Rethinking Eggs

The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental nonprofit Resilient Palisades to deliver a weekly “green tip” to our readers. This week’s tip was written by Alicia Albek

Given everything going on in the world, Palisadians are probably more than ready for the Easter bunny and Passover, where eggs occupy a prominent position on the Seder plate. But as a community of caring and conscientious families, we might want to reconsider the use of chicken eggs in our celebrations.

Producing eggs requires a great deal of water. According to the Grace Communication Foundation, a dozen eggs take 636 gallons of water to produce; so one single egg requires a whopping 53 gallons of water. In comparison, a pound of lettuce takes only 30 gallons.

In addition, the egg (and poultry) industry is polluting land, air and water, killing fish and other wildlife, and destroying natural habitats. And producing eggs requires locking up over 300 million egg-producing hens, or keeping them in such close proximity that they have little free movement. Google “Cage-Free” to see what the industry uses to fool consumers into feeling less guilty.

The good news is there are myriad ways to celebrate Easter in an earthy-friendly and ethical way! Here are a few tips from our kitchen to yours:

• For baking or other favorite dishes, you can substitute one egg with any of the following substitutes:

— 1 tbsp flax seed + 3 tbsp water
— 1/4 cup applesauce
— a mashed banana
— baking soda and apple cider vinegar
— silken tofu
— plant based yogurt
— aquafaba (chickpea water)
— 1 tsp chia seeds + 3 tsp water Or, commercial egg replacements including Just Egg, Follow Your Heart and Bob’s Red Mill

• You can also find wonderful vegan recipes online for all your favorite Easter holiday dishes.
• Rather than paint eggs this Easter, consider wood eggs, pine cones, rocks, papier mache or felt. You can find more great eco-friendly ideas at ecowatch.com.
• The Resilient Palisades Vegan Solutions Team is here to support you on your vegan journey with fun vegan events, informative seminars and free, vegan tours of your local markets. Learn more at resilientpalisades.org vegan solutions team and sign up for our free vegan local market tours at vamosvegan@gmail.com.

Join us this Saturday, April 16, for Earth Day at Will Rogers, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Will Rogers State Park. Organized by Resilient Palisades and sponsored by Los Angeles City District 11 and the city of Los Angeles, we have arranged a special event that includes food trucks, live music, yoga classes, a native plant seed giveaway and fun activities for the entire family. It will be a day of education, celebration and action.