Chef Ryan Farr demonstrates the art of the butcher.By Jenny Oh and Lauren Sommer

On Thursday night, the Society of Agriculture and Food Ecology and Meatpaper Magazine co-hosted a panel discussion at UC Berkeley titled, "The Art of the Butcher". Using whole animals from local ranches was the topic of the night, and judging from the standing room only crowd, it's an area that the sustainable agriculture community is gravitating towards.

Marissa Guggiana of Sonoma Direct led the panel, which included both chefs and producers. Melanie Eisemann and David Budworth of Avedano's butcher shop discussed how butcher shops typically don't break down whole animals in-house, and usually provide only the most popular cuts of meat such as the tenderloin, ribs and chops. At Avedano's, they encourage their customers to try lesser-known cuts that can be cheaper and more flavorful depending on the method of preparation. They also offer regular classes on how to butcher your own meat.

Producer Mark Pasternak of Devil's Gulch Ranch described the change he has seen in the marketplace from both chefs and consumers. He's able to sell his pigs to restaurants and markets that are looking for local animals that are raised outdoors, and Bay Area customers are helping to increase the demand for this sustainably raised meat. Chefs Nate Appleman of A16 and Ryan Farr of Ivy Elegance are both dedicated to using every bit of the pig that they can, from the ears and skin all the way down to the hooves. Appleman serves 20 pounds to tripe of week.

The culmination of the evening was a demonstration by Chef Ryan Farr on how to break down an entire side of a pig. It was divided up into CSA shares, which were pre-sold to members of the audience. For more on local meat CSA's, check out this Quest story.

Not everyone would be excited about a box of 16 pounds of meat. But for the members of the Bay Area Meat CSA, the enthusiasm was off the charts. I took part in their spring share this year, where member of the CSA receive a monthly box of pork, poultry, lamb and beef from local Bay Area Farms. The idea began when blogger Bonnie Powell of The Ethicurean put out a call to her readers. Many of them were already getting vegetable CSA's – a meat CSA seemed a logical step. Since then, Tamar Adler, a cook at Chez Panisse stepped in to help run it. And running it is no easy task. This past spring, they were distributing 1,000 pounds a month to members.

Since the CSA only buys whole animals, members get a few interesting things in each delivery. As Adler says, not every cut on an animal is a grill-able cut. Some cuts require other cooking techniques, and so members are challenged to do braises and stews with what they get. The idea is to create a new market for many of the local, small-scale producers. And Adler says she's been getting phone calls from many others looking to join.

Adler has decided the CSA will take the summer off, so she can work on restructuring it into a more cooperative model. As she says, one of the goals of the CSA is for consumers to connect with their producers and she's hoping the CSA's structure can reflect that. The good news is a number of other meat CSA's have arrived on the scene in the Bay Area for those of you looking to join one. Those are:

• The Clark Summit Meat Club
• Sonoma County Meat Buying Club
• Marin Sun Farms
• And here's a list of meat CSA's nationwide

As I also discovered in this story, eating a low-carbon diet is not simple. Researchers are just starting to get a handle on the methodology used to do a life cycle analysis for food. And the news isn't good for meat and cheese lovers – it turns out red meat and dairy products have the highest carbon footprints. The further you dive into their life cycle, the more complicated it gets. Luckily, Gail Feenstra of UC Davis's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program has a few simple tips to cut your carbon.

• Eat less red meat and dairy
• Avoid foods grown in heated greenhouses by eating seasonal food
• Avoid food transported by air by eating locally
• Consolidate your shopping into as few trips as possible
• Waste less food. If it goes into a landfill, it emits the same gases as cows

You can get a sense of the footprint of your diet through the Bon Appetit Management Company's Eat Low Carbon Calculator or you can look up a local farmer's market with Local Harvest.

You may listen to "Eating a Low Carbon Diet" report online, as well as find additional links and resources.