As the trend for global environmental sustainability develops, food choices and consumption are recognized as one of the primary sources of the earth’s everyday polluting activities that occur as a result of humans (Carlsson-Kanyama, 2003). In order to combat climate change, contributions from the food sector must be stabilized, as greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture as well as food processing and transportation are substantial (Carlsson-Kanyama, 2003). Complexities arise, however, as the global human population has come to increasingly depend on distant food sources as primary forms of nourishment; “in the last 40 years, the value of international trade in food has tripled, and the tonnage of food shipped between nations has grown fourfold, while population has only doubled” (Halweil, 2002, Pg. 6).
In order to understand the ecological harm of human food consumption, life cycle analyses (LCA) have been conducted in order to assess the complete environmental impacts by accounting for each stage of its development process (Jungbluth, 2000). Life cycle analyses offer important implications regarding consumer food choices and decision-making processes, as well as for the environmental sustainability of the consumption of local food (Jungbluth, 2000). Finally, LCA’s are valuable for incorporating environmental components in the development of sustainable food systems (Andersson, 2000).
The environmental efficiency of local food consumption is currently a topic of debate. Proponents of local diets maintain that local foods are more ecologically sustainable because they greatly minimize the energy inputs from transportation and processing, while economic and social benefits are also important consequences to community settings (Halweil, 2002). On the other hand, economists purport that global food markets maximize efficiency by providing consumers the opportunity to purchase products from lowest-cost producers, utilizing supply-and-demand as primary regulators of global food economics (Halweil, 2002). Further, the climates of different regions are not capable of supporting a wide variety of agricultural production, limiting the scope of local product availability; likewise, some areas suffer too many environmental stressors like pollution that inhibit the land from supporting local communities (Bellows, 1999).
The nature of local food consumption is consequently complex in nature concerning the environmental impacts of its widespread adoption. Taking into account the variety of implications regarding local food, I am pleased with my decision to incorporate a radius of 100 miles into my project’s criteria. I have certainly minimized my ecological “footprint” as my foods have travelled minimally from nearby sources, eliminating substantial energy inputs from transportation. Likewise, I purchase the majority of my foods in their purest or “rawest” forms, further reducing the processing and packaging that contributes to climate change.
The landscape of northwestern Pennsylvania is bountiful and can support a wide variety of agricultural products, especially during the harvest season. It is not capable of sustaining the growth of all foods, however, and it may be more environmentally efficient for some foods to be shipped from far away as opposed to being grown here where they are not suited (like kiwis). Yet perhaps the most environmentally efficient diet is one that goes without crops that are not supported by local regions. The strict criteria of my project have caused me to become a more determined and confident person, as I have demonstrated a large amount of self-control through my dedication to a local diet. Though it is unreasonable to believe that every region on earth can support a healthy and well-rounded diet for its human inhabitants, people should nevertheless explore the extents of their local cuisine, and reap the benefits of a more satisfying and environmentally sustainable diet.
Works Cited
Andersson, K. (2000). “LCA of Food Products and Production Systems.” MIIM LCA Ph.D.
Club. Pgs. 239-48.
Bellows, A.C. (1999). “Urban Food, Health, and the Environment: the Case of Upper Silesia,
Poland.” For Hunger-Proof Cities: Sustainable Urban Food Systems. Ed. Mustafa Koc, Rod MacRae, Luc J.A. Mougeot, and Jennifer Welsh. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa.
Carlsson-Kanyama, A., Ekstrom, M.P., and Shanahan, H. (March 2003). “Food and Life Cycle
Energy Inputs: Consequences of Diet and Ways to Increase Efficiency.” Ecological Economics vol. 44 issues 2-3. Pgs. 293-307.
Halweil, B., and Prugh, T. (2002). Home Grown: The Case for Local Food in a Global Market.
State of the World Library. The Worldwatch Institute.
Jungbluth, N., Tietje, O., and Scholz, R.W. “Food Purchases: Impacts from the Consumers’
Point of View Investigated with a Modular LCA.” LCA Case Studies. Natural and Social Science Interface (UNS), Dept. of Environmental Sciences, ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Pgs. 134-42.
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