35 feet back to the recycling bin she had passed on her way out of the gym.

ARE WE REALLY THAT LAZY?

Too many times I've seen recyclables placed in the land fill bin when a recycle bin is a mere 50 feet away. Are we that lazy? Why don't facilities set up waste centers where you can dispose of all your waste at the same time: compost, recycling of all kinds and finally, the smallest container should be the land fill bin because that should be our absolutely last option when disposing of waste.

But back to plastic bottles. Here are some scary statistics:

• 1.5 MILLION barrels of oil are used each year to make plastic water bottles in the U.S.
  
  
• EVERY SINGLE DAY, 40 MILLION plastic bottles go into landfills
  
  
• Americans place 22 BILLION empty water bottles in the land fill EACH YEAR

You might say, "But I always recycle my bottle!" Clearly, you neighbor and his neighbor and the neighbor down the street DON'T! Furthermore, the last time I checked, oil was a scarce resource, so we really don't need to be using it up to make bottles for water! Finally, it takes 50 to 80 years for plastic containers to decompose. So that plastic bottle that you placed in the landfill today will still be around when you baby girl is a grandmother.

Why are we so hooked on bottled water? I'm glad we are drinking more water because it is good for our health; however, according to a UCLA study, tap water in the United States is at least as safe as, if not more than, bottled water. Furthermore, 25-40% of all bottled water in the U.S., including some major brands, is made from tap water. And since we are all hurting in the money department these days, did you know that you can drink 40,000 8-ounce glasses of tap water for the price of 3 $1.50 bottles of spring water???

So what are the alternatives?

I've been drinking from a Sigg water bottle for years. It's aluminum and fashionable and I don't travel anywhere without it. Really. It's like an appendage to me.

Klean Kanteen is another safe option.

When it comes to your special events, served filtered water in pitchers, or just use those large water dispenses like we keep in our offices. Many hotels and conference centers include these in their meeting rooms now. Finally, if you want something a bit more fashionable, use the Giraffe Beverage Tower.