TonkelWhyWorry?

The food we eat today appears so conveniently, for many it doesn’t even cross their mind that most of the food we eat travels hundreds or even thousands of miles before it reaches our table. This naivety as to where our food comes from as well as to whom the food is made, grown or prepared by is the center of a much larger environmental issue. People don’t know what has been used to grow their food. There are many chemicals that can be used make products grow. It used to be that people had very personal relationships with their local farmers and bakers. A relationship based on trust and friendship that ensured the quality of the food they ate. Two concepts have come about with this new way of getting our food. The first is food miles, in which everything one eats has a calculated carbon footprint. The further an item travels or the even the way it is stored or prepared creates an increase in the foods carbon emissions by the time it reaches your table. According to a study done in Germany on the energy difference of growing apples locally vs. importing them from New Zealand, locally grown apples require less energy to bring to the consumer. This energy can then be transferred into carbon emissions. ([|www.springerlink.com/content/t08226203037g0l6/fulltext.pdf]) This then helps address the second issue of buying local. As the previous article points out “ social factors such as local employment and product traceability, fruit quality assurance …and fruit availability” add to the sustainability of purchasing locally grown food.

An article titled “What is Local?” does a great job adding to this thought process. It states that “ Communities reap more economic benefits from the presence of small farms than they do from large ones. Studies have shown that small farms re-invest more money into local economies by purchasing feed, seed and other materials from local businesses, whereas large farms often order in bulk from distant companies. Large factory livestock farms also degrade local property values because of the intense odors they emit and other environmental problems they cause.” ( [|www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/]  )

The problems doesn’t create such drastic problems that create disasters, however, the problem can be dealt with on a very personal level and reduce overall carbon emissions.

The best way to solve the problem is by showing people the benefits of buying local through advertising campaigns.

· between production and transportation, growing 10% more produce for local consumption in Iowa would result in an annual savings ranging from 280,000 to 346,000 gallons of fuel, and an annual reduction in CO2 emissions ranging from 6.7 to 7.9 million pounds · In 1866, 1,186 varieties of fruits and vegetables were produced in California. Today, California's farms produce only 350 commercial crops. · A typical carrot has to travel 1,838 miles to reach your dinner table. · Farmers' markets enable farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer. (www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/) · There are 23 categories of pesticides specified by the epa, which each cover many different chemicals. ( [|www.epa.gov/opp00001/about/types.htm]  ) · Farmers markets are great ways to buy local. Bibliography

Blanke, Micheal, and Bernhard Burdick. "Food (miles) for Thought." Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . EditDelete "Buy Local, local food is sustainable - The Issues - Sustainable Table." Web. 11 Feb. 2010. . EditDelete "Types of Pesticides | Pesticides | US EPA." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. .