Simple choices can be made to make lunchtime for employees and employers a more sustainable affair.
Thinking sustainably has different levels of difficulty, but a few tactics can get someone started on the path to a better carbon footprint.
Sustainability starter lunch kit
1. Identify local food
Two scenarios can play out when seeking local food options.
First, a local farmers market or grocery store (and some restaurants) are by proxy a local food source or obtain food from local sources. Local food sources, as considered here, should be within 250 miles of the endpoint of where a purchase is made by a consumer. This is more difficult to find in some areas than others.
Local food sources can be identified by asking the outlet a customer is making a purchase at or visiting an entity’s website. Further investigation can be done by visiting the website of an entity’s supplier if possible.
The second definition here for local food is how far a person had to travel to obtain lunch or how far a delivery driver, and what type of vehicle was used, to bring lunch to the office. The carbon footprint can stretch across many fronts.
2. Employer initiatives
With the idea that having food options nearby is more sustainable, a conversation with an employer could help design and implement a system to keep carbon footprints down. If an employer already has a sustainability person on board, they may have already considered this and have implemented some type of program.
For offices seeking ways to get a more sustainable lunch, from an environmental perspective, and potentially social and economic, consider ways to lower carbon footprints by reducing the number of miles driven to pick up lunch or have an in-office supply of local food.
Other, more complex initiatives may include starting a corporate garden or planning the location of an office based on areas that have a variety of fresh, local food options. In addition to this, a survey of employees might unearth ideation on reducing the commute for the majority or all of a company’s employees–something to think about for long-term goals.
3. Seasonality
Another consideration for food is seasonality. Due to demand, fresh fruits and vegetables may be carried in from long distances to meet customers’ wants, but this isn’t always the most sustainable option. It’s best to learn about what’s in season for your local region and consider changing your diet to match that equation.