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How much does eating locally-produced food help the climate problem? What are the other potential environmental and social benefits of eating locally-grown/produced food? Do you have a food garden in your school or at home? If not, do you want one?
Home Grown
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Everyone should have a small vegetable garden to avoid constantly buying fruit and vegetables from large producers who use products that pollute the environment to make them grow and last longer.
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Eating locally-produced food can significantly contribute to find a solution to the climate crisis and has various environmental and social benefits. Firstly, consuming seasonal, local products reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation and storage. When food doesn't have to travel long distances to reach consumers, it decreases gas emissions which helps mitigate climate change.
Secondly, individuals who have the means, such as those who live in rural areas, can cultivate their own vegetables. Growing your own food not only allows you to reduce the amount of processed and industrial products, but also reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which can cause issues to the ecosystems and contribute to pollution.
Having a food garden can offer a deeply rewarding experience, my grandfather for example has a garden and he is constantly cultivating vegetables not only for himself but also for me. When I eat the vegetables he grows, I immediately notice the difference in taste and freshness compared to the ones i buy at the supermarket.
In conclusion,preferring locally-produced, seasonal food can have a huge impact on the environment and on personal well-being. By growing a personal garden or supporting local farmers, each of us can play a role in promoting a more sustainable food system.
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Transportation Emissions: By growing your own plants, you can eliminate greatly reduce the need for transportation emissions associated with bringing food from far-away farms to your table. This means less fuel burned, and fewer greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.
Localized Production: When you grow your own plants, you're essentially creating localized food production system. This reduces the reliance on long-distance transportation networks, which contribute to carbon emissions.
Sustainable Practices: Many home gardeners prioritize sustainable gardening practices, such as composting organic waste and using natural fertilizers. These ways not only improve soil health but also help sequester carbon in the soil, further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Promotion of Biodiversity: Home gardens often feature a wide range of plant species, which can support local ecosystems and contribute to biodiversity conservation. Healthy ecosystems play an important role in Trapping carbon and making climate change not as bad.
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I agree! ?
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I also agree because growing our own vegetable garden reduces food miles, minimizing carbon emissions. It also cuts down on packaging waste, promoting a cleaner environment. By cultivating diverse crops, we support biodiversity and ecosystem health. Organic gardening practices decrease chemical usage, preserving soil and water quality. Healthy soils act as carbon sinks, mitigating climate change. Taking care of a garden fosters a deeper connection with nature, promoting environmental management. Overall, home gardening contributes to a healthier planet and a more sustainable future.
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you are right! also Growing your own plants at home is good for the environment:
When you grow your own food, it doesn't need to be transported long distances, which means fewer cars or trucks burning fuel and putting pollution into the air.
People who grow plants at home often they do it in a way that's good for the Earth like using natural ways to make plants grow instead of chemicals. This helps to reduce the pollution and the emission of bad stuff into the air.
Having different plants in your garden can help animals and bugs too. This makes the whole area more lively and healthy.
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Growing food at home can reap many benefits. Both in terms of personal health and environmental health. There is a direct contribution to the carbon emission we produce and how we choose as a nation to grow and distribute our food. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that around 25% of global carbon emissions are caused by industrial productions of food. By producing and growing your own food, your carbon emissions are essentially zero. This is due to the fact that you are growing, washing, and eating all at home. You are also able to reduce the amount of fertilizer and pesticides used when growing your food. Data recently collected from the EPA shows the cost spent on pesticides and fertilizers. Which annually is over 15 billion dollars for both products. Not only does including these in growing foods harm the produce, but it also harms the soil itself. This not only has a negative effect on the environment but also the harmful effect of eating such produce. This shows another reason why home grown food can be more than just beneficial to humans. By growing your own foods you also connect better with nature and the world around you. You develop a relationship with the Earth which can have a positive effect on the other things you decide to do. When you put care into one aspect of the Earth's health, you may slowly start to care for other aspects as well. Growing your own food at home can also help other organisms in the environment. There are animals and insects all around that are pollinators. These pollinators use sources such as plants to survive. Not only does this benefit the insects around nature. It also benefits your plants themselves. As well as avoiding the situations of pollinators trying to feed off of over fertilized produce with pesticides. Which in turn can be fatal and spread sickness amongst the species. In conclusion, growing food at home can be beneficial for the ones growing, the environment, and other organisms around the Earth. Which is why it is overall recommended to grow your food at home.
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Do you want to feel more involved in your community, while also helping the ecosystem? Community gardens are the solution! Community gardens have the possibility to benefit multiple aspects of life. The environment would benefit greatly from a community garden. Having a community garden would help both the soil quality and air quality. It would also attract many helpful insects and wildlife. But not only would a community garden help the environment, it would help the overall well being of our communities physical health. Having a diet full of fruits and vegetables, which would be grown in the garden, can help to prevent or improve health problems. Some of the problems it could help include lowering blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, and reducing the risk of heart disease. Having a community garden could encourage people young and old to want to gain knowledge about how to cook and eat healthily. Did you know that certain fruits and veggies have even been shown to help mental health too? According to News Medical, “the more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher for mental wellbeing.” (Henderson). Having a community garden could help people to have an escape from their busy life. Sometimes people just want to get away, having a community garden could solve that! Having a diverse ecosystem of plants and veggies could help people be more food conscious. In lower income areas, it could also help them to have a secure and cheap food source. For children, having fruits and vegetables locally grown could help them learn a lesson about where food comes from. Having a locally grown food source could help lower the amount of C02 emissions associated with food transportation. It could help people of all ages share and gain valuable knowledge. By advocating and supporting the idea of building a community garden, individuals can play a vital role in making a vibrant, flourishing community. Help create a more sustainable future and advocate for community gardens!
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Okay wait, why do I TOTALLY AGREE!??
