Please forgive us for being a little obsessed with the new mobile app we created for the SXSW Eco Challenge. Hundreds of SXSWEco participants are going after this badge right now!

SXSWEco Challenge on iPhone (also available on Android)

Have a look at the Group on PracticallyGreen.com:

Not in Austin at the SXSW conference? No worries, you can get this badge too. Simply check off any 12 of the actions: http://practicallygreen.com/badges/sxsweco.

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We asked our friend Bethany Stephens to pick one of the Eco Challenge actions to write about.

For more on Beth, the Ozark National Science Center (she’s the executive director), and the sweet spot that is Bentonville, Arkansas, read on!

Eat Locally When You Eat Out

Beth and family eating out, local-style

It’s pretty simple to feel good about how green we are in the controlled environment of our homes. We congratulate ourselves on our use of CFLs, our recycling prowess and our minimal water and energy usage. So, what happens when we step out into the world? Suddenly, it’s harder to control waste, transportation, and the habits of others.

Before you throw up your hands in despair, remind yourself that there is one tiny step you can take today with mighty impact: simply eat locally when you eat out.

In theory, local food is safer food (fewer pesticides and contaminants) that traveled a shorter distance (lessened transportation and therefore less environmental impact). However, these may be assumed benefits since there is no guarantee. I prefer to eat locally on several less scientific theories: relationships, knowing my food, a little less processing and fewer preservatives, better variety and a positive effect on the local economy.

1. Better relationships: Here in my own backyard, I know Kno over at Taste of Siam, David and Shane at The Rail: A Pizza Company and Sara over at The Green Bean personally. They know me and my family and share a passion for food that makes me feel good just being in their establishments. However, the same advantage exists when I travel – from my old favorite Cuc Tran Cafe in Wenatchee, Washington to Wintzell’s Oyster House in Mobile, Alabama – eating locally feels and tastes good. These are the places that share the vibe of a community, its food and its passions.

2. Know your food: While we may not interact with the proprietors of local restaurants any more than we would at a chain, we’re guaranteed to have a little better feel for what we’re served. No matter how high the customer count, your food is usually prepared in the back by hand. Yes, plenty of local establishments may use food service companies, but most are not mass producing hamburger after hamburger to the point that their heart and soul and original recipes have vanished.

3. Better variety: Variety is certainly the spice of life, and ethnic food makes my world go round. In San Antonio, there is no shortage of puffy taco locales and taquerias. Taco Taco did something different – it’s hard to put your finger on it, but you’ll leave the city craving and attempting to replicate its loveliness. Admittedly, Taco Taco is now expanding – the real test will be whether the feel and taste that made it special will keep it alive. The point is that local options are the best options for exploring both ethnic and homestyle food. Expand your boundaries and walk in the doors of a place where you don’t necessarily speak the language: you’ll likely be rewarded with great food and memories. Challenge yourself when you travel to try the local places off the typical tourist or business traveler path.

4. Positive effect on the local economy: Perhaps most rewarding of all, a far greater percentage of dollars you spend locally stay in the community. Chains send large portions of revenue back to headquarters, but dollars spent locally are more likely to go straight to staff wages, utilities or rent/mortgage. I like knowing that paying my check means I have directly invested in helping my friend or neighbor’s business thrive, and when I travel, it feels like a small expression of gratitude that I pay that community for my experience.

From farmer’s markets to u-pick establishments to local restaurants, local food means a local investment. However, a quick disclaimer: let’s not be so quick to demonize every chain restaurant, food service company, big box retailer or discount club. Often, we forget that their volume savings also help the small, local establishments we love stay in business. They may not be doing everything right, but every effort is a commendable step in the right direction.

As for me, I try to concentrate on what I can do better (and greener) every day rather than worry about others – just like Mom taught me. And now, I’m hoping to dash over to my favorite local establishment for a little lunch.

Bio: Beth Stephens is the executive director of the Ozark Natural Science Center, a nonprofit field science and environmental education facility on 500 acres of Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission land in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas. ONSC delivers life-altering overnight school excursions, summer camps and group programs, weaving conservation messages and its mission of enhancing the understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the Ozark natural environment throughout its programs. ONSC has served more than 45,000 children since it was founded twenty years ago, often providing them their first significant outdoor experience and a lasting connection to the natural world. Connect with Beth via email, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or her personal or food blogs, and learn more about ONSC at www.onsc.us or via Twitter or Facebook.

On the Trail! School program at the Ozark National Science Center

Background: The Ozark Natural Science Center serves the rather unique northwest Arkansas community, a five city (Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville, Siloam Springs) area which is home to the global headquarters of the world’s largest retailer: Walmart.  Northwest Arkansas is also home to Fortune 500 ranked Tyson Foods as well as J.B. Hunt Transportation.  The business climate in this small corner of Arkansas is unprecedented, but often escapes national recognition.  In an effort to better serve their largest customers, Walmart and warehouse powerhouse Sam’s Club, literally hundreds of the world’s top brands maintain offices in northwest Arkansas.  ONSC has benefitted greatly from this “sweet spot” by developing corporate partnerships with companies such as Cargill, GE Lighting (check out their intriguing Ecomagination site), Shell, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Heineken and SC Johnson (especially their Off! Botanicals brand).  Northwest Arkansas is also home to the University of Arkansas’s Applied Sustainability Program, which resulted in the jointly-administered Sustainability Consortium with the University of Arizona’s Global Institute of Sustainability.  The Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas works closely with Walmart (which has staggering sustainability goals) and other industry leaders on sustainability issues specific to the consumer packaged goods industry.