— Written by Camryn Kirk

Buy Local and Seasonal- What’s in Season? 🍽️

Fall is an amazing season for produce. One of the biggest tips to eating sustainably is to buy local produce. Whether at a grocery store or at a nearby farmers market, eating locally sourced produce can dramatically lessen your carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. When food travels less for consumption, carbon emissions are greatly decreased. Plus, it will likely taste better! You also have a higher transparency into where your food is coming from, this can increase the taste and quality of the product, along with the safety of consumption.

Here’s a list of our top produce that’s in season this fall:

• In Season Fruit:

  • Apples 🍎

  • Beets

  • Blackberries

  • Blueberries

  • Grapes 🍇

  • Plums

• In Season Vegetables:

  • Arugula

  • Broccoli 🥦

  • Brussels sprouts

  • Cauliflower

  • Cucumbers 🥒

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Zucchini

Gardening Tips 🏡 🌱

1. 🍂Leaf Mulching: Leaf mulching is a great way to retain soil moisture, improve soil fertility, and provide healthy nutrients for plants and grass species. To do so, you chop leaves into small pieces, using a leaf shredder or a lawn mower, and cover the soil with it as organic mulch. This process also prevents weed growth and reduces soil erosion! A win win for the fall conditions.

2. 🍁Compost Fallen Leaves: It may seem too early but as leaves begin to fall, keep in mind composting these fallen leaves is a great way to enrich your soil. To do so, you can either create compost piles or compost bags. 

   1. Compost piles can be made from layering leaves, moving and turning them every couple of weeks to create oxygen flow. Choose a cool and dry spot, preferably shaded. The pile shouldn’t be too dry but just moist enough to compost.

   2. Compost bags can be made in black plastic bags combining manure or fertilizer, garden soil, and water with the fallen leaves. This is a slower process but overall takes less effort.

3. 🌱Plant Bulbs for Spring: How can we prep for spring flowers?! Planting blubs in the fall will ensure their roots are developed and strong during the cooler winter months. A few examples of great bulbs to plant for this spring include tulips, lilies, and daffodils🌷

Want to learn more about sustainable practices this fall? Drop a reply and let us know! 💬

What We’re Watching 🎥, Reading 📚, and Listening to 🎧

Searching for more positive and informative climate content? Look no further!

• 🎥 Good News in August (You Might Have Missed) | Sam Bentley

• 📰 Texas plans to build the most clean energy of any state | Dan McCarthy

• 🎧 How to Sell an ‘Ugly’ Vegetable? Give it Googly Eyes | Ayurella Horn-Muller

In Case You Missed It 👀

How can we tell more climate stories? By putting filmmakers and climate experts together! Are you a filmmaker? Are you a climate expert? Are you in NYC for Climate Week? Please sign up to connect, share, and disseminate more climate stories together! Click here.

The Climate Film Festival

The Climate Film Festival is a new cultural organization with an annual festival, year-round programming, and digital resources in New York City. It was founded in 2023 by a group of passionate climate professionals, artists, and curators. CFF soft-launched in 2023 with a sold-out “First Look” screening and panel event during Climate Week NYC, and it has continued to organize screenings and events with partners throughout the city. Get tickets here.

Overcoming Dilemmas In the Green Transition

TED Countdown is hosting a day two event (October 29-30th) at the EGG in Brussels, Belgium with over 20 expert speakers gathering to discuss the roadblocks and path forward for the transition to a sustainable economy. To learn more about how to attend the discussions, click here.