Why to choose sustainably produced meat

Tips and reasons for choosing sustainably produced meat:

1. Sustainably produced meat is healthier, more humane and tastier. (avoid antibiotic resistant pathogens, get more CLAs, etc.)
   
   
2. It's increasingly available -- especially in the Bay Area
   
   
3. Look for certain words like: "pasture raised", "grass fed" and "organic"
   
   
4. Phrases like "antibiotic free" are OK, but do not assure that meat was raised on traditional farms
   
   
5. Explore off-the-beaten-path venues for shopping for sustainable meat, eggs, and dairies, especially places where you can talk directly to a knowledgable person (best places are farmers markets and smaller, independent stores like Bi-Rite Market in SF)
   
   
6. It's not as expensive as you think
   
   
7. Think of it as an adventure -- searching out sustainable foods can be more fun than work

Nicolette Hahn Niman is an environmental activist who has been published in the New York Times and spoken at numerous national conferences including the American Public Health Association Annual Conference and the Sierra Club's Healthy Farms Conference. A former attorney with Bobby Kennedy's Waterkeeper Alliance, she is married to the founder of the famed Niman Ranch, a collective of traditional farms. She lives in the San Francisco area.

Ms. Niman is the wife of Bill Niman of Niman Ranch. Her new book is about sustainable animal products, why they are better for you and for the environment. Raising animals sustain ably for meat production is also less cruel and the animals have a better life. She is a former environmental lawyer for Riverkeepers and in her work, she met Bill, they fell in love - even though she is a vegetarian(!) and are now married.

Her book, "Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms," is on sale now at all major book stores and available on Amazon.com.

For more information go to http://www.righteousporkchop.com.

Nicolette Niman will be appearing at the following locations:

"Righteous Porkchop" Schedule of Appearances

February 19, 2009
Barnes & Noble
6050 El Cerrito Plaza
El Cerrito, CA
7 PM

February 23, 2009
Des Moines Public Library
Des Moines, Iowa
6:30 PM

February 25, 2009
Borders
Union Square
San Francisco, CA
7 PM

March 3, 2009
Cecil Green Library
Stanford Univ.
Palo Alto, CA
4:30 PM

March 5, 2009
Capitola Book Café
Capitola, California
7:30 PM

March 11, 2009
Borders
2339 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 7 PM

March 26, 2009
Kepler's Books
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA
7:30 PM

March 28, 2009
Omnivore's Books
3885A Cesar Chavez St.
San Francisco, CA
3 PM

April 5, 2009
St. Aidan's Episcopal Church
Bolinas, CA
3 PM

June 27, 2009
Copperfield's Books
140 Kentucky St.
Petaluma, CA
3 PM