My Goals

To share eco tips &
To discuss changes we can make.


Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Think Globally, Buy Locally

I was watching Stuff Happens on Green Planet today and was amazed to hear that "cows—produce more greenhouse gasses each year than cars, trains, and airplanes combined". That's crazy. I had no idea.

Bill Nye hosts the show and he says that we need to be concerned with what our farmers are feeding our cows. Apparently, feeding them garlic can cut the methane gas produced by cows dramatically. However, farmers probably won't take the initiative until we, the consumers demand it.

So, what can we do? Eat less red meat! That will force the farmers to change. Same goes for food in general. When we stop buying food shipped in from overseas and start buying locally, it will force the stores to carry only locally grown and raised foods. This cuts down our "food miles" or how far food has to travel to get to us. Cutting down these miles can only help the environment because we'll be using less fossil fuel in delivery, less non-recyclable packaging needed to keep food fresh longer, less refrigeration time, thus less energy and pollutants altogether.

1 comment:

kiwimeg said...

The other good thing about buying locally produced goods is that it supports your local economy. It means that you, and your neighbours become better off. It means there are more local jobs, more local businesses, a stronger community.

If you buy locally produced goods from locally owned businesses you keep your money in your community. You don't have to travel so far for your shopping - it keeps your costs and your carbon footprint down.