It's Easy Eating Green!

It's no secret that Azuma Leasing is a green company. We have a paperless office and billing system, and by renting a washer and dryer or refrigerator that Azuma maintains you're doing your part to keep less appliances out of landfills and reduce needless waste from the manufacturing process. We all know about reducing, reusing and recycling, and other little things we can do to cut down on waste. But there are also easy big changes that you can make to help the environment.

Did you know that farmed animals cause more pollution than all the transportation on Earth combined? That's more than all the airplanes, cars, trucks, motorcycles, trains and boats that people all over the globe drive every day. The waste that's created comes from many places. To name a few, there's the amount of water use needed to tend the herds (it takes about 2,500 gallons of water to create a pound of beef, as opposed to 15 gallons for a pound of salad, 400 gallons for a pound of rice or 245 gallons for a pound of tofu). There's also the food that's grown to feed livestock (56% of crops grown in just the United States go solely to feed). Also, methane pollution, manure, and runoff from the farms that damage our water supply are also very detrimental to our environment.

That's the bad news. The good news is, you can reduce your impact on the environment by 70% (that's as much as stopping driving your car altogether!) by becoming a weekday vegetarian. That is, just cut down your consumption of meat, fish, dairy and eggs. Many of you have probably already heard of Meatless Mondays. However, you can make an even bigger impact and still enjoy your favorite foods on the weekends, but during the week partake of healthier and more environmentally friendly fare. Check out your local co-op for fresh locally farmed fruits and vegetables and experiment with new flavors. Smoothies are filling and fresh for breakfast, salads topped with beans and nuts or fruits and a creamy dressing are a great mid-day meal, and one of my favorite hearty dinners is country-style Japanese porridge. Today there are more healthy meat and dairy substitutes available than ever before in most normal grocery stores, ranging from ice cream and cookies to chicken tenders and burgers to staple foods like milk and butter. The best part is that being a vegetarian and eating healthy is more accessible than ever. Enjoy exploring the new possibilities, and Bon Appetit!