“Eat your vegetables; they’re good for you!” is a common parental refrain that often goes unheeded. But what if it was followed by, “They’re good for the planet, too!”? It is this second point that the Energize Acton group wanted to emphasize with the 2nd annual “Celebration of Plant Based Foods” pot-luck picnic event on July 24.
About forty “epicurious” people attended this event at the pavilion at NARA park to find new and creative ways to incorporate more vegetables into their diet. Some have a professional interest in cooking.
Avantika Nantiyal runs a meal prep business called All Things Spiced that specializes in allergy-aware, Indian-inspired meals. She observed that a common element of this year’s picnic seemed to be lentils and fruit in salads.
Another attendee, Myra Zuckerman, produces a cooking show for Acton TV called The Joy of Colorful Cooking that focuses on vegetarian meals. But most of those at the buffet line were just seeking some fresh ideas for eating less meat in their family’s diet – and a chance to socialize and learn from like-minded neighbors.
Energize Acton is a group that educates and encourages citizens, businesses and town staff to meet the Acton 2020 climate goal of zero carbon emissions by 2030. Many of the programs, through collaborations with the Acton Climate Coalition and the Town of Acton Sustainability Office, promote heat pump adoption, electric vehicles and energy efficiency through insulation. But why would Energize Acton promote plant based foods?
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the carbon emission of meat and dairy production is immense. The clearing, plowing and fertilizing of fields for animal feed and the manure produced by the animals all produce greenhouse gasses more potent than carbon dioxide. Beef produces an estimated fifty kg of carbon dioxide for every 100 grams of protein – 9 times the carbon emission of chicken and 18 times more than tofu. Eating more plants and less meat will reduce your carbon footprint.
The buffet included many foods perfect for a summer picnic – a lot of salads using garden greens, fresh tomatoes, corn, and beans. Some dishes were vegan twists on pasta salad or potato salad. There were a few varieties of vegetarian patties made with quinoa or mung bean flour and bold spices. A few meatless dishes played with other sources of protein, like tempeh or plant-based sausage. For desserts there were chocolate chip cookies and blueberry cobbler.
Jude Aronstein gave a quick demonstration of an induction hotplate by melting some dairy-free chocolate for a quick fondue dessert. Electric induction cooking is more efficient than your traditional electric resistance stovetop and is another way to reduce your carbon consumption.
Energize Acton created almost zero waste from this event. Reusable plates and utensils were borrowed from Church of the Good Shepherd’s “zero plastics” kitchen. They even had a compost bin for any uneaten tidbits.
Pescatarians and flexitarians eat a diet with small amounts of fish or meat, while vegans eat no meat, eggs or dairy. Food contributions ran the gamut from vegan to egg and cheese dishes. Karen Root Watkins, the event organizer, commented that the picnic was a little like “preaching to the choir,” since most of the attendees were already eating a plant-forward diet. She would like to see more vegi-curious people attend the next event. The takehome message: no matter where you land on the vegetarian spectrum, moving toward more plant-based foods is good for your health and the health of our planet.
Tom Wolf has been a resident of Acton since 2001 and is a volunteer on the Land Steward Committee.