Each April is Earth Month at Arrowstreet. This year we ran a series of educational and collaborative environmental events throughout the month including a conversation about the role of bees in the ecosystem and how hives can be incorporated into architecture. Other events included a pecha-kucha, presentations on resiliency and advocacy, documentary screenings, green building tours, and green trivia. As the month comes to a close, we are excited to invite architects from Boston area firms to participate in a vendor fair featuring top sustainable architectural and finish products that meet our Arrowstreet criteria for transparency, content, and emissions.
We also held our annual Earth Month Vegetarian Potluck, where the entire office pitched in to create delicious, environmentally friendly meals, including the one below! Try starting up “Meatless Mondays” and enjoy the following recipe & sustainable cooking tips for falafel burgers.
Tzatziki
- ½ cup small, thinly diced cucumber
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine.
Sustainability Tips
- Purchase organic vegetables. Read more about the environmental benefits of buying organic here.
- Start an herb garden in your kitchen so you can use just what you need when cooking. Produce accounts for 28% of food wasted by consumers in the United States. See these other tips to reduce your food waste here.
Pickled Onions
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup salt
- 2 thinly sliced red onions
- Preferred spices (1 cinnamon stick or black pepper)
- Mix cider, water, white vinegar, salt and sugar.
- Heat over medium heat until salt and sugar dissolve.
- Pour mixture over thinly sliced onions.
- Add desired spices.
Sustainability Tips
- Review your fridge at the end of the week and pickle any unused vegetables before they go bad. Of the 40% of food in the United States goes uneaten, a majority of wasted food is lost by consumers. 28% of this waste is produce.
- Save old glass jars and takeout containers. Use these for pickling instead of throwing them out!
- Pickle juice can be reused multiple times – it’s made to last! So when you finish your first batch of pickled onions, save the juice and get back to pickling!
Red Lentil Chick Pea Burgers
- ½ red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup cooked chick peas
- 1 cup cooked red lentils
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tsp red chilies
- ¼ cup dill
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 grated carrot
- 1 ½ tsp salt or to taste
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 6 Burger buns
- Combine onion and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.
- Add chick peas, red lentils, eggs, oats, red chilies, dill, cumin, and coriander. Blend in food processor until smooth. Mix should be wet but not stick to hands.
- Form patties with hands or spoon to desired side. Lightly flour patties.
- Heat canola oil in pan until hot, before the point of smoking.
- Place patties in hot oil until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
- Assemble burgers on buns, garnish with pickled red onion and Tzatziki.
Sustainability Tips
- Chickpeas, lentils, and other legumes are “nitrogen fixers.” This means they replenish nitrogen in the soil, and when alternated with other crops that deplete nitrogen, legumes decrease the need for fertilizers. Learn more about the harmful effects of fertilizers on the soil, bodies of water, and human health here.
- Cooking protein-rich meat-alternatives such as chick peas and lentils can significantly reduce our carbon footprint. Data suggests that replacing just 4 ounces of beef per week with vegetarian options can save 3,000 gallons of water for a net savings of 171,704 gallons in a year.
Topics: Culture, Resiliency, net zero, Earth Month, Sustainability