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One way to decrease carbon emissions and to help the planet is to grow your own food/have a garden. Growing your own food and produce is very beneficial to the environment. It reduces plastic pollution, food waste, pesticide usage, and carbon admissions. This allows food to trap carbon dioxide. At the beginning the cost of these gardens may be pricey but it will extend over a long period of time but it will be beneficial. Growing your own food will have an increase on your mental health, productivity, home for pollinators and greenhouse gasses. We will see a decrease in food bills because it will just be coming from your yard. You can start growing your own produce by starting with a vegan garden, vegan gardens are an organic method of growing your own produce, without the use of animal products. This is beneficial due to the fact that it promotes plant growth, and keeps our bodies from unnatural fertilizers and powerful pesticides. These plants can provide more nutritious vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your system. The healthiest plants to grow on your own consist of spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale, green peas, tomatoes, and brussel sprouts. Studies show that growing your own garden can help your anxiety and stress levels. Gardens help to provide an escape from normal daily life. Not only does growing your own food help improve your physical and mental health, it helps the environment. Growing your own food means there’s no need for plastic/harmful packaging. Not only do plastics pollute the earth but the microplastics that enter your body can be severely damaging. Microplastics can enter your body though any plastic materials that have touched plastic, and it's not something small that isn't noticeable, scientists have been noticing for more than a decade. “There were around 3,000 [plastic materials] when I started researching microplastics over a decade ago,” Leslie says. “Now there are over 9,600. That's a huge number, each with its own chemical makeup and potential toxicity.” (Pinto- Rodrigues). Home grown food increases soil carbon and it decreases carbon emissions by reducing the plastic usage. Home grown food has many benefits!
https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/il … all%20farm.
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Plant a seed and watch it grow!
School gardens have been around for over 100 years, and school districts continue to use them today to establish healthy eating habits; as educational tools in the classroom; and to promote community inclusion. The fact sheet for farm to school stakeholders provides examples of school gardens that have taken root, and resources to continue growth: TEACHING GARDENS in Tennessee, aquaponics systems in Montana, salad bars in New Mexico, and garden based curriculum in Guam. Across the United States schools are growing gardens to provide food for child nutrition programs, connect children to the source of their food, and create hands-on interdisciplinary classrooms. School gardens pre-date the National School Lunch Program; the Federal Government has been encouraging school gardening since the early 1900s, even building a “School Garden Army” during World War I and supporting victory gardens at schools during World War II. USDA encourages school gardens by providing grant funding, guidance and resources, and support for food service personnel who are interested in purchasing products from a school garden. For additional information on school gardens across the Nation, check out the latest findings from the USDA Farm to School Census. Space for Gardens in All Seasons. School gardens come in all shapes and sizes, and districts
with varying amounts of land are finding ways to establish gardens both within and outside of school grounds. Gardens can be as simple as a few containers on a windowsill or can cover many acres, and gardens can thrive in all climates. Program operators find that even small gardens help children gain familiarity and comfort with the fruits and vegetables they are seeing more of at meal times. Districts are also overcoming growing season challenges in creative and innovative ways. Even in Montana, where the traditional growing season just barely overlaps with the school year, season extension techniques make it possible for students to garden all year long. Using School Garden Produce in the Cafeteria Food service directors use school garden products in the cafeteria every day, from herbs to spice up a pizza, to serving garden-grown lettuce on the salad bar, to roasting vegetables as part of a reimbursable meal. Foods produced in a garden operated or funded by the food service account can be used in the meal service and can be used for educational purposes. Produce can be procured from school gardens not funded by the food service account using a variety of procurement methods such as through an interdepartmental agreement, informal (small or micro purchase) procurement methods, or via a donation to the school meal program. Gardens as Classrooms, school gardens are living laboratories that create teaching
opportunities ripe for nutrition and agriculture education and experiential education across all disciplines. USDA has free resources for nutrition education lessons in the
garden through Team Nutrition, and lists garden-based curriculum on the USDA Farm to School Resources page. Food Safety in the Garden, food safety is a priority for all food served in child nutrition programs and products that come from school gardens are
no exception. Food from school gardens has the shortest physical distance to travel from harvest to plate, so its safety can be managed with more direct oversight than food
that travels long distances – a food safety benefit. While safe growing, harvesting and storage practices should be followed when implementing school gardens, there is no
research that indicates produce from school gardens carries greater food safety risk than produce from other sources. There are also children who work in the fields, that make sure the fields are taken care of, and the food is grown right, and able to eat. The nature of agricultural work exposes child laborers to many risks and dangers, many attributed to the following types of work or conditions. Every year, approximately 115 children die in an agricultural-related incident, and nearly 12,000 experience a non-fatal injury.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/school-gardens
https://www.google.com/search?q=Child+labor+in+feilds
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If more places begin to grow food locally, more people will have opportunities to purchase the crops. Locally grown food can help to decrease someone's carbon footprint because when purchasing food the process itself releases harmful carbon emissions.The use of transportation, packaging, and especially fertilizers have a large impact on someone's carbon footprint, but when purchasing locally grown food, all those elements decrease. Different foods and the different ways of processing them, lead to different amounts of carbon emissions. For example peas do not emit that same amount of carbon as something like beef. An important factor of lowering carbon emissions would be some slight changes in diet. When food is grown more locally there is more access to fresh food which releases less carbon.
Starting your own garden at home would be extremely beneficial, but it can also be very complicated and for many difficult to maintain. Whether it be through not having the time or the resources, home gardens can be a challenging task. I propose an increased use of school gardens. They are not unheard of, and have been used in many areas, but that doesn't deny the fact that more of them can be beneficial. The use of school gardens still helps to lower carbon emissions, but for many would be an easier process. Instead of creating difficulties for families at home, school gardens would be able to be maintained by multiple people, and would benefit those in and around the school district. Not only could a school garden provide more resources that schools could use for healthy lunches, it would open up the schools to giving their students experience in agriculture. It opens up students to a different learning environment where they can work hands-on. Academic, social, and thinking skills would all be worked upon. Research has shown that students benefit from school gardens. Studies have shown that students become more attentive and engaged, but also have received higher scores in science based curriculum. School gardens not only are beneficial to the environment by reducing carbon emissions, but they can also improve the school environment. This is why I think school gardens should be a more widely utilized concept.
