An Apple's Ecological Footprint

Want to know an easy way you can dramatically shrink your shoe size? And in turn shrink your ecological footprint?

Buy local produce. That simple.

Check out this exert from David Suzuki' and David R. Boyd's Green Guide

An Apple's Ecological Footprint

    Consider two seemingly similar apples. One apple grew on a tree in your backyard (or your neighbours) using nothing but sunshine, compost, and rainfall, relying on natural processes to avoid disease and pest infestations. When the apple was ripe you simply picked it and ate it.

The other apple grew on a commercial farm in another country. This apple was grown in soil that required chemical fertilizers and irrigation to nourish the tree. Pesticides made from fossil fuels were used to battle pests and diseases. Large machinery powered by dirty diesel fuel was used  on the farm, along with migrant labour. The apple was waxed, packed in a box, and shipped thousands of kilometers to your country (using more energy and generating more emissions). Then it was trucked to a distribution center and eventually to a store. All along the line, the apple was refrigerated to keep it fresh, using yet more energy. You drove to the store to purchase groceries and returned home, where you ate this second, noticeably less tasty apple.

The local apple obviously requires far fewer resources to grow, harvest, transport, and store. By using less energy, it causes less pollution. In short, the local apple has a much smaller ecological footprint than the imported apple.

I think it helps to be reminded from time to time, that such a small action, like purchasing most of your groceries from your local farmers market, can make such a huge difference.

As they say in the Green Guide:

"When one person or a few dedicated environmentalists do it (any positive change), the effects are negligible. But when an entire community, state, or nation make the switch, the impact can be enormous... No one sets out to deliberately ruin the planet, but to varying degrees we are all part of the problem. In many ways, through ignorance, laziness (I hate laziness!), or indifference, our actions add up to a destructive effect. Once we become aware of the impact humanity is having, the challenge is to deliberately change deeply ingrained habits."

So this weekend, take a backpack, get on your bike, and ride down to your local farmers market. And you have to try the apples, they're my favourite thing to buy at the farmers market - so much better! I'm lucky enough to have an organic farmers market on every Sunday, within 1km of my place. Get on google if you're not sure where your local farmers market is.