When we go to the grocery store in the dead of winter, there is just as much fresh produce available as there is at harvest time. A little bit of this produce is local (root vegetables like potatoes and carrots can be stored for months in the proper conditions) but most of it has arrived by airplane and truck from California, Florida and even as far away as South America. Long distance transport of food adds significantly to the carbon footprint of our dinners.
It wasn’t always like this. When my parents were growing up, winter brought a reduction in options for fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables were mainly available only in frozen or canned form. Before the widespread availability of electricity canned fruits and vegetables were the only options in winter and spring. The growth of our transportaion infrastructure has allowed us to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables year round, but at a considerable cost to our environment.
The 100 mile diet (www.100milediet.org) has become a popular way to try to reduce the carbon emissions caused by our diet. The basic idea is to only consume foods produced within 100 miles of your home. In many ways, this means going back to the diets of our grandparents. For those of us who live in locations with a harsh winter climate, this means the consumption of a lot of meat during the cold months of the year, because there is little local produce available. The large scale production of meat is very energy intensive, and comes with its own carbon cost, so the carbon benefits of the 100 mile diet in the dead of winter are less clear.
Summer time is another story. Local carrots, potatoes, strawberries and corn are now available in Winnipeg. Later will come raspberries, saskatoons, apples and a plethora of other vegetables. Local produce tastes so much better than produce that has spent days or weeks on a truck from southern California. Paul’s Fresh Fruit is a seasonal produce stand that operates every summer on Portage Avenue next to the YMCA near our house. Paul is our principal supplier of fruits and vegtetables as long as the stand is open. Farmers markets are also great places to find local produce.
I can’t see myself sticking to a 100 mile diet in the winter, but during the summer local produce increases the quality of our food and reduces our carbon footprint at the same time.
Personal Climate Change 