So you thought the Albuquerque BioPark was just the zoo, the aquarium and the botanical gardens. It is all those things, but it's also a source of good information about agriculture sustainability, finding foods locally and buying the right foods in the proper season.
The BioPark has also published a handy guide to help us make the right choices. (Thanks Sarah Newman from the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger for pointing it out to me).
Here's some of the text from the guide (actually a small foldable pamphlet).
Making choices for Sustainable AgricultureLook around the produce section of your grocery store. Chances are that the fruits and vegetables you see have traveled 1,500 miles from farm where they were grown to store where you shop.
Seek our grocery stores that stock locally grown alternatives. Use your your power as a consumer to personally contribute to a sustainable future.
Choosing fresh, local foods means that your food travels a shorter distance to reach you, requiring fewer natural resources, and also ensures that your money stays within the community, supporting NM farmers and your local economy.
You have the power to make a difference*Use this guide to learn what fruits and vegetables are local and seasonal*Visit your local growers markets to buy directly from local farmers*Encourage your grocery store to stock locally grown foods.
Other New Mexico Foods
New Mexico has a plentiful supply of locally grown fruits and vegetables, but be on the lookout for other locally produced foods: breads, salsa, jam & jellies, chicken, lamb, beef, milk, eggs, cheeses and honey.
Read labels and talk to sellers to find out which of your favorite groceries are locally produced.
The guide then provides links to Farmers Markets in New Mexico and the Slow Food Movement, a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.
Check out the City of Albuquerque's Sustainability Web page
Click on the chart below to see larger image
2 comments:
So where can people find this guide? Is it at other city facilities, like libraries, Community Centers, and Senior Centers? Does the Co-Op have it?
Michelle: Drop a note to
biopark@cabq.gov
They can tell you if they distribute them any where or they can send you one.
There very small pocket guides. I got mine at the CelebrateSeedNM event in Old Town a couple of Saturdays ago.
Post a Comment