GreenYour.com

When you buy local produce you boost the vitality of regional agricultural and the local economy while minimizing your carbon footprint.

How to buy local produce

1. Educate yourself: Most people have no idea where there food comes from-hint, WholeFoods is not an acceptable answer! The Meatrix, The Local Food Directory Resource, and The Sustainable Table are great resources for inquisitive foodies who want to study up on local agriculture and seasonal produce.
2. Visit a farmers' market: Stopping by an open-air farmers' market or green market can be a literal breath of fresh air, particularly for urban dwellers unfamiliar with the bucolic charms of a roadside produce stand. It not only offers seasonal food, often picked that morning but a chance for consumers to interact directly with the farmers. Typically, established farmers' markets take place on a once-weekly basis, often on weekends, in places like parks, town squares, or parking lots. Some farmers' markets, such as Seattle's Pike Place Market and Farmers Market in Los Angeles operate on a daily basis in an established location. New York City's Greenmarkets can be found in almost 50 locations throughout the five boroughs. FarmersMarket.com, LocalHarvest, and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) guide to farmers' markets are all good resources to help you find a farmers' market near you.
3. Join a CSA: Joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm is an intimate way for consumers to connect with local producers. When consumers join a CSA they become a "share-holder" or "subscriber," allowing them to act as a guardian of the farm's welfare and, in essence, making the farm truly community-based. CSA members usually make a payment at the beginning of the year and in exchange receive a weekly or monthly supply of produce and other farm products. Find a CSA farm near you at LocalHarvest, Food Routes, or at the Eat Well Guide.
4. Buy produce that is in season: By eating with the seasons, you can experience foods at their peak taste all year long. If you shop at farmers markets you're pretty much guaranteed to be eating seasonally. For a list of foods for spring, summer, and fall, check out Eating With the Seasons from "Organic Gardening." Winter is a difficult season for eating locally in many regions where your choices might be squash, potatoes, onions, beets, and carrots, but there's a lot you can do with those hardy veggies, so get creative!

Did you know?

A locavore is someone who seeks out locally-produced food whenever possible, preferring to eat that which is fresh and seasonal—qualities inherent in local food.[1]

Buying local produce helps you go green because...

• Whether transported by air, land, or sea, the global produce trade is fuel-intensive and adds to mounting levels of greenhouse gases. Choosing produce grown close to home diminishes the eco-perils associated with long-distance transportation.
• Many smaller local growers use fewer pesticides and practice sustainable farming methods even if they aren't formally accredited with the organic seal.
• Buying produce from a farmers' market or from a farm itself often involves less packaging.

In the United States, 90 percent of domestic produce is transported by truck.[2] In 2002, transport of agricultural goods by truck was responsible for an estimated one percent of emissions generated by American freight trucking.[3] Next to air freight, moving produce by truck is the least environmentally-friendly.

Glossary

• persistent organic pollutants: POPs are toxic chemicals that were, and in some instances still are, used in agriculture for pest and disease control and crop production, as well as in manufacturing. Although many POPs have been banned, they remain in the environment and global food chain, easily traveling via wind and water.[4]

External links

• Chews Wise
• The Daily Table
• EatLocalChallange.com
• Eat Low Carbon Use this fun interactive tool to find out how your diet's contributing to climate change.
• Food Routes
• The National Agriculture Library
• Organic Schmorganic
• Natural Resources Defense Council - Is Organic Food Worth It?
• Pollan, Michael (2007) ÿ62ÿThe Omnivore's Dilemnaÿ63ÿ New York, New York: The Penguin Group - a great read on various scales of food production and the pros and cons of eating local and organic.