Where does this come from? I don't even study this stuff, but it is just flowing in my life these days.
For about a year now I have been really going more and more organic. Organic food. Organic toiletries. Organic, reusable office products.
But that was not nearly enough! No!! Now I want local! And what's even more sick, I am going to encourage you to, also.
Seriously, though, I recently read an article that mentioned that when people eat local food products they are not only eating food that is likely to be more natural, they are also helping the environment.
How?
First, the food items are usually packaged with little or no packaging. If they are packaged, it is typically paper products.
Second, the food travels only 40 miles or less on average. Compare that to the 1,400 miles that food items in a grocery store average! That is hugely different. If a family started eating locally it would be equal to removing approximately 17 cars from the highways each year. Now THAT was the clincher for me.
Last, the local diet, though less fanfare without some magic cooking wand, is far healthier. Local farmer's markets, in my limited experience, rarely carry too many animal products. I am no vegan, but I have been an off-and-on vegetarian and my energy levels are higher, my brain functions are better, and my digestive system is far happier. Farmer's markets force us to get out, communicate with the farmers in our area, and eat healthier.
Here are some tips:
- Check for your local farmers at one of these sites: www.localharvest.org or here.
- Tell your friends about it to generate momentum for the market in your area.
- Keep a reusable canvas bag to shop with instead of using plastic bags, or simply opt for a paper bag.
- Here's an oldy but goody: recycle. It seems we all have fallen off of this habit. Even though we buy reusable products, they usually end up in the garbage just the same. Because it ends up in the garbage doesn't ensure that it gets recycled.
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