Food

FOOD- The first question as far as reducing your greenhouse gases when shopping for food is- how far has this product traveled? I'm still trying to cut my GHG's on a skateboard.

Food can be divided into categories as below:-

• Food grown in your own backyard- if you can grow food in you own backyard using minimal insecticides and weedicides, possibly in a permaculture method is the best way to obtain food. This can be a couple of herb pots to a full and abundant vegetable garden. Let's be inspired by Jamie Oliver when he is cooking in the garden amongst his home grown veges- how good is he!

• Food sourced from local farmers' markets- the advantage of markets is that the food is local, in season, usually heaps fresher- it will last longer as it hasn't done the traveling as some supermarket items. You are supporting smaller suppliers, you get to know them and trust them. They use minimal packaging that often can be returned to them for reuse. Some markets are organic but not all. Check out:
  Farmers market.org for a locality guide or in Sydney- the organic market guide is Organic Food Markets.
  

• Food sourced from bulk food stores, e.g.bulk health food coops- the advantages are that you can buy larger quantities which may reduce packaging or you can take your own containers. Health food stores are usually conscious of other issues like packaging, recycling and fair trade- to name a few. They usually stock organic or bio-dynamic- foods grown using sustainable farming methods which is environmental friendly or carbon neutral.

• Food from supermarkets- consider when shopping is it from local suppliers or is it imported? Imported perishable products usually come by air-freight which is more carbon intensive than non-perishables that come by ship. In the near future there will be labeling as to the greenhouse gases emitted in the production and transport of each product. Supermarkets and variety store outlets are already doing this in the UK, Europe and USA.
  
  
• Ingredients- one ingredient I have to mention of which there are many that have a direct or indirect affect on the environment is palm oil. At present the palm oil industry is growing very fast at the detriment of rain-forests and their inhabitants in Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil is used in biofuels, foods and soaps. Palm oil in foods is often not labeled instead it reads vegetable oil. So, it must read "palm oil free" or sustainable palm oil clearly. Just another thing to think about, but if you really take the time and checkout this website, orangutan.org.au and the various clips, it will soon be very clear what is important!