DIS MONTH IS ONE OF MY BLAVORITS OF DA WHOLE YEOW! Bly just LUB celebwating da Earf, one of my besht fwends! Bly think it’s gweat to celebrate da Earf evwyday, but it’s extra special to haf a day JUSHT for da Earf! This yeow, Bly had teamed up wif my fwends at Califownia Blacademy of Sciences to support my Pioneertown Campaign pwomise of healing da Earf. Bly had a Planetarium video, Bly did with Bashem and Bly am SHO excited to share some of it wif ya now. My fwends at CAS also wote an incwedible bwogpost with YOURS TWULY (hehehe)! We talk about all the things yewww can do to help heal da Earf and Bly am SHO happy share it wif all my fwends in da Fwend Club wike yewww! Wead it here or check out da bwogpost on their website and to see all the fun things happening at Cal Blacademy!

Gweetings Earfwings! I’m Tiny Chef, and I’m hewe to hewp you tuwn ovew a new WEAF (get it?) this Earf Monf.

Some of you might be wondewing about my cwedentiaws. Let me cawlm your fears if I may: Emmy Awawd (won), Pioneertown mayow’s wace (also won), Caw Academy blexhibit and film (awawd must have gotten wost in the mail…).

As you can see, I know my way awound a complex bland dynamic media wandscape—as well as a kitchen. Pwease wead on for my top thwee food-related tips for celebwating our tasty pwanet. 

Editor’s note: Tiny Chef writes phonetically. We have preserved his original spelling and provided translations below each tip.

Tip 1: Veggies? Yes pweez

A wot of fwends ask me where I get my killew dance moves. My wobust physique. My wazor-shawp wit. The blanswer is easy: Pwants, gweens, and wegumes! Evewything I need comes fwum a seed. As a hewbivore, I live lightly on da land, pwoducing fewer cawbon blemissions and more cuwinawy joy. I PWOMISE that adding more veg on your pwates will put a spwing in your step and a gweam in your eye.

Eat plant-based. It’s not breaking news, but we’re happy to be a broken record: Adopting a plant-based diet has dramatic health benefits for you and the planet. Eating primarily or exclusively plant-based can substantially reduce your risk of heart disease by 25 percent and your food-related carbon emissions by 30–85 percent. In fact, some experts think eating plant-based is the single most positive step you can take to reduce your environmental impact. Whichever way you slice it, veggie-centric diets are key to stabilizing our climate.

• Make wontons with Cheffy

• Make candied asparagus with Cheffy

Tip 2: Don’t twash those bleftovers

Couldn’t finish your woast beets? Unable to blupcycle your wawnut shells into castanets? Compost bin for da win! Something magical happens inside your gween bin or backyard compost heap: All of those blanana peews and blavocado pits twansform into dewicious, Earf-nouwishing soil, which in turn will help to gwow your next meal. A virtuous cycle, if you will! (Bland, I will!) Yewww can also be kinder to da Earf by simply buying considerately—plurchasing only ingwedients you know you'll cook and eat! 

Compost your food scraps. The USDA estimates that a whopping 30–40% of food produced in the United States goes to waste. This works out to about six pounds of edible food per household per week, according to a 2023 study. Composting keeps food waste out of landfills, where it would otherwise release methane, a potent, planet-warming greenhouse gas. When we throw our organic waste into a compost pile, it decomposes and turns into nutritious soil that can, in turn, nourish plants. This is a great way to add healthy nutrients to the soil while conserving valuable landfill space. 

• How to compost at home

• A visual guide to composting

Tip 3: Eat blocally and seasonawwy

In genewal, the farther your food has to twavel to your pwate, the more carbon blemissions it genewates. Bluckily, I have a scwumptious solution for you: Your fwiendly local fawmer’s mawket! This Earf Monf, challenge yourself to swap just one of your wegular gwocewy store twips with a fawmer’s mawket bladventure. Your basket will ovewflow with dewicious blocal foods grown by your neighbows—and your foods’ carbon blemissions will be as light as my blegendawy aquafaba. 

Eat local foods that are in season. Globally, transportation of produce and other foods generates nearly 20% of all food-related CO2 emissions reported in 2022. By eating seasonal, locally grown food, you’ll enjoy fresher and tastier meals, help reduce harmful emissions associated with transportation and storage, and support your local agriculture producers.

Find your local farmers market

Fank yew for weading my bwog post. But wait, there’s mowr! Earf Monf can be cewebwated outside of the kitchen, tewww. Here are some bleasy and fun ways to make even more of a positive blimpact on our pwanet fwum my fwends at California Blacademy of Sciences: 

Editor’s note: Thanks, TC! To keep Tiny Chef’s Earth Month inspo going, here are a few things you can do everyday to support the environment and help make tomorrow a little brighter for us all:

• Walk, bike, or roller skate: Driving and flying accounts for the most individual carbon emissions in America. Treat yourself to more car- and plane-free trips this month!

• Resist fast fashion: When it comes to clothes, take it sloooow. Buy fewer and higher-quality pieces. (Tiny Chef note: It’s cawed eco-chic, sweetie, wook it up.)  

• Switch to LED bulbs: They use 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. A bright idea!

• Purchase Energy Star appliances: From dishwashers to clothes dryers, the Energy Star logo means you’re saving money and reducing your carbon emissions.

• Grow native plants: Whether you have a big backyard or a petite planter box, every native plant supports the birds and bees that keep our ecosystems healthy. (Green) thumbs up!

KEEP the EARF LUB going by visiting our Fwend Club Community Clean-Up Guide next!