Posts by Mason | Eating Out of the Local Box

About Mason

Mason Arnold has been a sustainability pioneer and serial entrepreneur since graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 2001 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He co-founded Greenling in 2005. Mason pretty much works all the time, because he loves what he does, but in the few windows when he's not working he likes to spend time with his wife, Mylie, who has her own business, by the way, called Go Dance. Mason's not hard to spot when he's out and about primarily because he drives around in a Prius with a 5' banana on top of it.

Author Archive | Mason

Eating Sustainably

By Mason on May 12, 2012 in Advice from our Bloggers, Tips for Eating Sustainably

Agriculture uses 3 times as much potable water as all other forms of human consumption, COMBINED. A full 80% of the water we use in the US is for agriculture. Organic agriculture uses 30%-50% less water than conventional ag. Agriculture also consumes more oil than any other activity except for driving. 400 gallons of oil per year per citizen is consumed for our food. Only 20% of that is from seed to harvest. The rest is in transportation.

You really can make a huge difference for Sustainability just by what you eat. Here are 10 great ways to eat for Sustainability:

1. REAL
• Eat real food, mostly plants, with a small amount of meat as an accent rather than the main ingredient (Michael Pollan)
• Cheap processed food doesn’t reflect its true cost. Plan ahead to avoid them

2. VALUE
• Re-define the way food is valued and fit into the household economy
• Spend money on wholesome foods, not supplements

3. FLEXIBILTY
• Cook from ingredients rather than recipes (See recipe section of Greenling.com)
• Read blogs and the internet for ideas to use what you have and what’s in season

4. EDUCATION
• Ask questions about where your food comes from, everywhere you eat
• Know the farmer who produced it or have a surrogate (like Greenling) to know the farmer for you

5. SEASONALITY
• Learn to stop thinking of out-of-season items as everyday necessities or staples
• Learn seasons ahead of time so you can plan for their bounty

6. PRESERVE
• Learn to preserve and save leftovers to be incorporated into other dishes/meals to eliminate waste
• Can or freeze fruits and vegetables in season. Make your own stock and sauces

7. VARIETY
• The more diverse your diet is, the healthier and happier you will be
• Try new things rather than relying on a few standard ingredients

8. FLAVOR
• Appreciate food for flavor and slow down to enjoy it
• Stop judging produce by its shape, size, and color (some delicious local produce wouldn’t win a beauty contest)

9. INNOVATE
• Learn to cook, appreciate, and enjoy lesser-known foods that are in season
• Don’t be afraid to make stuff up! If it tastes good, you just discovered a new recipe.

10. TOGETHER
• Cook and eat with friends and family. We all know that food can sometimes be a great pleasure…why shouldn’t it always?
• Join discussion groups and list-serves to collaborate on ideas

Comments { 0 }

The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

By Mason on April 6, 2012 in Mission, Notes from the Field

Obviously with Greenling’s produce you don’t have to worry about pesticides– we only work with local growers who use sustainable practices, or with non-local, certified organic growers. But when you’re out and about or can’t get to your Greenling box, use this handy shopper’s guide to remember the worst polluted fruits and veggies (which you should never eat anywhere unless it’s Organic) and the least polluted that you can eat conventionally when in a bind.

Environmental Working Group tests around 50 different fruits and vegetables for pesticide content. And not just on the surface. The wasth he produce and peel it! They test the inside of the produce. They have released a new update for the shopper’s guide – their 5th edition has the latest government data. Click here to get a printable version of the wallet-sized guide.

And click here to see the full list of fruits and veggies tested.

Not surprisingly, Peaches topped the list again of the worst polluted produce item you can buy. Don’t be fooled by those beautiful Fredericksburg peaches – unless they tell you they don’t use pesticides they’re going to be covered in them.

Comments { 0 }

Small Steps Big Change

By Mason on April 1, 2012 in Advice from our Bloggers, Mission, Tips for Eating Sustainably

‘Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something’
You don’t have to completely change your life in one weekend to help change the world. But you have to do something. Then you have to do something else. You just have to.

