Earth Day

Well, I didn't end up riding my bike to work. It was cold! And foggy! And a little rainy! I'll just own up to it - I'm a wimp and I don't really love our planet.

BUT, I did something little today by buying an insulated mug to use when I go to the Starbucks in my building.

AND, I've become inspired by a story by Mark Bittman on NPR. He talked about being a VB6 (vegan before 6:00 p.m.). Basically, he's encouraging people to eat like a vegan until dinnertime - focusing on fruits, vegetables, beans and whole greans. And then, enjoying a nice dinner. This cuts down on meat eaten, and therefore my carbon footprint. And, as you can guess, it's healthy.

In the article, Bittman says:
The U.S. produces 10 billion animals a year just for food, animals that contribute one-fifth of all greenhouse gases and clog our arteries. Plus, we pay more for the food that's bad for us than we do for the vegetables, fruits and grains that are good for us.

I'm on a sugar fast this week because I ate an obscene amount of sweets over the last week. (Hey, it was my birthday!) And I'm already feeling better. I think I might try to go pretty much vegan before dinner for a week or two and see how I feel.

Mark Bittman, of course, has a whole book about this and you can sign up to take the challenge to eat less meat and receive his email newsletter.

After talking about reducing meat consumption, I just felt the need to include this cute cow picture from the Pioneer Woman Blog.