The Skinny >>

Here’s one we’ve heard before: “The average American meal travels about 1500 miles to get from farm to plate” (CUESA). For a typical carrot it’s more like 1800 (Sustainable Table). I don’t feel good traveling that kind of distance and neither does our produce, not to mention the greenhouse gas emissions involved in the journey.

According to Steven L. Hopp in his wife Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, if every U.S. citizen ate one meal a week composed of locally, organically raised food, we would reduce American oil use by a million barrels every week.

And it’s not just transportation: “As much as forty percent of the energy used in the food system goes towards the production of chemical fertilizers and pesticides” (Sustainable Table).

By supporting sustainable agriculture you say a big yes to healthy water and soil, biodiversity, pesticide-free food and the important work of small farmers.

Work It >>

• Shop your local farmers’ market where the food is farm-fresh, delicious, healthy and trucked from much less of a distance. Even if a small farmer can’t afford the USDA organic label, a simple conversation will let you know if it’s pesticide-free and grown with the earth and your health in mind. Supporting small farmers usually means supporting biodiversity and good soil and saying no to monocrops and mass production. And if you shop with your own tote, you say goodbye to packaging to top it off.

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between growers and eaters. You support a farm that’s doing things right, it delivers its bounty to your door (or drop-off location).  Here’s one we have recommended in California .

• Look for the label. When buying from a grocery store, look for the organic label. That means it’s certified not to contain synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, GMOs (genetically-modified organisms), antibiotics or other baddies you don’t want in your food or in the world. Then check the sticker to see if it’s grown close to home. In the ongoing question about which is better—local or organic, go with your gut. But if it’s shipped from New Zealand, it’s probably not a great choice. Grist has a super article weighing in on the debate here.

• Pick your produce carefully. Make sure it’s in season if, for some reason, you can’t get to the local market that week. The NRDC’s database can help you choose what’s fresh in your area today.

• If you’re not in sunny Southern California where we eat pretty much everything all year round, do what you can. Local Harvest is an excellent resource to find sustainably produced food of all kinds in your neck of the woods.

• Buy in bulk. If you have an organic bulk bin near you, you’re in luck. Not only can you get loads of your favorite organic pastas, grains, sweeteners and nuts, you can shop sans packaging by bringing your own sacks and you’ll save cash to boot.

Resources we recommend:

• Food, Inc.

• The Future of Food

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

• American Farmland Trust

• Organic Consumers Association

Earn Your Stripes >>

Be a super locavore and try a 100 mile diet on for size.

Volunteer at a sustainable farm once in a lifetime or once a month. Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) can help you do it. Or maybe there’s a Crop Mob assembling near you.

Related Content >>

• Decoding Green Labels Part One (Market & Makeover)

• On the Menu: Sustainable, Local, Friendly Food

• Tierra Miguel Foundation CSA: Supporting a Local Farm Near You

• Bulking Up Never Felt So Good

• Cheers to Local and Sustainable Beers

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