Although I do not have a garden or want to own one myself, my grandma does and I spent a lot of time in it when I was little. Some benefits to a garden are for environmental well being, it slows down habitat destruction, but also boosts the harbouring of biodiversity in the area as well. There are also some health benefits, it can relieve stress and lower blood pressure.

I think that home grown gardens are excellent and have many benefits. When you have your own gardens, it eliminates the need to travel anywhere to get your fruits, herbs and vegetables. and when you grow your own garden, you have control over what you put in your garden. For example, you can avoid fertilizers and pesticides which can increase greenhouse gases. When you have a home-grown garden, it could also reduce the amount of packaging because you don't need to package your garden foods while in supermarkets they are sometimes packaged. Having a home-grown garden also can make the air around you fresher because the plants absorb the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Overall, I think that home grown gardens are a great way to lower your carbon footprint.

I think is important for everyone to have a garden where ou can gro fruit and vegetables.
To have a lot of good products for the kitchen and because when you eat good food you stay fit and healty, it's a good thing for the environment because you don't buy food from the supermarket whitch has travelled a lot of kilometers producing a lot of pollution.

You make a great point about growing your own food! A lot of people don’t realize how much pollution is tied to the transportation of produce from farms to supermarkets, especially when it comes from faraway regions. By growing fruits and vegetables at home, you're cutting out those emissions and contributing to a healthier environment. Plus, you get the added benefits of fresh, nutritious food and the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your produce comes from. It’s definitely something more people should consider as part of a sustainable lifestyle.

I think it is important for people to grow their own fruits and vegetables because it is healthy products that they are growing in their backyard and it is very convenient for them as well. With people growing fruits and vegetables in their homes, it allows them to save money and enjoy fresh grown food.

I agree because i think it is important to have fruits and vegetables in your life to keep you energized throughout the day. Although there are a lot of people who live in house that do not have backyards or any space in their house to plant any fruits or vegetables. It is a very good idea, but for the people that do not have that space we should find an alternitive solution for them. Like maybe a community held garden where you can bring your own seeds and plant what you want.

Fruits and vegetables are definitely very important to your health. But I don't think everyone needs their own garden to eat healthy. Many people live in small apartments that are not equipped to grow a garden. But growing window-side herbs is a good solution if you want to start gardening but don't have enough space. Many people don't have the time or energy to keep these gardens alive and well even if they do have space and money due to school, work or family. If you live in a big city, often the grocery stores are not that far and you would be going there anyways to get other groceries. Organic fruit and vegetables can be quite expensive and if you are looking to cut costs on these things, growing a garden would be a good thing to look in to.

i think growing a garden is a good way to supplement a lowered carbon footprint and while i don't believe it to be a necessity. I think it is a fairly easy way to lower your carbon footprint and get something back from it but some people do live in apartments with not much space to grow plants. but even if you have little space you can still get a window box, grow some herbs, or even get a plot at a community garden to grow some bonus plants. if you are looking into gardening you should probably be prepared for a fair amount of failure though, gardening is hard sometimes so if you are just getting started i recommend trying to grow something easier like lettuce or potatoes.

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.

Many people do not realize the amount of pollution that is related to the transportation of produce from farms to supermarkets especially when it comes from faraway countries or cities. By growing fruits and vegetables at home you are cutting out many emissions and contributing to a healthier environment. You get the added benefits of fresh, nutritious food and the satisfaction of knowing where your produce comes from. Is is definitely something more people should consider as part of a sustainable lifestyle. which will lead to a cleaner earth and healthier bodies.

