Think Local!

Last week I covered organic food and its important role in the fight against global warming, soil degradation and yucky nasty poisons.

Here’s a little tid bit to mull over….

TO Do This Week

So you’re in your favourite grocery store and you’ve made a bee-line to the organic produce section. Five gold stars to you! You’re scanning the produce. Those cherries look tasty don’t they? Wait! They’re from Chile. How many miles did they travel to get to you? Did they fly? Were they transmitted by freight ship? Truck?

What’s the Big Deal? How many GHG emissions were pumped into the atmosphere so you can enjoy those delicious organic cherries? And most importantly, how many gold stars do you lose for buying them?

I know. I’m no fun.

Suggestions. The best scenario is to buy local organic. If you haven’t noticed already, this is easier said than done. Depending on where you live and time of year, most organic produce comes from other parts of the planet.

- Try your best to buy from your province or state or the region closest to you. Is it better to buy organic from Chile or non-organic from your state or province? That’s up to you, but personally, I think that local is better than half-way around the world.

- Consider buying from a farmers’ market. Chances are the produce is local. You could also try an organic home delivery company. The advantage to this is that they tend to work with local organic farms. Not only are you making a difference in reducing your GHG emissions, you are supporting your local/regional economy. We use WOW box in Toronto and it’s great!

- Grow your own! If you have a back yard and love to garden, perfect! I am by no means an expert in this area, although we do grow herbs in pots on our porch. I encourage you to check out: Organic Gardening. If you know of another great source for organic gardening, please pass it along!

Two Thumbs Up!
I give Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth two thumbs and eight fingers up. Ok – maybe one finger down for being slightly partisan. I don’t mind that so much. It just might be a bit much for our progressive conservative friends (but that shouldn’t dissuade them from seeing it!) The film presents clear evidence of global warming and provides an empowering message in the end. And heck, Al’s funny! Click here for a list of where it’s playing in North America.

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