NRDC promotes local food

by Julie Cummins

I was listening to KQED radio (San Francisco) this morning and heard a piece about food miles. Did anyone hear it? They referred to a recent Natural Resources Defense Council study that showed that local is better. Despite our ability to grow an abundance of crops year-round in our region, according to the study, most winter produce in California supermarkets is shipped from so far away (Chile and other Southern Hemisphere locations) that, all else being equal, you have a lower carbon footprint if you buy local, even if the modes of transport are less fuel-efficient. It said something like that, anyway. I hadn't had any high-carbon-emission coffee yet, so I can't be sure. I looked around on the web and couldn't find the story, but I did find this pdf on the NRDC site. It has an interesting chart about some of our biggest import crops, their transport methods, and their pollution potential.

NRDC also has this excellent seasonality page on its site. Select your state and the month, and you get a list of what produce is in season in your area! (Even in Alaska, they have local carrots and potatoes right now. I just had to check.)

Julie Cummins lives in Oakland, CA and is Director of Education for the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA).

Comments

[Kim Ranney, NRDC]

Great post! Thanks for linking to NRDC's Eat Local feature. Here's the information on California food miles:

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/camiles/contents.asp

[Myrto Ashe]

I'm loving reading the posts and comments on this site. Each little link helps me source local foods. We are still very much in the planning stages for conversion to local eating, as the markets have closed until May, and we have not managed to secure a share from one of the few CSAs that offer winter shares locally. However, the increased awareness has been a lot of fun.

If you live in the Boulder, CO area, please help me out with any local sources you know of. You can post comments at www.ecoyear.net.
Myrto Ashe

[Katrina]

I heard it and sat at my desk grinning and clapping. Thanks for blogging it!

[Almost Vegetarian]

Interesting. I hear the debates, but it seems to obvious to me that locally purchased foods are good for us, our families, our community, and our planet.

Cheers!

[Almost Vegetarian]

Interesting. I hear the debates, but it seems to obvious to me that locally purchased foods are good for us, our families, our community, and our planet.

Cheers!

[Wicked Good Dinner]

Popping in to wish you a Happy New Year!!

-Dawn

[Alex Kennaugh, NRDC]

For those reading this post who are interested in more simple steps that you can take in your life to protect your health and the planete--even if you have just a minute--visit NRDC's newest initiative called Simple Steps at www.simplesteps.org. It's a great introduction to how to live a more balanced life without too much heavy policy talk!