The idea of buying our food as close to home sounds like an environmentally friendly and ethical thing to do. After all, we need to support the local farmers, and the transportation of produce over long distances uses up fossil fuels and pollutes the environment.
However, it isn't as simple as that. Sometimes it is better to buy from longer distances. For instance, it uses less energy to buy rice from Asia, even factoring in shipping costs, than to buy it from California...because farming in California is so energy intensive. There are a great deal of products that are better bought imported.
Foods flown in on air freight are the most wasteful, but foods (like fruit from Central or South America) brought in on ships are 10 times more energy efficient than shipped on trucks. So, actually, it can be more responsible to buy oranges from Panama than Florida. You do not have to feel so guilty eating pineapples, bananas, etc. imported anymore, as long as they come in on container ships, which they do.
Another consideration is which farmers do we want to support. Buying locally we may be helping local farmers send their kids to college. Buying from Central America and we may be helping those farmers send their kids to elementary school...and feed and clothe them.
I am leaving out a lot of details, but you get the point. It isn't as simple as we think when it comes to making the best choice of where and what foods to buy. I think the bottom line is to reduce or eliminate animal products as much as possible and consume more fruits and veggies...if we are trying to be more friendly to our planet.
However, it isn't as simple as that. Sometimes it is better to buy from longer distances. For instance, it uses less energy to buy rice from Asia, even factoring in shipping costs, than to buy it from California...because farming in California is so energy intensive. There are a great deal of products that are better bought imported.
Foods flown in on air freight are the most wasteful, but foods (like fruit from Central or South America) brought in on ships are 10 times more energy efficient than shipped on trucks. So, actually, it can be more responsible to buy oranges from Panama than Florida. You do not have to feel so guilty eating pineapples, bananas, etc. imported anymore, as long as they come in on container ships, which they do.
Another consideration is which farmers do we want to support. Buying locally we may be helping local farmers send their kids to college. Buying from Central America and we may be helping those farmers send their kids to elementary school...and feed and clothe them.
I am leaving out a lot of details, but you get the point. It isn't as simple as we think when it comes to making the best choice of where and what foods to buy. I think the bottom line is to reduce or eliminate animal products as much as possible and consume more fruits and veggies...if we are trying to be more friendly to our planet.
No comments:
Post a Comment