Shopping Locally
An Environmental Problem
Fresh Produce
Shipping
GMOs
GMOs+ Your fresh produce= Gross!
Buying locally encourages positive impact on the environment as well as on your community and local farmers. Food often travels many miles by plane or truck to get to the destination where it can be sold to consumers. By buying locally you can help decrease the fossil fuel exhaust impact. Also, local food requires less packaging, which means less plastic wrap and garbage in the landfill. Another environmental benefit of buying locally is the wildlife conservation. Farms and farmland are generally natural wildlife reserves and house many creatures in its natural features such as ponds and fertile soil.
Besides environmental benefits there are also many community and quality advantages of buying local food. Locally grown food is more nutritious and better tasting. It doesn't have as much distance to travel and is usually delivered hours after it is picked to be sold. The longer fresh food sits, the more nutrients it loses. In the time it takes non local food to travel, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and it losses vitamins. Locally grown food is less likely to be a victim of the controversial GMOs.
Because genetically modified organisms are a new science to the 21st century, there are many unknown and potentially dangerous side effects of these fake genetics. There have been multiple experiments done regarding GMOs. These have showed many health problems aroused by GMOS. There is no direct research to back this, but since 1996 the number of people with three or more chronic illnesses jumped 6 percent along with autism, birth deformities, and food allergies. Doctors and the AAEM strongly recommend to stay away from GMOs.
Ships transport 90% of products that are sold in super markets. These ships can release toxic emissions into the air that can cause different types of cancers, breathing problems, and even premature death.These ships release literally tons of fuels into the air each hour and these emissions are considered 4% or more of human-caused global warming issues. Along with air pollution, these ships are also polluting coastlines and oceans with sewage and other toxins. Fuel burned then released by ships is 1,000 times dirtier than diesel, which is used by trucks and buses and just one ship can generate more smog-causing fuels than 350,000 new cars. In general, purchasing products locally, from small business, farms, or markets, can strongly reduce the effect of shipping, and will also encourage and support your community.