NERF POCO

yes , poco is very very cheat

There are many benefits to growing food at home, such as lower carbon emissions from not needing to drive to get the food, less use of plastic, no harmful chemicals that damage wildlife and surrounding plants, attracting natural wildlife, and if you have a surplus you can donate to those in need. https://gardeningisgreat.com/benefits-o … -own-food/

Being able to produce your own food is a wonderful privilege that I have experienced and continue to do for myself and my family. At my house we have two main gardens which we switch produce depending on the season but it has mainly produced radishes, carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, etc. At times it is not very easy and I have failed many times at different crops however I have learned the importance in being able to make your own food. It is truly a great experience and through gardening I have even began propagating certain seeds and houseplants in order to begin growing them in water before I transplant them into the soil. Through propagating it has taught me a whole new set of skills and challenges but once I learned it can be fairly easy to begin to implement. There are also different styles of propagating and I have not tried too many different styles however the link I am attaching discusses the different kinds and steps to take. Trying out different gardening practices as well as propagating can help you to learn so much about plants and what you are putting into your body. Food is being changed so often lately and not for the good. So it is very important to know what you are putting into your body and what you can do to take small steps to make it better.
https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/ … 0varieties.

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.

i defiantly agree!

Although my family lives in a city and have a very small back yard, we still find space to grow a small vegetable garden. We grow peas, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, and basil.

Vary cool i also have a small garden where we grow tomatoes and other types of plants that we can eat

hope fully by growing these plants i can do my part in reducing our carbon footprint.

This is a great way to reduce our output of CO₂, good work.

How much of an impact will this make on climate change if only you and your family and lowering their carbon admission

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.

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.

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.

I agree! ?

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.

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.

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.

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!

Okay wait, why do I TOTALLY AGREE!??

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.

https://www.treehugger.com/growing-your … eir%20soil

https://aloha.com/blogs/articles/benefi … 0resources

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

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.

https://www.themomentum.com/articles/ho … 0footprint.

https://www.pennington.com/all-products … ommunities

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.

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.

We can grow our own foods, Like fruits and vegetables

yes.

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.

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!

Spălați-vă copii! ??

You can grow vegetables and fruits in your own garden.

In my opinion, if we grow some of our food at home we can reduce carbon emmisions

I don t have a message

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.

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.

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.

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!

I agree, growing our own food reduces the CO2 emissions from trucks that ship the food and the CO2 emissions from the big farms.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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:

https://www.popsci.com/environment/food … emissions/

https://www.gardentech.com/blog/gardeni … ted%20ones.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Food diversity and availability
Home gardens allow you to grow a variety of foods, giving you greater diversity and availability of fresh, healthy produce.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

https://www.thegardencontinuum.com/blog … 0emissions.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

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.

we can make and grow our own foods so we can maybe stop wasting money or running out of food in stores

I agree with you

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/bac … 1206294984

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

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

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

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.

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/

if you are looking for a more sustainable way to live homegrown is the way to go. homegrown food costs less than store-bought food. you still have to pay for the tools to set up a garden, but in the end, the amount of money you would save from not buying as much food would pay for the tools and more. also, it is more sustainable than buying food because there is less food waste. one can pick what they want to eat for the night and then let the rest grow. Also, with leftover food, you can make compost to put in your garden's soil, which will help the plants keep the food cycle going. It also in general tastes better than store-bought food made with chemicals and the ones that aren't much more. with fruits and veggies when harvested they start to deteriorate, so when they come from a supper market they have harvested then they sit there for a week and lose their nutrition. on the other hand, you can harvest your food and then eat it right away without losing any nutrients. in the end, it is better to grow your food because it is healthier for you and it reduces your carbon footprint in how much you spend on food and the food you eat.
article:https://www.puckermob.com/health/why-choose-homegrown-veggies-instead-of-store-bought-ones/#:~:text=It%20is%20always%20a%20better%20idea%20to%20grow,have%20a%20richer%20texture%20than%20commercially%20grown%20products

I think home grown food is sometimes promoted without acknowledging some of the less obvious negatives of it. The primary negative of home grown food is that it is less water efficient than more advanced farming methods such as ones that use hydroponics. This means that while yes, it does technically have a lower carbon footprint, when it comes to the big picture, it is negatively impacting the environment via inefficient use of water, which is very detrimental in places such as California, where drought is very common. However, just because home grown food is inefficient does not take away the benefits of buying locally produced food, since locally grown food does make use of hydroponics. This makes it the best source to buy from, as it is more carbon neutral than major corporations and imported foods, and it is more water efficient than growing food yourself in your garden or backyard.