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Starting a garden at home is very beneficial to the environment. It can reduce carbon emissions, reduces pesticide and fertilizer usage, and provides better nutrition. You can start a garden very easily. First you want to make sure the soil is ready, if you take a handful it should fall apart. Clear the surface by removing any plants or weeds, brush or rock. Dig up the Earth and then sift the dirt. Then you can apply a covering to the bottom of your garden like clear or black plastic, cardboard, or old rugs. You need at least six to eight inches of ground for most plants to have enough room for their roots. If you're planning to grow substantial root crops (potatoes, say, or carrots), go deeper still - up to a foot or more. Adding organic material is very crucial for fertile soil.
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Starting your own garden can help the environment in many ways. Growing your own food could mean that you don't have to drive to the store to get your food. Which reduces the amount of carbon emissions that are being let out into the atmosphere. You just have to walk to your backyard! It also reduces the amount of plastic waste. There is no packaging on home grown food. Which means less plastic waste overall. Another help to the environment is less food waste. When you grow your own food you have the option to only harvest what you need. Meaning you aren't wasting as much food if you didn't grow your own. Another great way to help the environment is composting! Composting is a method of fertilization but much healthier for the environment. You can recycle your food scraps and yard waste to create a very nutrient-rich soil fertilizer. How does composting even help the environment? It reduces the amount of waste that goes into landfills and instead is being reused. By using the alternative of composting you are also reducing the use of Carcinogenic Pesticides and Fertilizers unlike commercial farming composting is much healthier for the environment. Commercial farming emits harmful chemicals into the air, and also pours harmful chemicals into our soil and water. Filling our earth and the foods that we are consuming with harmful chemicals, some that have even been proven to cause cancer and other diseases.
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We can grow our own foods, Like fruits and vegetables
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yes.
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Growing your food in your backyard/garden such as fruits and vegetables is a great way to reduce the emissions produced from processing and transporting the food we eat, not to mention providing a healthy, organic alternative to shop-bought, convenience foods. According to Rainforest Trust, composting conserves water and reduces water use by helping soils retain moisture. You might wonder what composting is. Composting is a process that decomposes organic matter like leaves, vegetable scraps, or tea bags into soil conditioners. This process can make sure that the plants are healthy, conserves water, and reduces water use by helping soils retain moisture. It naturally enriches the soil and prevents plant pests and diseases. In addition, the earth suffers from the loss of wildlife and deforestation because of food production. One of the main causes of deforestation and animal extinction is food production. The production of meat and dairy products in agriculture requires a lot of energy and contributes to deforestation. Always remember to buy locally or organically sourced food to prevent deforestation and loss of wildlife.
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People around the world should grow their own food at home. The benefits of it include: a cheaper living. We all know that inflation has affected how people used carbon emissions for food. The New York Times says a pint of strawberries has joined up in price by 25 percent in November, 2021. Tomatoes are growing rapidly in prices at 16.9 percent every year. Miracle Gro, a website that gives tips and tricks to gardeners, explains the second benefit which is creating less waste. This point is very critical because on Earth, trash pits are being overstuffed with trash. The last benefit which is the best, is that people can get to pick how ripe in flavor they want their crops to be. This reflects how we people can pick and decided depending on our own unique taste buds.
According to The Garden Continuum, carbon emissions can be decreased by people growing crops at home. Think about how long it takes food to end up on shelves in supermarkets. Nowadays, crops are sorted and cut by machines which seem convenient but, machines need fuel releasing carbon emissions. Large trucks them come take these crops to supermarkets. Food transportation is also a big factor in carbon emissions. Imports from different countries can also cause carbon emission to be created. If people don't stop growing food at home, the Earth will be affected by global warning or other serious problems. In conclusion, people around the world should grow their own food and crops for a better future!
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you can grow vegetables or fruits in your own balcony or in your garden. it s pretty easy to grow it in your home, you can buy some seeds and plant them, after that, all you have to do is to wait.
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You can grow vegetables and fruits in your own garden.
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In my opinion, if we grow some of our food at home we can reduce carbon emmisions
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Living a vegan life style may not sound like a great diet but it does more than you think. While it is very healthy and can have great boosts and effects on you it also helps with climate change. Growing these things from your house is a key way to lower your carbon foot print and greatly expand your diet at the same time.
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Eating local food helps the environment by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that are produced from transporting food long distances. It also means fewer chemicals on our food and supports local farmers and communities. Having food gardens at home or school is cool too because it teaches us about growing our own food and makes us more connected to nature. I personally have a garden at home and it’s an experience I think everyone should have.
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If you grow your own food locally, say in your backyard, it can help our climate/Earth by a long shot. You don't contribute to burning fossil fuels when it comes to shipping out items, nor are you using up gas/electricity. Also, veggies/fruits often come in plastic packaging. If you grow your own food, you are not using any plastic, which means you aren't contributing to (potentially) throwing away plastic into the ocean.
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I completely agree with you! Growing our own food can reduce the amount of CO2 released by factories buring fossil fuels to produce food. If we plant our own food, the plants would help the world also by taking in the carbon in the air. Overall, I think growing our own food is a great idea!
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I agree, growing our own food reduces the CO2 emissions from trucks that ship the food and the CO2 emissions from the big farms.
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I agree because it helps you eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and you can decide what kinds of fertilizers and pesticides come in contact with your food and it lets you control when to harvest your food
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These are great responses. Growing food in your backyard is a great solution to help our climate. Growing food at your house or having a garden outside by your house is awesome because you don’t contribute to burning any fossil fuels. When you get vegetables and fruits at the grocery store there is so much unnecessary plastic that is being used. Growing your own food reduces CO2 emissions from trucks that ship the food from country to countries. With all of this being said, you should start a garden and plant your own fruit and vegetables!
