Coconuts are all the rage. They are used in many raw foods, hot Thai dishes, and recently started appearing all over the vegan market in ice creams, yogurts, milk alternatives, and even as soy sauce substitute. And perhaps it's just an LA thing, but it seems like everyone is drinking out of a Young Thai coconut with a straw. But as much as I love the latter, they are a rare treat for several reasons:
Young Thai coconuts are not organic
they are wrapped in plastic
they come from Thailand (really far from LA)
and...supposedly many of them are dipped in formaldehyde!!!
My boyfriend lives in San Francisco, and he's totally worth doing the long distance. But every time we travel to see each other some things cross my mind:
It takes a lot of time out of my day if I'm traveling (3 - 9 hours each way)
It is expensive ($100-$150 round trip)
Traveling isn't very eco-friendly
For now, this is what we have to do to be with each other. So I decided to figure out the way to travel with the smallest carbon footprint.
I first discovered the bliss that is a thai coconut when I worked at a raw food restaurant years ago. I already liked the taste of coconut, but only experienced had it in artificial or sugar-coated form. When I saw someone crack open a young thai coconut with a mallet I thought she was going to cut off her fingers, and I also thought the water would be gross - I was wrong on both accounts. Coconut water and flesh is one of my favorite, pure, refreshing treats. But there are two problems - they're from Thailand and they're not usually organic, so this effects the environment and your health. Bummer. Oddly enough, this didn't occur to me until recently. When I wrote about mixing Vega into a coconut, several people commented:
isn't transporting that massive bulk all the way from Thailand and then using only a fraction of it a little eco-unfriendly? My eco-spidey sense is going off like crazy.
The most eco friendly is going to be grown in your own backyard or town gardens.
Be careful, Thai coconuts that aren't certified organic are generally dipped in formaldehyde for shipping purposes. They're also radiated, but I find that less disturbing. Coconuts are amazing though, just organic certified is very important for this seed.
Is this one more thing I have to avoid now? It seems these days I'm cutting so much out of my diet: gluten, soy, sugar, nightshades... My sister said to me today, "next thing you know you'll be living off air alone!" While that certainly won't be the case (I love food too much), taking those items out of my diet has made me feel a lot better. However, coconut would be a sad thing to give up, especially since it's in some of my favorite products like Coconut Bliss, So Delicious, and Coconut Aminos. But what's more important, my taste buds or the earth?
Here are quotes from the research I did - it was hard to find, as there weren't many reputable sources:
"The only states in the U.S. where coconut palms can be grown and reproduced outdoors without irrigation are Hawaii and south Florida....Most authorities claim [the coconut] is native to South Asia (particularly the Ganges Delta), while others claim its origin is in northwestern South America." (Wikipedia)
"If you're in Florida or Hawaii you can likely find coconuts locally, but for the rest of us in the U.S., it's just not an option...The bottom line is that coconut milk is not something that you should be making every week." (Planet Green)
"Some tropical foods travel farther than others and hence have a larger impact on the planet. Know the facts before you indulge so that you can make an informed decision." Turns out most bananas, mangos, and nuts have a huge carbon footprint too. : ( (Planet Green 2)
"The best idea is to give them up or cut way back, unless you live in a place or are visiting a place where they grow locally. Wherever you live, there are local delicious fruits that just don't have the carbon footprint of tropical fruits...But always purchase organic and fair trade varieties of coffee and tea." (Planet Green 2) Speaking of organic, check out the Dirty Dozen: 12 foods to eat organic and avoid pesticide residue
In 2008, L.A. based raw food chef Matt Amsden wrote about the formaldehyde rumor. In summary, he had some coconuts tested at an accredited microbiology and chemical lab and discovered "there was absolutely no indication whatsoever that the Thai Coconut samples provided...was ever in contact with formaldehyde." (Basil and Spice)
One source stated, "FUNGICIDE DIP. Some coconuts are dipped for 5 minutes in a fungicide solution (such as formaldehyde or sodium metabisulphate) before exporting. This is to eliminate mold and bacteria during the "6-week" shipping process." (Awesome to be Rawsome forum) 6 week shipping?!!
Genefit claims to sell "the only strictly untreated young Thai coconuts in the entire US - now CERTIFIED ORGANIC."
As I was writing this article I mentioned my thoughts to a friend, and he pointed out that sometimes buying food from other countries helps their economy and/or communities. This is an interesting point, and reminds me of what Urth Caffe is doing with coffee (video soon to come on that topic). However, I'm not sure how many companies actually practice true fair-trading, so the key is to speak to the owners and ask them. If they don't know or don't seem to care, then I don't want to buy from them.
