Food...

Here's a green idea that's like an updated version of the consciousness-raising women's lib groups of the 70s (or a little reminiscent of spouse-swapping key parties, except much healthier for the couples involved). A group in Woodstock, Oregon calling themselves the Green Team first banded together to clean up local bus stops. Their next act, back in September, was a sustainable potluck supper, with the goal of promoting the 3Rs and to get spouses to join the team. Dishes had to be prepared with locally-grown ingredients, and the bearer of each dish explained how each stage of the preparation was green, considering aspects like the transportation of prepared and refrigerated foods. Four couples came, and the next dinner brought five couples. Now the group gets together for sustainable potlucks monthly.

Conversation flowed naturally, since they already had the shared interests of green living, and some of the discussions over locally-sourced dinners have included:"solar energy, IKEA packaging, recycling in Holland (where Dan and Ann Steigerwald had lived for many years), the possibility of recycling styrofoam with orange extract, ways to store food without using harmful plastics, and – the ultimate recycling – organ donation."

Image: The Bee