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I agree with growing your own fruit and vegetables because it reduces fossil fuels being used and plastic waste so it has a much more positive outcome.
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I agree I think that if we choose to grow and farm our own foods we will lower the CO2 emissions and plastic wast exponentially.
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I agree with that I think it’s important that we should grow our own food rather than getting it from stores which were transported by trucks (CO2 emissions). Growing our own food can help prevent most food waste because you would be growing exactly what you want to eat instead of a bunch of food being mass produced and it eventually not getting used or eaten. If you were to grow your very own food in your backyard or your own farm you would be reducing the burning of fossil fuels. Plus any plastic waste that comes from containers would be greatly reduced as well.
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I agree that it is very important to grow your own food, growing your own food can reduce your carbon footprint, and help contribute to a future with less carbon. Tomatoes, potatoes, strawberry’s, lettuce, garlic, onions, carrots, these are all foods that you would normally get at the supermarket, however with a little bit of care, they can also be grown at home. Growing foods at home is a great idea, it helps the environment and most of all, it is tasty.
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I agree with this statement. Growing food in your backyard is a great way to get some vitamin D, and have some fun while benefiting our environment. My mom has a small garden going and we use all of the veggies from it in our meals. It is a great way to produce healthy, tasty foods while helping out with climate change.
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We should grow our own food, to be less reliant on the economy and government, to reduce green house gasses and to have healthier and more organic food. We would be less reliant on others. Because you would be in charge of your food intake, you would reduce green house gasses because there would be less fuel and gas used to ship your goods. Your food would be healthier because there would be no toxins or gmos.
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I agree! Most of the problem with this tho is that not many people have time to do this, my mom for example goes into work everyday and gets back pretty late so it would be pretty hard to maintain a garden. Even so I think that if people have time or can manage to change their schedule, they totally should!
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Home grown is very beneficial for the environment. I think homegrown can impact the environment positively because it reduces the carbon emissions. Carbon emission trap the sun's heat which causes climate change. Homegrown also offers more nutrients because you don’t have to worry about pesticides that are on local grown produce so, you will be eating pure grown produce. Homegrown overall just helps society because it makes people less sick and helps our global warming situation.
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Have you ever wondered how fruits and vegetables get to the grocery store before you buy them? It is a long and strenuous process that includes specific trucks called reefers installed with refrigerated systems that can keep the foods as fresh as possible. This transportation of fruits and veggies leads to about 36 percent of the total food transportation emissions annually, or over 1 billion tons of CO2 emitted (popsci.com). This is an insanely high amount of carbon just for the foods to look fresh and enjoyable when we are buying them. Why not just make your own at-home garden and plant your favorite fruits and vegetables that are not only fresh, but are also not filled with the chemicals from other farms, and are carbon friendly to our planet. Eating fresh crops that have been grown in your backyard can provide more nutrients than crops that have been treated with chemicals that make them stay fresh during transportation. Vitamins and antioxidants in fresh local or at-home grown crops could be up to 100 times higher than ones that have been imported (GardenTech.com). If I had more space in my backyard, I would definitely be planting my favorite vegetables and fruits constantly because I would want to not only save my planet but also live a healthier lifestyle.
Works Cited:
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I agree with you completely. The grocery stores and food producing companies use many pesticides to make there food, which kills many of the animals that try to eat the food. The food that is sold in stores is transported by planes, cars, and trains adding to its carbon emission. If more people made their own garden they would be helping the
environment as the food wouldn't be transported all over the globe.
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Absolutely, it's eye-opening to consider the extensive journey fruits and vegetables undertake before reaching our grocery stores. Many of today's fruits and vegetables are also contaminated with chemicals to keep bugs away. I relate to your issue with space, my family owns a small planter box in which we grow tomatoes. We also grow grapes and herbs, and i can guarantee you, they are amazing.
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Eating locally sourced foods is one way to make a lifestyle change that will reduce your carbon footprint. When we purchase food not grown or raised locally, it means that it was transported by a means that will increase our carbon footprint as a whole. Eating non-locally can also mean that the produce you consume is not as fresh. It could have preservatives or pesticides that make it less healthy to consume. Furthermore, it helps strengthen your local economy. Instead of making a wealthy company more wealthy, you are supporting people in your own community. Finally, an added bonus towards eating local produce is that it is seasonal. This means whatever is in stock grows best in your location, and your climate. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/7_benefit … ocal_foods
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Locally grown foods
You make a fair point and I would agree with this to an extent although lots of partially developed countries may not have the right climate, ecosystem, and weather to support freshly grown crops. It can be extremely expensive and unaffordable for any to purchase locally grown foods for them and their families to eat. On the other hand I can understand what you're saying about the benefits of buying locally grown food. If possible I definitely support that you should avoid buying from big corporations and try to support smaller nearby businesses where you are guaranteed fresh and non preservative food
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Growing your own food is an amazing way to minimize your carbon footprint, and possibly save money in the process. I personally have an at home garden and we grow fruits, vegetables, as well as herbs! It’s also nice knowing that I’m not eating anything that could be bad for me that might be on non local plants, like pesticides. Growing your own food is also a great way to use up your compost, to help naturally fertilize your garden at home without any chemicals. These are some of the many positives of growing your own food at home, and I definitely recommend doing it as not just a way to lower your carbon footprint (although that is a main positive) but as well as a fun and fulfilling activity, knowing that you grew the food you are eating.
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I believe that having a garden at home is very useful and a very educational and healthy activity, apart from that you buy less and it is cheaper.
