Green your grocery cart!
### At the seafood counter
Scoop up swimmers that live higher in the water, such as mahimahi, herring and wild Alaskan salmon. They're brought in by hooks, lines or nets, which use less fuel than bottom-trawling (how cod, flounder and shrimp are caught) or dredging for shellfish such as mussels and oysters, says Tim Fitzgerald, M.S., a scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund in New York City.
In the meat aisle
Selecting chicken, beef or pork? "There are too many factors—air and water pollution, feed, etc.—to determine which meat is most environmentally sound," says Justin Kitzes, of the department of environmental science, policy and management at the University of California at Berkeley. But skipping red meat one day a week can shrink your food's carbon footprint by about 5 percent.
In the produce section
Pick local, organic and in-season fruit and veggies. Local food requires less gas to get from the fields to your store; organic offerings involve fewer, if any, harmful chemicals during the growing process. And while we can enjoy out-of-season favorites at any time of year, remember that it takes a lot of fuel to jet produce from afar. Study up on your state's seasonal superstars at SustainableTable.org. Healthier eats for a healthier planet!
Photo Credit: Todd Plitt