What kind of personal impact do you have on our planet’s climate?

There are many carbon footprint calculators on the internet which take into account your eating and travelling habits as well as your house heating and cooling needs. Some calculators are more user-friendly than others. 

The Kamloops Climate Action team has tested several and recommends the Climate Hero Calculator.

For more information on carbon footprint calculations and other climate action tips, visit transitionkamloops.net/climate-action.

This month’s climate friendly recipe is a delicious adaptation of a classic French dinner salad — perfect for a hot summer night! Look for locally produced vegetables and eggs in our Farmers’ Markets this summer. With a short travelling time plus support for local farmers, these are good climate action choices.

Salade Nicoise, Farmer’s Market Style

Serves 4

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, sliced
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, each cut into 4 wedges
• 4 boiled potatoes, each cut into 4 wedges
• green beans for 4, cooked
• 2 tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
• oil and vinegar dressing

Cook eggs earlier in the day.  Place them in a large pot of cold water, enough to cover them by a couple of inches .  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, time for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, let sit with cover on for 10 minutes.  Then drain, run cold water over them for a while, then let sit in cold water to cool completely.  Peel.

Peel (if needed) and cook potatoes and green beans until tender.

Place plenty of sliced romaine heart lettuce on four dinner plates.  Arrange egg wedges, tomato wedges, sliced hot potatoes, and hot green beans on top.  Let people put on own dressing.  You could use asparagus instead of beans when in season (in the spring).

Anne Neave is a retired Home Economics educator