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The garden at home seems very good to me since all the fruits and vegetables are grown by you and you know that they don't have chemicals and it's much cheaper
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Contribution to the environment
Growing your own garden at home is a way to take care of the environment. Urban gardens help reduce pollution and the use of aggressive pesticides and fertilizers
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Food diversity and availability
Home gardens allow you to grow a variety of foods, giving you greater diversity and availability of fresh, healthy produce.
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Homegrown foods are so much healthier than the ones you buy at the stores. Ones at the stores have chemicals that farmers use to make sure it doesn't get infected by bugs and things that allow them to grow but these aren't good for us. Things we can plant at home, like fruits and veggies are a lot better for us and honestly, they taste better too! Sometimes you get 20-plus veggies from plants and sometimes even more. In a way, you're also saving money with that. One bought from the store could cost $2.00 and a whole pack of seeds could be $0.99. Plus, it's more fun to do it from home, you get to actually take care of it and make your own food.
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I absolutely agree, my family has a garden in our backyard that produces so much! We may not be able to live entirely off food we grow ourselves, but we can definitely reduce the necessity of buying all our food from the store.
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Homegrown foods indeed offer a range of benefits that extend beyond just being healthier and more cost-effective. When you cultivate your own fruits and vegetables, you have control over what goes into the soil and onto the plants, ensuring that no harmful chemicals or pesticides are used in the process. This results in more nutritious and chemical-free produce, contributing to a healthier lifestyle. Moreover, home gardening allows for a deeper connection to the food we consume; it fosters an appreciation for the time and effort that goes into growing food, which can be a highly rewarding and educational experience. As you rightly pointed out, it can be a cost-effective alternative, saving money in the long run. Not to mention, the satisfaction of nurturing your plants and harvesting your own food is immeasurable. In essence, home gardening not only improves the quality of what we eat but also provides an opportunity for individuals to take charge of their food production and foster a deeper sense of connection to the environment and the food we consume.
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I agree with this. Home grown foods are much more organic and better for people considering they don't have the chemicals companies use on them to either make them taste better or to be infected. Fruits and veggies are also much healthier and they're not even bad if you eat them at the right time and choose the ones you like. With a garden you can take part in the enjoyment of growing your own plants as well which is another pro of doing things like that at home.
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I fully agree that homegrown foods are indeed a healthier and more sustainable option than store-bought foods. They are free of pesticides and other chemicals, and they are more nutritious because they are harvested by the owner at the peak ripeness of the vegetable/fruit/produce. Additionally, homegrown foods are often more flavorful than store-bought foods, as they are not transported long distances or stored for long periods of time. They are definitely more organic while saving money.
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I agree that producing fruits and vegetables is a better alternative than store-bought crops. These crops have pesticides that farmers use to have longer-lasting fruits and vegetables. It is also healthy.
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I totally agree with this comment. Home grown foods are first off fun to plant and watch grow, but there is also health benefits. As you stated some farmers just mass produce the produce, not caring about the quality of the produce itself. And knowing what you gave that plant and what fertilizers you used is safer and you feel more secure in consuming your produce. One last thing I would like to add is that growing your own produce is also better because you know that your food hasn't been genetically modified. Many fruits are genetically modified to fit a specific trait. For example watermelons are altered genetically to not produce seeds, so knowing your fruit isn't genetically modified in any way and is good quality is something to value and enjoy.
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By buying locally we are reducing the emissions we produce by food transportation. Although, I believe that the way that the food is grown has a bigger environmental impact than the transportation of those goods. So, I think we should try to eat both local and organic food although, eating local and organic foods can be expensive. I also think that we should be more careful with what we don't eat, considering about 20 percent of methane that Canada produces comes from landfills. Growing food in a garden at home could be a great solution and I think even the smallest of balcony's could be turned into a garden.
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I totally agree that buying and eating organic foods can be expensive and it's such a shame that food that is better for you and better quality is so money consuming. I like that you mentioned even the smallest of balconies could be turned into gardens, there are so many ways to make-do with what you have. You could use paper mache with things like newspapers and magazines or even documents you don't need anymore, examples would be things like old school work and notebook pages. Using this you could make things for your garden and even things like using old bottles and cutting them up to make plant pots is a great and creative idea.
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Is that statistic you mentioned accurate? That is a very thought provoking statistic, I completely agree with your sentiment that we should do our most with our lifestyle to help the environment, even if its small. I wonder if the U.S.'s statistics are similar or different.
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Growing your produce and crops is a good idea, but could that also be expensive? Purchasing all the materials to start a garden could be more than buying your produce at the store.
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Home growing your food is a powerful way to minimize your carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. By growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, you cut down on the environmental impact associated with commercial agriculture, which often involves extensive transportation and energy-intensive practices. This localized approach significantly reduces the emissions tied to the production and distribution of store-bought produce. Moreover, your home garden allows you to implement eco-friendly practices, avoiding harmful pesticides. So help us all out and grow your own food.
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Getting a personal garden, especially one that you can sustain yourself on, is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. I recently moved into a house with a personal garden with my family. Our garden is 9000 square feet and has a small orchard. We barely eat from our garden, which is almost entirely food-producing plants, mostly because they don't produce. I believe that getting a personal garden is a great step to reducing your personal carbon footprint. But, I also believe that your should plan and prepare the proper plants for your area and make sure you have enough space for it to make a big enough difference it to be worth it. If you aren't getting enough use out of your garden, you could be wasting water and/or fertilizer if you decide to use it. I recommend getting a small chicken coup instead if you are low on space; you will save money on eggs and it will still reduce your carbon footprint.
