With Michelle Obama planting the first vegetable garden in the White House, we too increasingly focusing on the role of food in our environment. However, most of us do not understand what is required to produce the food we eat and make it readily available to us day in and day out.

For example, we no longer have to wait until June to get those early season strawberries. Today, we enjoy year-round what was once considered a seasonal fruit. This convenience is something we enjoy without knowing the severe negative impacts it has on our environment. I will bet that you did not know that our food system uses 19% of all fossil fuels, the highest consumption, second only to cars.

Why not take a first step by more carefully choosing our daily food? Here is an interesting low-carbon diet quiz on Facebook provided by Bon Appetit – http://apps.facebook.com/bonappetitquiz/. Next time when you have to choose between a green salad and a Caesar salad, you will know whether or not they have roughly the same carbon footprint.

Environmental organizations are also raising consciousness on the environmental effects on the food chain.  For example, The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is launching the Growing Green Awards to recognize the contributions of people who have demonstrated leadership in the field of sustainable food. Winners of the “Going Green Award”  will be announced at the annual NRDC San Francisco benefit on May 9, 2009.

Vantage is proud to be partnering with Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) to publicize this event.  E2 is a national community of individual business leaders who advocate for good environmental policy while building economic prosperity. Stay tuned to learn more about growing green.