Upper Green Side

Sustainable Food: Organic, Local

Many people have heard about organic foods that are grown free of chemical pesticides and industrial fertilizers; that use heirloom seeds instead of monocultures in order to preserve the genetic diversity of the food we eat.

Just as important as buying organic is buying local food — food produced within 200 miles of your home. For a list of reasons why buying local food is important, see here and here.

You can also greatly help the environment and fight global warming by becoming vegetarian, or at least greatly reducing the amount of meat you eat. Most of our farmland is dedicated to feeding livestock, which also require food, water and transportation, just like you. According to a recent report by the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, livestock production is responsible for more climate change gasses than all the motor vehicles in the world. For more information, see here.

See below for where to find sustainable food on the Upper East Side. If you own a food-related business, local food can be part of greening your business.

Greenmarkets — Community Supported Agriculture — Eating Out Green — Local Beer & Wine

Greenmarkets

From July through November, 2006, you can shop for local food at two weekly neighborhood CENYC Greenmarkets, open-air farmers markets that bring in food from the New York region. WIC & senior FMNP checks accepted. Upper Green Side has succesfully helped bring the following Greenmarkets to the area:

• Greenmarket on Saturdays, 10 AM to 3 PM:
  At St. Stephen of Hungary Parish,
  414 East 82nd Street (between First and York Avenues)
• Greenmarket on Sundays, 9 AM to 5 PM:
  Outside the Holmes Towers/Isaacs Center,
  415 East 93rd Street (on First Avenue, between 92nd and 93rd Streets)

Community Supported Agriculture

Here on the Upper East Side you can buy 100% local food at the Yorkville/Carnegie Hill Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). In a CSA, you buy shares local farmers’ upcoming harvest. Each week, from June through November, the CSA farmer delivers the week’s share to a central neighborhood distribution site, and members collect their shares. For more info, and to find other locations for CSAs, check out Just Food.