Here is a website about the benifits of backyard chickens: https://www.chicagobotanic.org/blog/urb … d_chickens
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Eating locally-produced food could definitely help the climate problem. It can support more local farms that use more environmentally friendly production practices which can minimize their use of fossil fuel-rich pesticides and fertilizers. Local foods travel a shorter distance to markets and stores which contributes to less pollution and fewer carbon emissions. Emissions are especially high when food is transported by airplane, it can be as much as 50 times as much carbon dioxide as food transported by boat. Lots of local foods are also sold without packaging at farm markets which reduce the amount of plastic waste. Eating more locally grown food if much more fresh and nutritious too. My mom grows vegetables in her garden which we eat for dinner often, this can reduce carbon footprint because there is no need for transportation. Whenever we go to the farmers market, we bring reusable bags and the produce is always unpackaged on the stands which means a lot less plastic is used.
Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/environment … ertilizers.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/wh … al-economy
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Agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, but there are a number of things that we can do at home to reduce our impact. One of the most effective ways is to reduce our consumption of meat and other animal products. This industry contributes about 24% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Some ways we can counter this is within our own home, for example, growing a garden. The produce from a homegrown garden is not only minimizing carbon emissions but it is also healthier for you. Another alternative is raising chickens. Not only providing fresh eggs and fertilizer for gardens but reducing our reliance on the agricultural industry that contributes greatly to global warming and the burning of fossil fuels.
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You go grocery shopping, the thought of how all of your food gets to these shelves and boxes doesn’t even cross your mind. This is where the problem lies. Unawareness will almost always be the number one reason for all of our problems. When most people go out to buy food at their favorite stores they don't stop and think about how much money, fuel, and carbon emissions we could be saving just by growing our own food right at home.
If you’re growing your own food the carbon emissions are going to be quite literally zero. If you’re doing it all on your property this is even better as you are sequestering carbon. It is a great idea to start even a small garden. Is it a lot of work at the start? Yes. But is it completely worth the benefits? 100% yes, you won’t only be benefiting yourself but the planet that EVERYONE lives on.
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If every house that was able to in America had a garden in their backyard that grew a variety of food, it would help to lessen world hunger. With the increased food production, people could donate to local soup kitchens or homeless shelters, or create some of their own. People using their backyards for extravagant things that they don't need instead of helping to feed the homeless] should reconsider what they are doing.
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Wealthier nations need to invest in clean transportation and need to suggest more locally grown food businesses. First of all, the food being purchased would be more fresh because of the minimal amount of time it spent being transported. Large organizations that produce only one type of crop also commonly drain the soil of all nutrients that it has which are vital to have an adequate taste and quality, which is less common within locally grown businesses. It would also help the community and support the people who spend their time working and doing the people close to them, instead of just putting more money into another rich company’s pockets. A large portion of the effects that food production has to the environment is from the transportation within the food industry. The shipment of food produces millions of tons of CO2 in the United States alone each year. It’s something that has been more relevant as of recently, and something that also needs to go away soon.
Learn More:
https://greensproduce.com/why-locally-grown-is-better/
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2012/ … ocal-food/
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There are 2 main problems with not eating locally or not growing your own food. The first is that transporting food produces a lot of carbon. The second is that large fields and orchards use a lot of water. Science Daily says that 3 gigatonnes of carbon are produced transporting food per year. The California Backyard Orchard says that 1 apple tree by the coast needs 16 gallons of water per day, that one tree uses 5,840 gallons of water per day. But there are typically more than one tree in an orchard. Let's say there are 150 trees in our orchard, they would use 876,000 gallons of water per year, and that’s only one orchard of many. Locally grown food often still applies to the second issue, so growing one's own food is another way to help the climate. That way you can ensure the food you eat doesn't use excessive amounts of water. I have a garden at my house and we eat a lot of our food from there.
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There are 2 main problems with not eating locally or not growing your own food. The first is that transporting food produces a lot of carbon. The second is that large fields and orchards use a lot of water. Science Daily says that 3 gigatonnes of carbon are produced transporting food per year. The California Backyard Orchard says that 1 apple tree by the coast needs 16 gallons of water per day, that one tree uses 5,840 gallons of water per day. But there are typically more than one tree in an orchard. Let's say there are 150 trees in our orchard, they would use 876,000 gallons of water per year, and that’s only one orchard of many. Locally grown food often still applies to the second issue, so growing one's own food is another way to help the climate. That way you can ensure the food you eat doesn't use excessive amounts of water. I have a garden at my house and we eat a lot of our food from there.
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I believe that home grown food is better than store bought food. Home grown food has many benefits such as reducing the carbon footprint related to transportation and/or packaging of store-bought produce, saving money, and produce that is freshly picked tends to retain more nutrients. While store-bought food has less nutrients because most of it spend its time in storages, it contributes to plastic waste that can cause pollution, and it may have hidden allergies.
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I believe that food wasting is a big problem around the world. Sub-Saharan Africa and South/South-East Asia waste about 6-11kg per person per year, and people in Europe and North America waste a good 95-115 kg, and that's not even all of the continents.Over 30% of food is wasted each year. Because of this waste, more than 50 countries are battling hunger. There are many ways to solve this, for example, not buying things that you don’t need, having samples in every store( a lot of people buy things they have never tried and end up not liking it and just throwing it away.), and donating good food that you don’t like.
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we can make and grow our own foods so we can maybe stop wasting money or running out of food in stores
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I agree with you
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I agree with you, but not everyone lives in a climate where they can grow food. For example people in apartments who live in. Cities. I think buying local and getting organic foods is a great way to save money. And composting is a great way to not waste food.
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I agree! People who don’t have land access to grow their own food should get as much local and organic produce as they can and take advantage of community gardens in the city. If you’re able to grow your own food, it’s important to do that as much as you can to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. I also agree that composting is a great way to help grow your own food and have a negative impact on your carbon footprint.
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I also do agree with you. I think that if you have a backyard and are willing to make a garden then you should definitely should do it it has so many benefits for the environment. But if you dont have access you should but locally grown organic foods to help combat.
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I agree. Food waste is a big problem and growing your own food and buying local can help. Gardening specifically is a great solution. In a post above someone said something about people not being able to grow food if they don’t have the available backyard space but this can be solved. There are many plants that you can grow inside your house and this could help with this issue. Also personally I have a garden in my yard and growing yummy food is not only good for the environment but it is also help you eat healthy and get free and delicious fresh food.
