What kind of personal impact do you have on our planet’s climate?

There are many carbon footprint calculators on the internet which take into account your eating and travelling habits and well as your house heating and cooling needs. Some calculators are more user-friendly than others.

The Kamloops Climate Action team has tested several and recommends the Climate Hero Calculator.

For more information on carbon footprint calculations and other climate action tips, visit transitionkamloops.net/climate-action.

This week’s climate friendly recipe is a delicious adaptation of a classic French dinner salad – perfect for a hot summer night!

Salade Nicoise

Serves 4

Romaine lettuce hearts, sliced

2 avocados, peeled and sliced (or could substitute marinated artichoke hearts)

4 hard-cooked eggs, each cut into 4 wedges

4 boiled potatoes, each cut into 4 wedges

green beans for 4, cooked

2 tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges

oil and vinegar dressing

Cook eggs earlier in the day. Place them in a large pot of cold water, enough to cover them by a couple of inches . Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, time for 4 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit with cover on for 10 minutes. Then drain, run cold water over them for a while, then let sit in cold water to cool completely. Peel.

Peel and cook potatoes and green beans until tender.

On each plate, place plenty of sliced romaine heart lettuce. Put sliced avocados in center, surround with egg wedges, tomato wedges, sliced hot potatoes, and hot green beans. Let people put on own dressing. You could use asparagus instead of beans when in season (in the spring).

Anne Neave is a member of Transition Kamloops and its Climate Action team.