Let’s get things straight. We care about the environment. We care what our planet is going to look like in the future. The 2DA’s are not experts in this field, there are much smarter people out there, but we can try to help by sharing some of our small steps to making this big old world awesome for years to come.
Our Food:
Ask questions- where is it coming from? Why would we buy tomatoes from Mexico when our local farmers are selling directly from their fields?
Buy in bulk and freeze veggies to use when not in season.
Throw some tomatoes in a blender with some spices and s&p. Voila, the perfect tomato sauce for pasta or pizzas, all year round! Start making more homemade meals and snacks to cut back on packaging. Here is our go-to granola recipe. Nothing but a mason jar used here. (and waaaaay less sugar).
Meatless Mondays and beyond.
We have been reducing our meat and dairy consumption; did you know that it takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce ONE pound of beef !? (equivalent to not showering for 6 months… we suggest the first alternative for reducing water consumption... reducing your meat/ dairy intake). Some of our fav meals are vegetarian, like our delicious Moroccan Stew. When we do eat meat, we try to buy as local as possible. It is more expensive, but we know where it is coming from and that the farms are raising them ethically.
Oat milk is our beverage of choice, it is delicious and the oats are grown with 7x less water than almond or cow’s milk. This is the best milk, in our opinion, because it goes perfectly with coffee, delish in smoothies and recipes, or in your morning granola, and thankfully cafés all across the globe are offering milk alternatives now!
Less Food Waste. We have been experimenting with recipes that use the entire vegetable. Our Roasted Cauliflower uses the leaves and all
Our Roasted Carrots use the tops for pesto
Don’t throw out the stems of herbs, use them (they are flavour bombs!)
Our Household Products. We are blessed that The Creemore Refillery is only 10 minutes from our farm. Not only is it a cute little shop, but it also sells tons of home and beauty products. Their goal is to create a plastic-free world and we are on board! Bring in your empty bottles of shampoo/laundry detergent/etc and fill them with environmentally safe products that are also amazing. Not in the area? Google “refillery” and find one near you.
We have become so used to shiny labels and slick packaging but we don’t need it. Bulk shops make cutting back on packaging a breeze. Use reusable bags like these, and these, and fill up!
But remember, no one ever gets it perfect. You will forget your bags on occasion, and that is okay, just remember you are doing your part by acknowledging that our planet needs help and you are trying your best! Tip: write a reminder to bring your bags on your grocery list, so you don't forget.
Another product we love is beeswax wrap. It's super clingy and really seals in food. We've bought large sheets and cut them into sizes we use. It's washable and dries super fast.
The Small Apron is also a stickler for reusable water bottles. If you forget yours, you either go very thirsty or have to stick your head under a tap somewhere. No way single-use plastic is being used.
Farming.
While we rent out our large fields to local farmers, we do make sure that their farming techniques are the most sustainable.
They rotate crops yearly, adding nutrients back into the soil. They plant crops that use no water (except what comes from the sky).
We are having discussions with them about no-till farming; a way to keep nutrients in the soil and avoid soil erosion. Read this to learn more. In our small veggie garden, at the end of the growing season, we plant cover crops that preserve and add nutrients to the soil. They are not meant for harvest, just to keep the soil healthy over the colder months.
We are so lucky to have the resources to educate ourselves about the climate crisis we are living through and act on making positive changes in our lives. Sharing some (non-expert) advice about what we do to make small steps in the right direction will hopefully help the community we live in. Please remember that we don't need to get this perfect every time, it is hard, but by making an effort to learn and understand, we are already making positive changes.
Please do not hesitate to reach out, ask questions, and share your experiences. How are you trying to live more sustainably?