Can you be social and green?

Sometimes it's difficult to stick to ethical choices you've made. I had a friend once comment that she didn't feel like she could tell someone "I'm not vegetarian, but I can't eat the meat you're serving because I don't know where it came from." It's an awkward position to be in for both parties- you don't want to make anyone feel bad about their choices, but your choices are important as well.

What can you do when your choices don't align with a friend or family member, and you don't want to put yourself into that situation?

Choose restaurants with practices you can support. Often, the goal is just to get together socially, and people will be flexible about where that is. Many restaurants publicize their sourcing or sustainability measures on their websites, or you can look at resources like Chinook Book or Spoon & Trowel for restaurants that have already been vetted.

If a restaurant is not in your budget, throw a dinner party or potluck. Cooking a whole meal can be more cost effective than a meal out, especially if you're picking up the tab for more than one person. If you're cooking at least one dish, you know that it complies with your food choices. It's also very common for a group these days to have at least one vegetarian or vegan, and not unreasonable for you to ask people to only bring foods that comply with those dietary restrictions. It may not guarantee you organic produce, but it does limit the need to discuss meat or dairy sourcing. The bonus with a potluck is that you get multiple delicious dishes without the effort of having to prepare them all.
* Pro tip: give people some guidance when you ask them to bring a dish, or you'll end up with 6 types of chips & salsa, and 4 different batches of brownies. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Consider it an opportunity to explain your choices. While it might begin as an awkward conversation, if you think your friend or family member might be receptive, this can be a good opportunity to explain the choices that you've made, and the logic behind them. Just remember that (1) people respond poorly if they feel that they're being judged for their choices, so it's important to chose your phrasing carefully, and that (2) not everyone will have the resources to make the same choices you do. But explaining that "I was uncomfortable with what I knew about conventional milk production, and so I've made a choice to only eat dairy products where I know the conditions in which the cow was raised" may help explain your choices and allow them to consider their actions.