Become a Locavore   Buy Local and Consume Foods that Require Less Energy to Produce?   How does buying local really work? Think of it as a circle filled with rings.   ○ The inner circle, foods grown at home.   ○ The second circle, foods grown in our community.   ○ The third circle, foods grown in our province or state. ○ The fourth one, foods grown in the next closest province or state.   ○ The fifth one, foods grown in our country. And so on.   ○ For foods that are not grown locally, (bananas, fish, seafood), we will have to move beyond these circles.     Note: Frozen fruits and vegetables are the best choice when choosing out of season foods:   ○ Try to buy locally produced or better yet, if you have the time and patience, try freezing them yourself. ○ Frozen foods are grown, ripened, and immediately frozen, along with their vitamins and minerals. ○ Steamed for a few minutes (or defrosted if they don’t need cooking), they provide us with next best thing to fresh ○ Frozen berries in the winter are a great dessert and smoothie food. ○ Frozen broccoli, brussel sprouts, and other cruciferous veggies can take us a long way in the winter. ○ If you are a meat eater, get together with your friends and family, find a local farm, and buy in bulk.   Note: The cultivation of red meat and dairy causes more greenhouse gas emissions than any other food group, whether locally cultivated or not. Let's cut back on red meat.   Buying Local does not necessarily mean organic, grain fed, or sustainable. But lets work on it.

Let's reduce our “ecological footprint". We can now measure the resources needed to grow crops and distribute food. That measurement is called our  ecological footprint. We can reduce our footprint by buying local.  It is hard to imagine that each of us can make a big difference, but we can. Let's help maintain a healthy environment by reducing pollution. When we buy food that is grown, produced, and sold locally, we are doing just that. We reduce packaging, stocking, and transportation of food. Let's cut back on red meat and dairy. They top transportation as the main contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. Let's help our local economy prosper and buy local. Watch businesses thrive and jobs be saved and/or created. By supporting our local economy, we support ourselves and one another. Let's be more aware. Where and how is our food grown and produced? Let’s connect to the process, the environment in which food is grown, and to the people who grow and cultivate it. Let’s teach our children how to grow tomatoes, basil, parsley, and whatever other foods we can grow in a garden, on a rooftop, or a balcony. Let's enjoy the better taste of our locally grown foods.  When fresh food is transported from other areas or countries, it has to be picked before it ripens. After being packaged and transported, it has aged, is less fresh, and has ripened in unnatural conditions. Fruits and vegetables have seasons. Let’s buy local, fresh, and in season.