Western senior Benjamin Harter almost exclusively purchases his bulk foods from the Community Food Co-op downtown. The store offers clean containers for shoppers who choose to eat packageless. Photo by Jordan Stead

This massive buildup of generated waste moved Harter to see just how little of an ecological impact he can make. Harter is two weeks into a month-long attempt at consuming only unpackaged foods.

One out of every $11 Americans spend on food goes toward the packaging it came in, and those same materials account for one-third of all the trash in the country.

Harter explained he is slowly trying to move from a packaged lifestyle to making meals entirely from scratch.

“There is no negative side of this [decision] for me,” Harter said.  

Harter grew up in Eastern Washington in a farming family. After attending Washington State University for a year and finding it unfit for his perspective, he moved to Bellingham and started at Whatcom Community College for his sophomore year.  

“Sometime after moving [here], I began to develop an environmental sense of things,” Harter said.  

He began to take classes at Huxley College of the Environment, but found them to be more focused on studying sciences than on the environmental-based topics in which he was most interested and began taking recreation classes.

A vegetarian for more than three years, Harter said he decided December 2008 that he would attempt veganism for a month with several of his friends.

“I always felt like I needed the push to be vegan,” Harter said.  “And that challenge was that push I needed.”

Western senior Jake Bankson, 22, one of Harter’s closest friends, was in on the challenge. Bankson ultimately remained vegan for two months.

“[Benjamin] has an interesting way of looking at our world,” Bankson said.  “I would love to do what he’s doing, making time to eat like he does. Ben sticks to his morals and refuses what he doesn’t want.”

Being a vegan is different than being a vegetarian, and demands a much stricter set of lifestyle parameters. Simply defined, vegans live without the use of animal byproducts—those that can stretch far beyond food. From meat to gelatin to leather and talc, vegans must seek products that were not derived from living beings.  

“Being vegan is simply being conscious of the products you use,” Harter said.  “The only reason companies tell the consumer what’s vegan is because of allergies, not to assist a consumer choice.”  

Potential allergens in a food must be listed for legal reasons.  

Over the course of the experiment, Harter has brought his cooking back to the bare essentials—from scratch ingredients that he purchases.

“Peppers, tomatoes, onions and potatoes go in pretty much everything I eat,” Harter said. “There’s tons of stir-fry with tofu, and a lot of Mexican.”

Harter said he knew he might not continue his experiment after the month’s time, but was confident that he was going to walk away with a skill set that could potentially reduce his ecological footprint.  

According to a survey Harter recently took on The Nature Conservancy Web site, he found his average carbon footprint is approximately 11 tons per year—59 percent less than the national average.

Harter also noted since his switch to being a vegan, he has lowered his carbon emissions by more than four tons annually.

The process of raising cattle for slaughter in the U.S. relies heavily on the use of fossil fuels. The waste of the fuel raises a meat-eater’s carbon emissions.  

Western senior Jeff Johnson, 22, has been a friend of Harter’s for more than a year.  

“I envy the time and commitment that Ben puts in,” Johnson said.  “He is always doing things for people; he’s got great character.”

Over the past 50 years, cooking times have decreased dramatically due to the increase of processed and pre-made foods.  Such changes lead Harter to believe that humans—especially Americans—regard food as no longer a nutrient, but a culture.

Almost all the ingredients or raw foods that Harter purchases are from the Community Food Co-op, located downtown. The establishment offers clean jars to fill with bulk foods, which is a majority of what Harter buys.

“Anything you want to eat, you can make from bulk foods,” Harter said. “I’ve eaten less overall since I began this month, but I’ve made a conscious effort to not change my diet.”

The benefits of eating unpackaged foods make a difference on a number of ecological levels. Most plastics are made from petroleum, which is a finite resource, and fossil fuel.

“For one, I’m making a positive environmental impact, and it’s easy on my conscience,” Harter said.  “I spend more money on food, but that’s because I’m buying a higher quality; I’m paying for more than just the market value.”    

Harter said he is aware that many people do not share the same motivation for eating consciously as he does.

“I recommend this to others, but it’s not something you should jump into,” Harter said. “Do some research. Then start with a simple step one, like bringing your own bags to the grocery store.”  

Western senior Matt Camardo, 25, is a friend of Harter’s who lived with him for some time.  

“Benjamin is open to what he feels strongly about, but he doesn’t push it on people to do the same,” Camardo said. “He lets people do what they feel is right.”

Western senior Calla Ward, 21, Harter’s girlfriend, sees the way Harter positively alters the way other people regard their food.

“Ben changes the way people think about what they’re doing by inspiring in a kind way,” Ward said. “People see him bring his own Tupperware to school, and it stirs them to change for themselves and for the community.”

Whether Harter will ultimately adopt the unpackaged lifestyle for good or simply use this month’s adventure as an experiment, he said he is satisfied by the choice he is making.  

“Mentally, I feel much better [than before].  I know everything about what I’m consuming,” Harter said. “My actions are resulting in a positive environmental impact, I’m eating less and it’s lighter on my conscience overall.”

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