Eat Seasonal & Local: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

So you’re already recycling and being mindful of your waste, but you’re wondering what else you can do to take your sustainability initiatives to the next level, try introducing more locally grown, seasonal foods into your diet. You’ll be surprised at not only how fresh the ingredients are, but how doing so can significantly reduce your carbon footprint and save you money.

Photo by Peter Wendt on Unsplash

Why Are Local & Seasonal Foods More Sustainable?

Some foods travel far distances just to get into your grocery store and it takes a lot of energy & resources for it to get there. In order for those ingredients to arrive fresh, it not only requires fast shipping, but refrigeration too– and not all the food makes it without spoiling, so purchasing local can save on food waste.

Other Reasons to Stay In Season:

It’s less expensive

Local food sometimes can be more expensive but when it is in season, it is at peak supply and much cheaper!

Seasonal foods are just better for you

Local produce is fresher, tastes better, and is much more nutritious. When foods don’t have to travel far distances, they can be eaten sooner after picking which is when they have the highest nutrient content. They also don’t require as much processing to stay fresh.

Supports local business

Buying local and seasonal produce supports your local community and helps support the farmers in the area.

You’ll find new recipes & get in touch with the local culture

Using the local food is a great way to learn the cultural foods in your area and can inspire you to find new recipes and swap out ingredients for your own flavor.

My Tips For Finding Seasonal Selects:

• Find a local farmers market and shop directly from the source. I love my local market as they often give me recipe recommendations and offer tips for the best cooking practices with the seasonal foods.

• If you live in the US, try browsing on seasonalfoodguide.org. You can type in your home state and the search will show you all the fresh foods in your area and the months they are in season

Stuff your reusable bags with the greener eating strategy by opting for local & seasonal foods. Making the change has a variety of benefits, but for me, lowering our carbon footprint is reason enough!

For reusable bag recommendations, check out my article about the NJ Bag Ban for great grocery store totes!