My Green Heaven: Sustainable Food

In the past year, I’ve worn two hats: program developer for a nonprofit that’s greening NYC’s buildings and food blogger/assistant to a food writer.

My boss at the nonprofit has often encouraged me to explore where these interests overlap. This blog will be, I hope, just that.  I’ll challenge myself more than ever before to eat local and eat smart (goodbye, beloved bananas!).  I’ll investigate the sustainability of high-density, urban living (are we really one of the most energy-efficient cities in the US if we’re carting in all that food and carting out all that waste?).  I’ll offer recipes that are both good for the Earth and just plain good.

But for now, I’m starting with a brief ode to one of my favorite sustainable purveyors of food: Habana Outpost in Fort Green, Brooklyn.

The space is about as green as they come: they generate electricity with solar panels, reuse rain water for the bathrooms, and use biodegradable disposable cutlery made from corn.

But the best part is the shirmp and avocado platter, grilled corn, and frozen mojitos: simply delicious.

Sitting in their patio on a late summer afternoon, checking out the rainbow coalition of beautiful Brooklyn types, sipping a cold drink, and feeling like, Hey, with creative solutions like this maybe we can solve this crisis: that’s my green heaven.