Social, Economical, and Environmental Impacts of Buying Local and Organic

The first time I was introduced to the idea of eating local and organic to decrease negative impacts on the environment, was while doing research on global warming. I was taking a technical writing class to keep my mind active during a short stint as a receptionist…The final class project was to pretend to be a researcher for a Virginia senator and write a two-page report about global warming.  While I’ve been concerned about conservation since I was a child—buying “save the rainforests” pencils from the Cleveland Zoo in third grade, always turning off lights when I left a room, cutting plastic six-pack rings to save the turtles, and shutting off the water while I brushed my teeth—it was the global warming report that made I realize all the things I wasn’t doing. I began to understand that simple lifestyle patterns or actions, such as paying attention to the food I am buying, have a great impact on the planet.

What I gathered from reading different articles about global warming, buying local foods can reduce my impact on the environment.  Buying from local farmers will support my community’s economy, and cause less pollution and demand less energy for transportation.  Buying USDA certified organic food means antibiotics, steroids, and pesticides are not used in the production of the food, thus I will not ingest unnecessary chemicals.  Also, pesticides will not get into the soil, water, and air.  

So how much exactly do my food-buying decisions impact the planet?  Based on the footprint calculators I did two weeks ago, my food-buying decisions need to be improved.  Food was my second and third to worst category in both the ecological and carbon footprint calculators.  After reading articles on line and developing my blog for this week, I’ve come to realize how little I know about the impacts of changing from “conventional” food to organic and local, the specific details about what is considered organic and local, and what new findings and current news in the food business.  It has been a hot topic for some years now and it’s about time I get up to speed.  There is a journal article all over the Internet that is based on a study done in the UK on organic food vs. conventional food.  The journal article basically says it was found that organic foods do not have higher nutritional value than conventional food.  But this is not what I’m after.  I want to know the environmental and economical impacts the growing, storing, transporting, and selling of food.  This is going to take time to sift through information and find out what studies have been done to support the importance of buying local and organic food.  I want to know specifically, the pros and cons of local vs. non-local, of organic vs. conventional, and of local vs. organic. 

Next week's blog will contain a summary of my findings, both research in journal articles and news articles, and real-life research as an Alexandria resident, i.e., I will attempt to purchase only local and/or organic foods for five days straight (Friday – Tuesday).  I will talk about my experience, the pros and cons, and how I will move forward to make better food-buying decisions and in the end, reduce my guilt.

My Footprint

Carbon Footprint TM

On average, if everyone were like me, we would need 5 Earths! Absurd?  Not really.  If everyone in the world had the lifestyle of the typical American, we would need 7 Earths.  These estimates are based off of my calculated ecological and my carbon footprints. The ecological footprint calculation measures the amount of land and water it takes to provide and replenish our ecological resources and services. The results are shown in acres (in the U.S.).  For example one of the calculators I used showed that if everyone in the world lived my lifestyle it would take 22.9 acres or 7.5 Earths to sustain everyone.

The carbon footprint calculation isn’t as all-inclusive.  It only accounts for greenhouse gas emissions—our direct use of fossil fuels for things such as gasoline, and our indirect use of fossil fuels to manufacture, transport, and dispose (lifecycle) of products we buy. The carbon footprint calculator provides results measured in tons of CO2.

I calculated my ecological footprint using four calculators and my carbon footprint using four different calculators, all of which showed disappointing results.  I'm a wasteful person who drives too much and eats too much meat. In all but one calculation, I was below the American average, which is not saying much since Americans typically have a footprint that is more than double the global average.  Generally speaking, each calculator asked similar questions--they differed in the level of specificity required in my answers and how my answers were calculated.  I was able to find trends in the calculations which I will talk about in a short overview of my results below.  (Details about each calculator are provided at the bottom of my blog)

TODAi--my favorite Asian buffet

The ecological footprint results showed that I need to improve in the areas of food, i.e., I need to buy local, organic, and eat out less, and services, i.e., I need to find sources of entertainment that require less natural resources, like going for a walk instead of going to Target to binge shop.
The carbon footprint calculations showed that I need to decrease the amount of traveling that requires a lot of fossil fuels, i.e., visit my family in Pennsylvania less and bike to work more.  My average score was 21.  Which is nothing to write home about...although I do have to mention that the results of one calculator was very different from the others, which skewed my average.

Stuck in traffic on I-70

Now that the reasons for my guilt have become a reality and have been clearly displayed on my computer screen, it's time for me to make some changes.  Based on these results I'll tackle food first, then services, then transportation. Next week, I'll write about the changes I've made to my food-shopping habits, and how much the changes affect my ecological and carbon footprints.

About the Blog

Growing up on the edge of the Allegheny National Forest, among black bears, bald eagles, pristine streams, clear starry skies, and other natural surroundings, instilled in me love and respect for the environment. As an adult, I have become more and more aware of how our every day behaviors have significant impacts on the environment.  Things like driving work, using styrofoam products and sleeping with the television on aren't of much concern when one person does it, but when it is the norm for entire society the impacts are significant. This semester I will blog about my quest to trounce my "green guilt."  I will be discovering ways to make lifestyle changes to decrease my impact on the environment.  I'll talk about how my quality of life is affected, the strain on my checking account, and if I'm actually decreasing my impact. Each week, I will blog about a new topic, it will range from product reviews, to commentary on a study, to interviews with a local farmer.