I disagree with your claim. Although there are very advanced farming methods that farmers use, individual farmers growing their own food can still be water efficient. According to ucanr.edu, "How a garden is irrigated can affect how much water it uses. Water early in the morning, so that water has a better chance to soak into the soil before it evaporates.  A drip system (under mulch) is an efficient way to deliver water to crops with minimal evaporation loss.  To avoid overwatering, monitor soil moisture." This is just one of the ways that individual farmers can use water efficiently. It's really up to the farmer whether or not they want to spend the time to use efficient methods. In my own personal opinion, I feel like the positives of having a garden, also outweigh the negatives. Having healthy fresh unprocessed food is very important, and is worth spending extra money either on getting an irrigation system, or spending extra money on water.

Source: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postde … rozoning).

I live in Croatia on the countryside. I eat home grown food from my garden as much as possible in the most of the time in year. I also have fruit trees in my garden.

My family has always encouraged me to consume organic and natural foods, which is something I am proud to say. I am very grateful of this because it has given me the opportunity to have a better appreciation of the necessity of clean foods in your diet.  What takes organic and natural produce to the next level is having it grown right in your own backyard. Now at first this may seem difficult but with the right mindset and proper tools it’s easy to do. You do not necessarily need an actual in-ground garden (depending on what you are attempting at growing). I have known people to raise plants indoors, of course near a window so they could receive the proper amount of sunlight, I have also known people to rise plants outside in raised garden beds. Not only is the process of growing healthy, clean food simple but it’s a very rewarding process to your physical and mental health. There is tons of research out there about how eating clean food helps your mind develop and obtain new information and how it helps your body reach its full potential. Growing your very own organic produce might be a tough process at first but again it certainly is rewarding!

Gardening is an effective way to fight climate change, as it helps reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Plants absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, converting it into oxygen, and thereby reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the air. Gardening also helps to promote biodiversity and preserve natural habitats, which can reduce the impact of climate change on local ecosystems. Furthermore, growing your own food can reduce reliance on industrial agriculture and transportation, which are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. By gardening, individuals can play an active role in reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to a healthier planet.

I absolutely agree with you. However, when gardening, many people tend to lean towards chemical brands and items, to provide themselves with more efficient crops and pesticides to rid themselves of bugs and other animals, which leave negative impacts on the environment. If gardening for the sake of the environment, make sure that you use company’s and products that don’t hurt the earth.

I always new that gardens were a great way to create your own food, but I never really thought about how they absorb carbon. In another class of mine, I learned about how trees absorb carbon, and how important it is to protect them. But gardens I imagine absorb loads of carbon two. It is really interesting to see all the different benefits that gardens have. I used to have a garden, but my family and I didn’t have the time to take care of it, but after seeing this I think it would be a really good idea to home a garden.

In my opinion I would say yes because home grown food is usually better than store bought food because home grown food teaches you how to grow, it’s usually organic, tasty, and it gives a lesson on growing food. The problem with store bought food includes pesticides, wax coverings, and other not so tasty things.

Going to your local farmers' market can be beneficial in the reduction of gas usage. When individuals buy products from outside their general region, the process of transporting the items requires different forms of transportation. Products are often shipped in large amounts, so they require large vehicles like airplanes, trucks, or ships. All of these use a lot of gas, increasing the use of unsustainable fossil fuels. If people buy from their local sources, less transportation is required. It is also more likely that individuals have a say in how local materials are produced, meaning people can make a difference in the sustainability of farms and other groups.

I agree, going to your local farmers market is better for the environment as it doesn't go through the process of mutating it like with a company. Companies like to mess with their fruits to make them stay fresh longer which can make them less healthy. In contrast, farmers like to market theirs as organic and not messed around with in a lab.

Good point, buying locally is better for helping to save our environment as shorter commutes for the food helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Your food will also be less likely to contain preservatives as the food doesn’t need to travel a long way to reach the destination. The food grown locally can also be better for you as local food producers tend to use more natural pest repellents rather than the larger farms who most likely mass spray their crops. Eating locally can also help you have a more balanced diet as you will be more likely to buy fruits and veggies rather than packages and processed foods from your grocery market.

