Especially for heavier items that take extra time, energy, and carbon emissions to haul around the world, purchase foods that are produced locally and organically. A well-balanced diet of vegetables and fruits can easily serve you over 20 different delicious pesticides each day! And before you even take your first bite, all those pesticides are affecting the soil, the water, the farm workers, the wildlife, and the planet. So each time you buy organic food, you help break that cycle.
So... went to Stanley Restaurant in Delta (Vietnamese food), ordered some teriyaki chicken on rice (I don't like pho) to go and produced a glass bowl for the order. Bowl was taken, filled with food, given back without question.
Will you be laughed at for keeping tupperware (plastic containers) in your car or your bag for when you go out to eat with friends?
Well, maybe it's worth the social hit. The guilt that I feel when I take home food in a styrofoam container is really starting to get to me. While handing a restaurant a plastic container for take-out orders might not be feasible, it really isn't too far-fetched to bring one for leftovers.