Green choices - what we eat

[part 2 in a series - continued from yesterday]

Buying fruits and vegetables produced within a few hundred miles of your home consumes a lot less oil and generates a lot less pollution than produce from across the country or across the ocean. Given the limited selection in colder climates, opting for U.S. grown winter produce from across the country is a greener choice than produce from overseas. In the warmer months, we have farmers’ markets.

CSAs (community supported agriculture) are another option for local produce. This link gives information on how CSAs work and has additional links to find CSAs near you. CSAs work by subscription. For example, person A gets a subscription to Joe’s Farm for 20 weeks of crops. During the growing season, Joe’s Farm makes regular deliveries to a city or suburban location where A and other subscribers can pick up their box of produce for the week. Selection and quantity varies depending on what is ready for picking that week. Subscribers are effectively shareholders in the farm, providing capital for the farm’s operating costs and sharing its risks. They get an opportunity to reconnect with the natural cycle of growth and to share in the bounty if the year’s crop yield is exceptionally good. The farmer gains financial security, gets a better price for crops, and can spend more time and energy on farming that might otherwise be diverted by marketing efforts.

Another installment tomorrow...