I completely agree, buying locally can reduce the amount of driving you need to get to place to place, helping reduce the amount of carbon getting emitted into the air. Your foods, most likely organic, are much less likely to contain preservatives, and toxic chemicals sprayed onto the foods. These foods also endure less travel, making it better for the environment because these huge trucks need a lot of gas, and produce a lot of carbon on their long trips to grocery stores. Locally grown crops, most local food producers and growers are more likely to spray pest repellents rather than larger farms most likely do not spray their crops. Eating healthy, and locally can help with a better gut because the toxins that aren’t in these foods and more balanced diet, as you are more likely to buy fruits and veggies rather than package foods.

Home grown should be encouraged because the transportation of agricultural products create carbon footprint because the transportation creates air pollution. A home grown food creates way less carbon footprint

I agree Brandon, you should buy local made food instead of imported ones to save carbon footprint. Home grown things is much healthy and fresh then imported ones because you don’t know what companies keep in the imported food but you know what you keep in your home-grow food.

I also agree with you Brandon, The use of transportation for food like fruits and vegetables can create air pollution, which harms our environment. Having an at home garden can help reduce air pollution because there is less use of carbon and fossil fuels with cars.

I agree with this Brandon, when it comes to having a chance to pick between home grown or having it being transported people should choose homegrown.It consumes a lot of fossil fuel & carbon to transport agriculture to your home, while doing at home doesn't consume as much carbon/ fossil fuels meaning it causes less harm to our environment.

I agree with this Brandon, when it comes to having a chance to pick between home grown or having it being transported people should choose homegrown.It consumes a lot of fossil fuel & carbon to transport agriculture to your home, while doing at home doesn't consume as much carbon/ fossil fuels meaning it causes less harm to our environment.

We should really encourage locally cultivated veggies to minimize carbon emissions caused by the use of fossil fuels. So when you pick veggies straight from the garden, there will be no need for plastic packaging, which will significantly decreases the use of fossil fuels. Also, Pesticide and other chemical inputs in a modest, well-tended garden can be significantly lower than in a small farm.

I agree that homegrown and locally bought food should be encouraged rather than getting foods transported. Transporting food can emit harmful gases into the air such as methane and other fossil fuels that can increase and induce harmful side effects to the environment.

I agree with you on this but making this reality will be hard since the world has evolved for importing food to keep relations with others. For example if the united states need rice ¨which probaly won´t¨ they would trade with china for the rice to get some. Now they can grow it but places are built by a order which is why certain places are known for certain stuff. Like in the states a lot of cheese is produced in winsconsin. Now other states can produce it but winsconsin is the lead of it. Though it is possible to have home grown food people will be lazy and it will take a change but it´s possible.?

I agree with you, but I think if people need to buy vegetables /fruits because they haven't grown it, didn't have the time to grow, or can't grow they should use reusable bags and go to their local grocery shop because usually local shops bring in fruits and vegetables locally instead of bringing them internationally like Walmart or other stores which lowers the transportation pollution a lot and this will a way of helping climate change

Some benefits of home grown food would be that you wouldn’t have to worry about buying the food, and it would help save money. With that money you would be more immune to a high carbon footprint. It is a great advantage to be able to grow food at home. This would also save you gas bills for your cars. Take note that cars also give you a high carbon footprint, so without the need to go out to buy food, and waste gas, you have the luxury of home grown foods.

Oh I agree that growing your own food is beneficial to reducing your carbon footprint as you don't have to drive to the grocery store and add more greenhouse gases. I do think that making your own garden is pretty time consuming as my dad has made a large garden for our family in our backyard, but it took him 2 years of care, time, and pure dedication to successfully cultivate multiple fruits and vegetables.