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I agree that growing your own food is a simple way to be more environmentally clean, but for the topic of buying local or organic food, not everyone can afford it. Many people obviously want to reduce their CO2 emissions, but many people also are not able to plant their own vegetables, or buy organic food.
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I agree that growing your own food is a simple way to be more environmentally clean, but for the topic of buying local or organic food, not everyone can afford it. Many people obviously want to reduce their CO2 emissions, but many people also are not able to plant their own vegetables, or buy organic food.
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I think that while what you are saying does sound good in respect to carbon emissions, you also have to consider there are costs to growing your own food, apart from the obvious ones such as labor,time, and the literal cost of procuring the materials necessary. Growing your own food is often much less water efficient than advanced farming methods such as hydroponics, and so it wastes a lot more water than just buying from something like a farmers market, where there are farmers that do use hydroponics.
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I definitely agree, growing or buying local foods will reduce your carbon footprint. Without having to order food or buy it from a chain of stores, you can save money and eat better food. growing food reduces waste because there isn't any transportation needed. There is less plastic, gas, and production needed to get your food.
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I agree with you. I’m lucky to have grown up with a huge garden, and it provides us with vegetables that stored correctly we can use throughout the winter. However, as said before, many people aren’t this lucky. Some live in climates where important vegetables can’t grow. Others don’t have backyards to have a garden. On the topic of locally grown and organic food, in my experience it has always been expensive. When something says organic or locally grown the price will often get marked up a few dollars. This is because there’s a lot more time and effort put into growing plants without chemicals. I would know since I spend half the summer pulling bugs off plants.
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I think that it is important that we reduce emissions of carbon into our environment. One way is by growing our own food. Unfortunately I currently do not have my own garden, but if I can convince my parents to make one then we could reduce our food emissions greatly.
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I agree with you, i believe that if we grow more of our own foods then we could reduced emission form having to go back and forth from the grocery store.
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I agree all of this. Growing your own food at home or eating from a neighbor’s garden is helpful and important because not only do you not have to drive to the grocery store as often, but also eating locally means your food hasn’t traveled so many miles from where is was made to another stop and another and another and then finally to you. Local food also typically has way less plastic packaging than food from a store.
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I agree with you. However, not everyone has enough yard space, or even a yard at all to have a garden. It is crucial that if you cannot grow your own food that you purchase locally and organically.
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I completely agree with you! Growing your own food definitely has its advantages, such as reducing your carbon footprint and having access to fresh, healthy produce. However, I understand that it may not be feasible for everyone. Buying locally grown produce is a great alternative that can also help reduce emissions from transportation. It’s a win-win situation because you’re supporting local farmers while also reducing your carbon footprint. It might take some effort to adapt to these changes, but in the long run, its worth it for the environment and our health.
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to change my eating habits, I started to grow my own small vegetable garden in order to eat my own products and to limit imports
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My family has been doing this for years in order to reduce the expenses of buying gorcery along with other natural reasons which I can totally side with because most of the food from local stores can sometimes be contaminated from transportation but growing your own food seems to be more safe and healthy by growing your own food.
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I wanted to research how a home garden could actually do something to help climate change as I thought that, there is no way that can be enough.
Yes, a home garden would only slightly help reduce emissions. But that isn't why they are such a vital role in helping reduce climate change, there are so many indirect benefits of home gardens that aren't often considered.
For example growing produce reduces the need to buy from grocery stores which often contain produce not locally grown which required transportation and possibly unsustainable and harmful farming methods.
Another example would be that growing many plants can attract animals that have been pushed away from populated areas such as hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Overall a home garden extends beyond just the possible emission reduction, it has many benefits not thought of before.
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In modern western culture we are known for our giant supermarkets filled to the brim with overly processed food that is so bad for you and all in thousands of containers of plastic. This is just the normal way for most Americans to provide food to their families. The overwhelming majority of Americans don't grow their own food or eat locally grown food or even just organic at all. The amount of energy it takes to make these widely overproduced over processed foods is out of this world, but it is not a hard task to reduce your part in it. Growing food from home is much simpler than most people would imagine, and you can start small, start with the vegetables you and your family consume the most of and begin to just try and grow enough of those to sustain yourselves on. Then thats one or two less things your getting that is mass produced. Once you have the process of growing things more under your belt expand the things you grow.For things that aren't realistic for you to grow at home, see if any locally grown markets produce it and obtain your produce there. To learn more about starting your own home garden visit: https://cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footpri … xgQAvD_BwE
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Have you ever thought about having your very own garden? I will talk about why it is better to grow your own foods instead of purchasing foods from grocery stores. One main reason it is better to grow your own food is because it is beneficial for the environment. For example in the article "10 Reasons To Grow Your Own Food" it talks about how by growing your own food, you are eliminating the transportation part of getting the food from the farms to the stores. In this transportation period the greenhouse gases produced from the trucks transporting the foods are ending up in the atmosphere causing more heat capture eventually heating up the Earth which is more commonly known as Global Warming (Green City Growers, n.d.). Another main reason it is better to grow your own foods is because it saves money. Taking the foods from your own garden doesn't cost you anything in fact it probably gives you more of a sense of pride knowing not only are you saving money, but you are also saving the environment. Another main reason growing your own food it better is because it is healthier for you. For example in the article "Backyard gardening: grow your own food, improve your health" it talks about how by growing your own food encourages you to eat more fruits and vegetables which is better for your health (Harvard Health, 2012). Also in the same article it talks about how growing your own food allows you to control what certain fertilizers and pesticides are used on your food and in particular exactly what kinds of foods you want to grow (Harvard Health, 2012). These three reasons are all great examples of beneficial ways we can grow our own foods at home.
