Healthy Ways, Healthy Days at Work

At my office, field organizers challenge fast-food giants and program coordinators confront big agriculture. In the midst of this hard work, my co-workers and the company environment models sustainable lifestyle choices. Here, staffers practice what they preach.

1. The Coffee Club. You can join for $10 a month which will save you loads of cash since a Grande Starbucks latte is now, what, $5? The club-o-caffeine uses fair trade coffee beans, they expect you to use a mug and wash it out when you’re done, and they offer turbinado sugar and organic milk. Here’s my cup…

2. Community Lunch. Smells from the kitchen during lunchtime are intoxicating: a basil and mozzarella Panini is melting on the press; a homemade whole wheat pasta salad is set out to taste, try and share (an action to get people to eat more whole grains); a quick assembly of salad with beans, nuts and dried berries is considered fast-food here. Staff members sit and talk about hot issues (clean drinking water, environmental policy, healthy school lunch options, and social justice issues) as there is an unspoken policy at the lunch table banning personal gossip and jargon. All of this makes for a smart, satisfying meal. This is the whole wheat and broccoli pasta salad with salty parmesan cheese…

3. Dish Duty. We had dish washing duty in prep school. Every student was expected to contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the school such as running the post office, working in the admissions office, dishwashing and a variety of other duties. My office employs the same kind of progressive programs: watering the plants, cleaning out the refrigerator, emptying the dishwasher, cleaning the kitchen table tops. That’s Jamie washing her dishes…