Get Your Dog Food (Bag)
Out of the Garbage
If getting your pet a premium, meat-based dog food developed right here in Central Oregon weren't reason enough to consider the possibility of switching from the supermarket brands to Orion's Choice dog food, then the fact that it is delivered to your door in a recyclable bag probably ought to be. Find out more about how this local dog food company is going against the grain at orionschoice.com.
Hug a Farmer
There are many reasons to eat locally grown meats and produce - not the least of which is the epidemic of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to international agribusiness products - but there's also an environmental rationale for eating local. Locally grown food doesn't have to travel thousands of miles to reach your plate or require resource-intensive packaging and production. An easy way to bypass all these commercial food pitfalls is to get in touch with your local farmer. A great start is to check out Agricultural Connections, a Central Oregon clearinghouse for local CSA's and farms. Bendcsa.com.
Don't Waste Your Vegetables
Local restaurants and festivals are already finding ways to recycle their food waste. According to Bend Garbage and Recycling, which started a new commercial composting program in November, Deschutes County businesses are already sending five tons in food waste a week to the recycling center where it is turned into nutrient-rich topsoil. But you don't have to be a restaurant to turn your banana peels into plant food. There are plenty of home composting units available and DIYers can put one together in just a few hours with a few materials and an Internet connection.
