How to Pack a Perfectly “Green” Picnic

   I would watch them arrive from my family's cottage overlooking the beach. Like a parade of ants, they would begin their march, loaded down with everything they needed for a picnic lunch at the lake. Coolers, lawn chairs, beach blankets, sunbrellas, sand toys, perhaps a kite.

   As the sun began its descent downward, they would depart — and I would bear witness to the mess they left behind. Pop bottles, food wrappers, a punctured PVC water toy…often even a used diaper.

   I don't begrudge these picnickers their day at the beach. Summer picnics — whether at a beach, a park or your own backyard — are wonderful, warm-weather experiences. Less wonderful are the heaps of garbage they often generate. So here's a guide to a summer picnic that's easy on the earth:

Getting there: Try to bike, walk, hike or take public transportation. Less pollution, less greenhouse gas emissions that lead to increased climate change. More exercise for you, and a better chance to explore your community.

 Food: Stick to in-season fruits and veggies from a local farm so more fossil fuel wasn't expended getting the food to your picnic basket. Perhaps start with a trek to your farmer's market to stock up on goodies. If you're a carnivore, make meat a smaller part of your meal and make it organic, meaning the animal was raised more humanely without antibiotics or genetically-modified feed. Better for you, better for the planet.

 What to pack: Avoid disposables and opt for use-them-again dishes, cutlery and storage containers. Invest in a picnic basket (you can purchase Fair Trade picnic baskets online — Google "fair trade picnic baskets" or check out Ten Thousand Villages stores). Cheaper for you in the long run, fair for workers, less garbage for the landfills.