Buying locally is a really good idea when you’re thinking about carbon footprint, but sometimes it’s not always practical. I live in Sacramento, and it’s supposed to be the Farm to Fork capital of America, but a lot of the locally grown things where I live is expensive and goes bad quickly. I also imagine if you live somewhere like a city away from the agriculture it can be really difficult to buy locally grown produce. I think the best down the middle solution is composting your food waste either at home or at a facility. This  will prevent landfills from getting bigger and producing more Co2, in fact astdr.cdc.gov found that landfills produce 60%  of the carbon in the atmosphere right now! Composting food scraps is inexpensive, and has an impact on both the quality of our food and our carbon footprint.

Great point! There are a huge variety of options for people who want to reduce their carbon footprint. We can definitely buy locally as a way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we produce, but it's nice to know that there are other options as well, since one thing may not work for everyone. Composting is amazing for the environment, and it is something you can do right at home!

Is home grown food better or is organic store bought food better?

Waste of energy

.

Gay, Straight or Bi sexual

Hi it is harder to grow food if you don't have a garden, in my house we use old yogurts pots we put soil in it and we grow plants thet don't take much place, you can also use egg box for the beggining of the growth then you put it in the yogurts pot. Maybe you can buy indor small greenhouse, they can be put inside or outside, it's like a big flower pot with a lid.
Does anybody have over ideas?

I think that is a great way of being more environmentally clean, and really anybody can do it since you don't need a yard or garden. You could also use compostable materials like old newspaper and make paper mache pots.

go vegetarian for a day!

We grow most of our own lettuce, peas, beats, and tomatoes each year as they are a very beginner friendly crop that can produce a lot. Home grown food is better for the environment than food from the supermarket because it doesn't use pesticides or come in packaging.

One of the things we do in my family is gardening, we plant some plants, potatoes, onions, rhubarb. It varies between the years, but its a way to insure where and how you get your food.

There are many reasons why buying locally grown food reduces your carbon footprint. The first that I came across in my research was primarily about transportation. Due to the fact that buying locally limits travel time, the vehicle that is used for this commute only has to go a short distance, therefore releasing less greenhouse gases. Along with this, buying locally protects local lands. If those who grow the produce went out of business, that land would most likely be sold to big corporate companies where giant carbon emitting buildings would take over. The most locally sourced food you can get would be through your own home garden. This idea has been trending recently as a result of the pandemic and many people looking for sustainable alternatives to buying from chain stores. Growing your own food, or even just part of your meals like fruits and veggies, greatly reduces your carbon footprint. First, with absolutely no travel time, folks with home gardens completely eliminate greenhouse gases due to transportation. And, gardens regenerate themselves! So a home-gardener doesn’t have to buy produce over and over again. Lastly, you are growing plants. A plant’s photosynthesis cycle will constantly be cleaning the air, reducing the excess carbon.

There are many reasons why buying locally grown food reduces your carbon footprint. The first that I came across in my research was primarily about transportation. Due to the fact that buying locally limits travel time, the vehicle that is used for this commute only has to go a short distance, therefore releasing less greenhouse gases. Along with this, buying locally protects local lands. If those who grow the produce went out of business, that land would most likely be sold to big corporate companies where giant carbon emitting buildings would take over. The most locally sourced food you can get would be through your own home garden. This idea has been trending recently as a result of the pandemic and many people looking for sustainable alternatives to buying from chain stores. Growing your own food, or even just part of your meals like fruits and veggies, greatly reduces your carbon footprint. First, with absolutely no travel time, folks with home gardens completely eliminate greenhouse gases due to transportation. And, gardens regenerate themselves! So a home-gardener doesn’t have to buy produce over and over again. Lastly, you are growing plants. A plant’s photosynthesis cycle will constantly be cleaning the air, reducing the excess carbon. I personally have grown my family's herbs and a few vegetables, but after researching and writing this, I am on a mission to grow my home garden so much bigger!

