FOOD & GARBAGE RESOURCES

One of the best ways to learn more about food and garbage is to march into your kitchen and start thinking like a detective: Where did that food come from (hint: it wasn't grown at the supermarket)? How did it get here? And how much waste is it going to make? If all this investigating makes you want to start eating more things that don't come in boxes or from halfway around the world, you're ready to learn more.

The site for the Council of the Environment of NYC, the gang that oversees the Greenmarket, can be found at www.cenyc.org. It includes lots of fun facts along with market schedules and locations, as well as links to related environmental resources.

If you want to find out more about the farmers who sell their produce at the Greenmarket, check out www.farmtotable.org

An even more comprehensive site on local food and environmentally sound farming, including factsheets and information on the economic, environmental, animal-friendly, health, and societal benefits of local organic farming, is at www.foodroutes.org

When you're eating healthy, most of your garbage can be turned into rich soil through composting, and maybe some worms. The best resource for composting in the NYC area is at www.nyccompost.org

And if you really want to go all natural, you will want to check out this clearinghouse of organic food information:www.ota.com