In this blog, I look forward to giving you my opinion on the damage that our food industry is literally causing us to eat our way off the planet. I also want to give you my opinion, through personal experience and research, ways we can amend the damage done by how we choose to feed ourselves and as Culinary Professionals, feed others.

As it stands today, from the time our food is raised on a farm, delivered to our stores, consumed by us and the remainder of it travels to landfills, our food has contributed to 31% of the worlds Green House Gasses. Livestock alone in this world, the cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens contribute to 18% of global warming which is more damaging than the transportation industry alone.

Not only do animals create the byproduct gas, methane, but the pollution starts well before they expel their last meal. First off, the cattle require enormous amounts of food and to create the highest level of yield from the smallest amount of land farmers have chosen to use tons of Chemical Fertilizers and Petroleum Pesticides as a mere convenience to maximize their yield. The use of those chemicals degrade the soil so badly that the soil loses the potential to retain water, therefore, not only is the soil damaged and the environment polluted, but it also takes more water to nourish the crops. That’s more water passing through contaminated soil before returning to our eco system. Once the crops are grown, it takes petroleum powered machinery to harvest, process and deliver the feed to the farms. The larger the distance traveled to deliver food product to its destination, the larger the impact on global warming and green house gasses. From one city to the next is damaging enough, not to mention from one continent to another.

On a personal level; as the former Executive Chef for a large casino, I spent over $33 million dollars a year on food product. That volume alone has a huge impact on the transportation industry, farmers, fishermen and the packaging industry. Consider the amount of containers that takes to move that much food to a city that produces nothing itself and relies on outside sources of food. I purchased 40,000 pounds of Slipper Lobster Tail each MONTH out of Thailand. Consider the amount of energy it took to power the fishing boats, to power the processing plant, the amount of gas workers used to drive to work in those plants, cardboard used to create 30 pound packages and the gas used to ship from Thailand to Las Vegas. All that was for ONE restaurant in the casino. Only ONE!

Through education, I understand how I damage the environment and how I can make a positive difference. These are a few principals I use to create a “Greener” food service operation:

f I choose to serve REAL, Natural and Organic Foods as much as possible. The important reason is that there has been less chemicals produced to create the product
f I believe in locally composting food waste. Toxic gasses are created when landfills smother decomposing food without allowing it to breath. Smaller piles locally are easily turned and aerated, creating less gas and allowing the food waste to decompose gently and later be used to create new life
f I buy as locally as possible; this allows me to use what is freshest and in season and my product requires less transportation which is also less damaging on the environment. Not to mention, it supports local economy
f I utilize local Organic food as well. As mentioned above Organic food does not require the production of hazardous chemicals. Not only are the chemicals toxic, but it also requires a lot of energy to create them and that process also creates harmful byproducts. Organic food is healthier to the body to digest and more nutritious as well. If pesticides and fertilizers were compared to eating an indigestible penny at every meal, think about how much money a person would have trapped in their body in a matter of years, chemicals in food work the same way.
f These are the four steps I take to purchase product to support what I can’t grow myself. I’m currently working on a green house program to grow my own produce, here I can utilize my compost and eliminate the use of chemicals to fertilize and for pesticides. Also, it doesn’t require any fuel to deliver the product to my kitchen.

In the beginning of this document, I mentioned that I was self taught on my own environmental impact and went after this information for myself. It was freely given to me and in return, to better other people’s lives, I’m also committing to giving back to my community what I have learned through local schools. It’s very important for people to understand why the Green Concept is so very important to our environment and to us. Nothing that I’ve mentioned is something that I’ve invented. People have survived on these philosophies for centuries before chemical science ruled the agricultural world. If society does not change the way it eats, we will soon indeed, eat ourselves right off this planet.