Former President Clinton just received the Harry S Truman Public Service Award. In his talk, he reiterated that ‘by tackling problems through small, grassroots community efforts, Americans could achieve results of global significance.’ There are lots of statistics out there that are huge. They can be overwhelming. They often make me depressed. And there’s so many facets of Sustainability!

But, my fine furry friends, that’s what makes it so easy. Here’s one idea – start with the easiest thing to change and green up. Do it. Do it right now. Then tomorrow change the easiest thing (hopefully it’s slightly harder than the previous day). Repeat and rinse. Are you really recycling? Or do you just have the recycling bin out in your garage? Do you use reusable grocery bags when shopping, or do they just decorate your front closet (go toblueavocado.com to get the coolest bags)? It can be hard to create habits. If you stop doing something eco-friendly, that’s ok. Just start again when you can. You’re not a bad person. I think you’re taking one small step just by reading this newsletter. And celebrate when you do something for the environment or something for your health. Even if you don’t succeed, celebrate that you tried. And, occasionally, celebrate for no reason at all. It’s fun to celebrate.

Here’s pretty cool article with tons of tips on going green. I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say, but it’s a big list of small things to do and they break it down into easy chunks in common categories -
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/energy-environment-2007/tips_environmental_main_a1.asp

Comments { 0 }

Why We Drive a Banana Car!

By Mason on March 31, 2012 in Mission, Notes from the Field

Can you imagine a world where everywhere you go people smile at you? And not fake smiles but genuine smiles?

That’s the life for whoever’s behind the wheel of the bananamobile. It’s truly amazing. And with so many people smiling at you, you can’t help but smile back (unless you’re sick, tired, and achy…then, and only then, I’ve learned you can stay solemn in the face of so many smiles).

And you don’t just get smiles, you get all sorts of interaction. People honk and wave….point, laugh (with us, not at us), and take pictures. Several times I’ve walked out to the bananamobile from some store and there are people gathered around it taking a group picture under the 5′ banana.

Kids go crazy for it. They chase after it like it’s an ice-cream truck or something. It can be a little awkward….”Sorry kids, you can’t actually eat the banana and I don’t happen to have any…” I find myself hoping the light turns green before they catch up to me so I don’t have to let them down.

So, if you ever see someone driving down the road in a prius with a 5′ banana on top and a huge smile on their face, now you know the real reason why.

Comments { 0 }

Steaz to the Rescue!

By Mason on March 18, 2012 in Advice from our Bloggers, Product Updates

I just noticed something that I found to be very cool! I get so frustrated when in convenience stores and you are forced to choose between HFCS drinks and aspartame drinks if you want a little caffeine. If I have a long drive or just didn’t get enough sleep, I usually try to get a little caffeine. I don’t drink coffee and any drink with coffee in it needs to be incredibly watered down and with lots of sugar and milk. I am usually just fine with a Tea for lunch or the likes to get me through a day when I’m tired. “Energy Drinks” are normally way too loaded with caffeine and sugar for me. I bounce off the walls. All I need is a little pick-up. And we won’t go into the controversies over Taurine and other ingredients.

So, I’m wandering my office…feeling tired, wondering if there’s anything that can help. Usually an apple or something can give me that little boost, but today I knew I needed something more. I’m looking at our shelves and pick up a diet Steaz. Now, for reference, it’s about 10:30am when I do this and if I have too much sugar in the morning it usually leads to a big crash in the afternoon no matter what I eat for lunch. So, I can’t have anything with a lot of sugar. And by the afternoon I can’t have caffeine or energy stuff if I want to go to bed at night. So I normally don’t pay much attention to even organic energy drinks. But I look at the diet Steaz ingredients and it still has some sugar, just not much. Perfect! I don’t have the guilt associated with consuming artificial sweeteners and I avoid the afternoon crash from too much morning sugar. Seems almost genius to me. And it tastes good. I don’t really want a super sweet drink. I want a little sweetness and a little caffeine. Diet Steaz to the rescue!