Green Daily

Every week we pick a theme to explore in more depth, and this week that theme is green community. To read all our posts related to this theme, click here.

The way I grew up, cows were a cute animal we saw in the field of dairy farms nearby and petted at the county fair every year. Meat was pink stuff wrapped in plastic that I couldn't resist poking my finger into while cruising the aisles of the grocery store behind my mom.

What I didn't know then that I know now is that those plastic-wrapped slabs travel a good distance to get to the store. And they might contain stuff you don't necessarily want to eat, like antibiotics. And when that meat was still an animal, it might not have been fed the best stuff or treated very well.

Despite the thought of killing an animal making me ill, my family still eats meat. But we've learned a lot about how to do so without harming the earth or our bodies or supporting inhumane treatment of the animals. Buying grass-fed, organic and local beef are important (and sometimes pricey) elements of eating meat with minimal impact to the environment and maximum benefit to our health. We buy such beef at a couple of local stores for around $5 a pound for the ground version. More for the sexier cuts.






My neighbor has learned that if we buy a whole cow from a local farm, the meat, regardless of cut, will cost us just $3.50 a pound. But it's a whole lot of beek. I mean, a massive amount. So, we're in the process of recruiting friends, neighbors and family to go in on the deal. It's a bit of work, to be sure. But the money saved by not having to burn gas to go to the store and pay the higher price once there is worth it. And so is the benefit to our community and the environment.