The pine nut industry may be contributing to the crash of an ecosystem. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a majority of pine nuts imported into the United States come from the Korean pine tree, a keystone species found primarily in the southern parts of the Russian far east.–New York Times, Oct. 19.

Humanity, voracious beast,

Gobbling up the whole Far East,

Salamanders, rhinos, chimps

And everything from whales to shrimps.

 

So here’s my eco-manifesto:

No more pine nuts in my pesto!

I’ll mash up chickpeas ‘til they’re tender

In my pedal-powered blender 

Local-source my olive oil

From olives grown in Brooklyn’s soil

And, to make it Genovese,

Add a cup of tofu cheese.

(Cutting down on greenhouse gas

Emissions from a bovine ass.)

Get the water nice and hot

In my solar pasta pot

My carbonara footprint’s teeny

For my eco-fettucine.