Georgia Organics' Local Food Guide is an excellent free resource for finding purveyors of locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables and sustainably produced meats and dairy products. I love this little guide with its goal of knowing your farmer's name and its helpful tips, such as when to expect fruits and veggies to ripen so that you can eat seasonally. In reading through it though, I started to realize how confusing it can be to really judge the environmental impact of the food we buy from stores, markets and restaurants.

GO's Guide seems to take the same approach that we do, which is to talk about the things that food providers are doing right, instead of what they need to improve. After all, we all have our flaws and having them pointed out is not all that helpful. Like I'm overweight and a sloppy housekeeper for instance, but my dogs never hold me accountable for that. They just love that I buy good snacks. If they spent their time yappin' about my defects instead of licking my fingers, no more treats for them.

So, same principle.

However, this focus-on-the-positive approach could be misleading to consumers who are trying to keep their carbon shoe size to a bare minimum. For instance, a restaurant that buys local produce but puts leftovers in Styrofoam may be included in the GO guide (or here) and all we will mention is the locavore focus.

However, if you don't see a certain practice listed on the guide or in these posts, it doesn't necessarily mean that the restaurant doesn't participate in it. Maybe we just forgot.

As you green your life, keep an eye on what is not mentioned as well as what is and ask your own questions. Find the eateries and groceries that do a thorough job of taking care of the environment and let them know you appreciate it by visiting them often.