References:
https://greencitygrowers.com/blog/10-re … -own-food/
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There are many reasons eating home-grown foods help the environment. First of all, for food to get on our tables it first has to be grown, processed, and transported. These things all contribute to the carbon in our atmosphere, and almost 1/3 of all our greenhouse gas emissions are related to food. The biggest parts of these emissions come from methane from cattle, fertilizers, deforestation for more farmland, and other agricultural practices. Then, the food has to be driven to different stores and markets in cars and trucks that also release tons of greenhouse gases. Interestingly, it was found that meat and other animal foods like that cause more emissions, while plants produce less emissions. Therefore growing food at home has enormous benefits. You don't have to drive anywhere, you aren't using harmful pesticides, and the food tastes fresh and more delicious. Growing your own food can reduce the amount of meat you eat, the amounts of trips you take, and the amount of waste you produce which shrinks your carbon footprint greatly. Another way home-grown food reduces the emissions you produce is through compost. Food waste accounts for 8% of of global greenhouse gas emissions, but with home-grown food you only have to take what you need for the meal and no more. If there are leftovers, you can cycle them back into the soil of your garden to help make the food grown more nutritious, tasty, and healthier. One last way home-grown food can help your carbon footprint is because you won't have waste packaging or much storage on your food, both which emit greenhouse gases. In conclusion, simply growing your own food can be very beneficial to the environment and will help save the earth.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/sci … ssues/food
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A locavore is somebody who only buys and eats food that is in season for their specific region. This cuts off other types of foods that usually would be shipped across the world using fossil fuel-powered vehicles to transport these foods to the grocery store. The agriculture industry is problematic and negatively affects our Earth for many reasons. First off, farming and industrialization emit a lot of additional greenhouse gases (GHG) into our atmosphere. Methane from cows and nitrous oxide from fertilized fields are just two ways that farms add to the overall GHG emissions. Also, fertilizer factories and food packaging factories contribute as well in that they rely mainly on the burning of oil, gas, and coal (which are all fossil fuels) for energy to power these factories. The burning of fossil fuels add more greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, which is one of the largest factors affecting climate change in our world. Furthermore, deforestation, which refers to the clearing out of natural lands for agricultural purposes, emits carbon dioxide because of the carbon that was originally stored in those plants and trees in the land. Overall, the emissions from agriculture is around 1/4 of all global greenhouse gas emissions created by humans.
This information is significant to considering what one person could change about their eating habits in order to help reduce their carbon footprint and unnecessary emissions. My solution: become a locavore. Local food doesn't have to travel as far to get on your plate which contributes positively to the environment. Sustainable agriculture and safe production (regulating pesticides and other toxins) are promoted by being a locavore. The central idea of being a locavore is to reduce food miles, meaning the distance that your food travels for you to eat it. Whether the food is shipped on an airplane or has to be refrigerated, a lot of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. Switching to buying food from a local source will benefit the local economy and it will incredibly impact the food portion of your carbon footprint!
Sources:
https://www.mcgill.ca/foodservices/sustainability/green/local#:~:text=Local%20food%20doesn't%20have,local%20farmers%20and%20other%20producers.
https://theconversation.com/locavore-or … food-51232
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There are so many reasons home grown foods are better for the environment and for you. An interesting fact is that people who garden are actually more likely to eat vegetables than those who don't. Vegetables are important to our daily health because they are packed with important vitamins and nutrients. Gardening itself can even be considered exercising which is very important to maintain your fitness and mobility. Most vegetables can even strengthen your immune system and be considered disease fighting. Another amazing thing about growing your own food is that it tastes better because of the nutrients in your soil, and because they are fresh. As fruits and vegetables sit they lose the sugars and nutrients that give them flavor, this means the fresher the food the better the taste. Along with being better for your health, home grown food is even better for the environment and reducing your carbon footprint. When you grow and pick your own food or even buy it locally there is a lot less packaging used meaning a lot less fossil fuels burned. Furthermore, when you grow or locally buy food it doesn't require the transportation most food does. Planes, cars, trains and other forms of transportation and shipment use a lot of energy that contribute to the greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. When you have your own garden you can also avoid adding harmful chemicals to the environment like pesticides that are often used on large farms. One last thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is start composting! Instead of throwing away your food scraps you can make a compost pile, later you can add the compost to your garden to enrich the soil and grow healthier, tastier, and overall a more sustainable source of food.
Source: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/il … nvironment
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A home-grown garden helps reduce climate change. For reasons such as not using gas to go to a grocery store or reasons like not having to give money to support high prices for an avocado. A home-grown garden allows the owners to receive fresh produce without having to pay a price for the number of products. Helping lower climate change, reasons as to why people should have them.
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I agree with this statement, however, more information could be added. You mentioned that driving to the grocery store as opposed to walking to your backyard will use more gasoline, which originates from pumping oil out of an oil rig, but those emissions are not the only ones that come from buying rather than growing. Going to the grocery store to purchase products releases indirect emissions, which the GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol) describes as “a consequence of the activities from the reporting company but occur at sources owned or controlled by another company.” In this scenario, this would be the CO2 emitted from the growing, harvesting, and transport of, say, a bag of almonds. Even though it just seems like going to the store to buy a bag of almonds, you also have to factor in the carbon emissions from crop dusters and multiple semis to get it from farm to store.
There are also mental health benefits of growing food. Charlie Hall, Ph.D., says that hands-on activities like gardening can help to reduce stress. Hall said in an interview for Texas A&M University that “Increased access to green spaces also reduces psychological distress, depression symptoms, clinical anxiety, and mood disorders in adults. Stress reduction and mental restoration occur when individuals live near green areas, have a view of vegetation, or spend time in natural settings.” He also said that living in a house that has the green color of plants can help to reduce depression, increase attention spans, and overall brighten your mood.
Sources
https://www.climatepartner.com/en/scope … lete-guide
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … 5516301401
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2020/05/ … al-health/