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The Green Buzzwords Quiz
Posted by Jessica Harlan on August 12, 2008 - 10:33pm.

It seems like every week, there's a new term or buzzword (relating to food and otherwise) you need to know in order to be a health-conscious and environmentally responsible consumer. How well do you know what they all mean? Take this quiz and find out if you're an in-the-know eco-foodie.

1. If you are following a locavore diet, most or all of your food should come from roughly how big a radius?
a. 10 miles
b. 150 miles
c. Anywhere in the state
d. 100 miles

2. Which of the following is not a superfood?
a. Dark Chocolate
b. Cinnamon
c. Iceberg Lettuce
d. Wasabi


3. True or False: Cleaning your fridge can help offset your carbon footprint.

4. Farm to table refers to:
a. Date night for farmers and their wives
b. A restaurant that emphasizes locally grown goods
c. Furniture that's made from reclaimed barnwood

5. Which of the following companies and products have been accused of greenwashing?
a. Tyson Chicken
b. Nestle, for its "ecobottle"
c. Kraft, for its Post Selects Cereals
d. Wal-Mart


Answers:

1. d. A locavore aims to eat food that is grown within their local foodshed, generally defined as within a 100 mile radius. The argument for being a locavore is that food not only is fresher and tastes better, but less energy is wasted in transporting it.

2. According to an article on Forbes' Web site, there are a number of foods that have surprising health benefits. Most people know that chocolate possesses antioxidants. But did you know that cinnamon is anti-inflammatory and can also slow down the time it takes sugar to reach the bloodstream (which can affect insulin levels)? And the wasabi you dab onto your sushi is believed to have a number of health benefits, including preventing ulcers and blood clots. Iceberg lettuce, however, might be good in a salad, but it's by no means a superfood.

3. True. Vacuuming or wiping the coils on the back of your refrigerator a couple of times a year will keep it working more efficiently, which means it will use less energy. You can get more tips on reducing your carbon footprint at on NativeEnergy's Web site.

4. b. Restaurants are starting to emphasize farm to table cuisine, in which they highlight ingredients and foods that come from local farmers and purveyors. Want to know if a restaurant near you is embracing the farm to table movement? Epicurious has compiled a list of the top farm to table restaurants in the country.

5. All of the above, for various reasons. Greenwashing refers to when a company seems to mislead the public on its environmental efforts, often in an attempt to jump on the "green" bandwagon. You can submit and vote on ads that are potentially greenwashing on the Greenwashing Index's Web site.



<em>Jenna</em>'s picture
Awesome quiz!
by Jenna on August 14, 2008 - 1:42pm
I like the idea for this quiz. I feel like these buzzwords are thrown around so much that it is easy for people to forget (or not even know) what they mean.
<em>Jenna</em>'s picture
One little thing. . .
by Jenna on August 14, 2008 - 1:49pm
Real wasabi is a superfood, but the wasabi we get at sushi bars is actually imitation wasabi made of horseradish, mustard and a green food coloring so I guess that technically doesn't count as a superfood. Real wasabi is extremely expensive and hard to find and hard to grow.
<em>JessicaHarlan</em>'s picture
Wasabi: Good Point
by JessicaHarlan on August 17, 2008 - 5:54pm
There are some high-end sushi places that do serve real Wasabi (such as Nobu in New York). But I can't help but wonder how much wasabi you need to eat in order to reap its benefits...

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