“There’s something about the way things look on a hot, July night,” I thought to myself as my husband and I headed home after Food for Thought’s Green Cuisine gathering. Everything was brimming with the fullness of summer that I often long for in wintertime: Songbirds at dusk, fields filled with corn, families gathered around a bonfire…

This was my first-ever Green Cuisine: Celebration of Local Food and Living. Timothy and Kathy Young started these fine parties three years ago to spread the good news about the good things local food and sustainable business practices bring.

The event is one of the region’s most talked-about local food events—and one of the few that’s truly green. The “zero-waste” event featured nothing but reusable, recyclable, or compostable products. So the cups and utensils weren’t thrown in the garbage, but will be composted. And the plates, which were made from non-bleached, recycled content went straight into their compost heap, along with the food scraps. They’ll end up as fertilizer on Kathy and Tim’s organic farm, as well as on other nearby farms.

At the event, we sampled delicious food and drink from some of the areas finest restaurants, food producers, and vintners. We toured Food for Thought’s processing facility, and strolled around their organic farm and green buildings.

It was a great opportunity to meet others in the community who are either involved or interested in local food and sustainable living. There were hundreds of guests: farmers, restaurant owners, grocers, bankers, magazine editors, bakers, and neighbors. We visited with farmers Walt and Sharon Harris, and discussed asparagus and strawberry varieties. Chef Perry Harmon and I chatted about his growing biscotti business. I talked about all things “tea” with Angela Macke.

I overhead many conversations that included the word “inspired.” People said they were inspired to purchase more local food, switch to compostable products, and look into greener energy solutions for their homes and businesses.

Yes, it was inspiring—and it’s challenging me to think more about what I can do, too.

On our drive home, we detoured toward Empire to watch the stunning sunset over Lake Michigan. What a beautiful place we live in, here along a Great Lake, with peninsulas and rivers and wildlife—and agriculture. And how fortunate we are to have folks like Timothy and Kathy, whose mission is to live in an earth-friendly way and share it with others. They give us something to ponder: How can we live greener? What changes can we make in our lives to support the waters, the land, the people of this amazing region? How we live our lives says a lot about what we value. Timothy and Kathy have given us some real food for thought.