My advice? Look in your fridge and cabinets, pull out your food, and turn it around. What does the label say? Where is it from? If it's not from your area, or at least from North America, consider the impact it has on the planet. But don't throw it away - enjoy it - just keep their location in mind next time you're at the store. If you love that food, have it as an occasional treat. If you can live without it, do.
I am really excited to share this video and writing with you, not only because I had a lot of fun with it, but because I truly stand behind the product. I used NeatDesk and NeatWorks to organize all my receipts this tax season and it helped me save thousands of dollars through deductions.
I learned about the company about a year ago at a job that required me to use NeatReceipts - while it was helpful, I always thought it took too long to digitize receipts. Then the company introduced NeatDesk, which can scan up to 10 receipts, 8x10 documents, and business cards with one press of a button! And there's even a new version of NeatWorks, the fabulous software that extracts the data and organizes it on your computer, allowing you to label by tax category, search, and make reports. You wouldn't believe the look on my accountants face when I showed her my methodical Excel spreadsheet - we finished my taxes in an hour and I actually got a refund this year!
Since April 15th is only a week away, if you don't have time to get one of NeatCo's products beforehand I still suggest you invest in one. My tax session could have gone even faster if I had labeled my receipts with a little more detail, so I'm starting that process now for next year. (I also suggest using Mint.com). I really enjoyed seeing how I spent my money and I discovered what expenses I could cut back on.
The downside to Neat is that it does take some time - I spent several hours scanning and sorting. Unfortunately, the analyze feature doesn't work perfectly, so I had to manually enter in a substantial amount. However, I didn't really mind because I needed to go through each receipt to figure out if they went into tax categories. This year I'll try to scan weekly or monthly so it takes less time next April, and hopefully Neat's software will improve.
Aside from taxes, it's really handy to have such a great scanner and software. Though I try to go as paper-free as possible, I still receive some important documents in the mail, and I have a drawer full of old stuff that is quite unorganized - how nice would it be to have all of that on my computer and be able to recycle it?!
Since the amount of paper companies currently use isn't eco-friendly, NeatCo is a perfect example of the direction they need to go in - digital! Check out their thoughts on sustainability here. Eventually most receipts and documents will be available online and via email (and then you can import them into NeatWorks). Start a trend by digitizing all of your current documents and then ask the companies to go paper-less in the future. And don't forget to recycle!
P.S. Check out this cute dark chocolate bar my accountant gave me!
February 23 - Plants that are good in the office and suck up pollutants/humidify the air/improve your mood: Pothos, Aglaonema, Dracaena "Janet Craig/"Lisa", ZZ plant, parlor palm.
February 25 - Turn off the tap when you're brushing your teeth
March 3 - "In the end, we conserve what we love. We love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught." (Senegalese poet Baba Dioum)
March 5 - Don't pour antifreeze or oil (or any other household chemicals) on the ground, into storm sewers, or down the drain. Recycle them instead.
March 7 - Opt for organic fabrics for clothing, and look for items that are non-dyed, "colorgrown", or tinted with nontoxic vegetable dyes. www.thegreenguide.com; www.sustainablecotton.org
March 8 - When making your own coffee: buy organic and shade-grown, brew it with filter tap water, use a reusable filter, and compost the grounds.
February 18: Using antibacterial soaps and taking antibiotics contributes to the rise of "superbugs" (that are immune to our defenses). Only use these when you absolutely need them.
February 19: Next time you plan to go skiing, find a resort that uses renewable energy - www.keepwintercool.org. And buy "green tags" (offsets) from www.skigreen.org
I haven't flown with Continental in a while, but they just sent me an email mentioning their commitment to the environment, with the catchy phrase "eco-skies". That definitely caught my attention. I'm thinking of flying home for the holidays on American (due to price), but now I'm going to check on Continental - good marketing!
This site isn't eco-friendly, but if you're looking for good flight fares check out Fare Cast- it shows your the bottom line price (with no charge) and a prediction of whether the cost will go up or down.
And don't forget to get carbon offsets, like a Terra Pass, for your flights this holiday season.
If you feel guilt like I do about driving a car and wasting energy, check out TerraPass. You purchase a certificate to offset your carbon footprint, whether it's because you drive a car, fly on a plane, or simply use energy in your home.
