To help sustain our local communities, support local economies, support local farming and eating of local produce (this helps the environment because eating imported food requires transportation = fuel = pollution), let's try to put an emphasize on buying and eating produce grown within 100 miles of our homes.
How do you find out where to go to buy this kind of produce? What have your experience been when doing this?
Add a comment and help others!
in August 2008
My husband and I go to our nearest farmer's market together every Sunday. It's a very fun habit to get into. You can get to know the regular vendors and who sells the stuff you like best. We make it the first stop in our weekly grocery run, then pick up whatever we couldn't find at the markets at a "normal" grocery store on the way back home.
in September 2008
This is a VERY good exercise for anyone who is thinking of becoming Self Sustaining (grow, raise, make all your own needed products). I hope to do the 100 square foot diet someday (everything produced by you on your grounds). You will meet interesting and informative folks out there, including the farmer's market and other venues. As I point out to my wife sometimes, the Fast Food places Do Not Count in this diet, no matter how close they are.
in October 2008
> this helps the environment because eating imported food requires transportation = fuel = pollution
It's not as simple as that. Producing the food takes fuel too, for tractors, irrigation pumps or even light and heating in greenhouses. And transporting food can take very little fuel per kg of produce.
That's what matters, you know. A ship carrying rice from Thailand may pollute a lot - but it can also carry truly enormous amounts of rice.
Bulk ship transport is fantastically energy efficient. The consequence of this is that if the rice farmers in Thailand are even slightly more energy efficient than the rice farmers in Oslo, Norway ;-) then it's better for the environment to ship.
I'm very sceptical of local farmer's environmental credentials. They have smaller farms, thus less economies of scale, and they are operating in a climate where you just can't grow very many vegetables, and those you can grow give much lower yields than they would on warmer latitudes.
in November 2008
Gregg M. 241° pledged to do this 1682 days ago
Cheri L. 45° pledged to do this 1656 days ago
Fergus D. 138° pledged to do this 1525 days ago
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