Completing the quiz to find my carbon footprint impact quiz opened my eyes to the amount of unnecessary things in which I endorse. One basic change that I could take would be to grow fruits and vegetables from an at-home garden. In this way, I can reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases because the machines that are used to power large food plants typically use gasoline which pollutes the air and the foods. Additionally the factories that disperse the items release toxic gases into the atmosphere making it unsafe for humans to both breathe and ingest the food that is contaminated. Additionally, the use of plastic packaging of fruits and vegetables has a drastic effect on the environment. By growing food in a small garden, I can reduce my carbon footprint by not purchasing foods that have been sourced using gasoline-powered equipment which has a detrimental cost to the greenhouse gas emission levels. By having a garden, I can also live a healthier lifestyle because of the healthy options in my backyard. If one were to go even further, they could raise livestock such as chickens, goats, pigs, sheep and cows to produce both dairy and meat products. This would remove endless amounts of greenhouse gases that are poured into the atmosphere by large packinghouses and distributor plants by removing those steps to getting meats and dairy products. Overall, owning livestock or even simply creating a small backyard garden can have an impact on the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the environment from large corporations.

Home-grown food comes with many benefits. When growing food at home, less meat is eaten and more vegetables are eaten. Having a more vegetable-heavy diet comes with many benefits, including eating healthier, spending less money on food, and helping the environment. When animals are reproducing for the sole purpose of being consumed, it lets out unnecessary greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, including methane, CO2, and nitrous oxide. As well as releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, negatively affecting the Earth, it also takes thousands of gallons of water to raise the livestock. For example, one single burger takes 4,000-18,000 gallons of water to create (average but not exact estimation). Home-grown food is also extremely nutritious and wholesome compared to restaurant food. Although it is just as nutritious as the vegetables sold in supermarkets, growing food at home can allow people the ability to control how their food is grown (pesticides, chemicals, etc.). By eating food grown at home instead of at restaurants, not only is it positively impacting you but the Earth as well. Personally, I have not started growing food at home. However, I hope that in the future, I can start growing my own food in an effort to help the Earth.

Source:
https://www.deseret.com/2012/7/12/20504 … aised%20in.

Buying locally produced food reduces the distance that food needs to travel in order to reach you. The vehicle that transports the food goes a shorter distance, and emits less greenhouse gasses. This is a good reason to start eating local food on its own, but another understated reason is the spillover effect of doing the action itself. Other people will see that it’s possible to incorporate eating local food into your life, and will follow suit. Realizing that you yourself can take this step to help against climate change can also inspire you to look for other actions you can take to contribute. This additional effect can also spillover, and cause other people to look to contribute, creating an infection of climate justice.

While researching for this post, I found a reason to eat local food that I haven’t heard of before. It protects local lands. It keeps local farmers in business by giving them money. If local farmers weren’t to be in business, they’d sell their lands and the land might be redeveloped for industrial or commercial uses. This outcome most likely creates more greenhouse gas emissions than the original local farmer’s business did. Redevelopment can also hurt the wildlife on the lands. (The reason came from the University of Waterloo source) Another reason again provided from this source is that food transported from far away places can spoil before being purchased by someone. Because of this, that food is wasted. Food from local areas travels a shorter distance, and has less time to spoil before being purchased. 30-40% of all the US’ food is food waste, and reducing this number allows us to use more of what we have.

Another topic I wanted to bring up was the most local food possible; a home food garden. I myself have a giant garden at my school, and it’s used sometimes to make food for activities for clubs, or give food products in a raffle. I have noticed it takes quite a bit of work to maintain though, which may be a border for schools who want to adopt it. The garden was built on an unused slope along the side of the hill, and was repurposed into a natural habitat for life and a place to keep the garden. I also am trying to develop vegetable plants at home, and enjoy it myself and would suggest it for others. One tip that I believe is crucial if this is a route someone is interested in, is to try to not get disheartened when your plants die. It’s a sad part of the learning process, and it may feel as if it’s because they aren’t capable of being a home gardener. But, with trial and error, it’s possible to grow plants that survive and grow produce. The joy when a garden survives, and the taste of the produce is worth the effort.

Sources
https://uwaterloo.ca/food-services/blog … nvironment
https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs

One of the small efforts you can make to reduce your carbon footprint is to simply prepare and grow your own food!  Not only is growing your own food eco friendly and cuts carbon emissions, but also, you learn how to garden, save money, reduce your use of plastic, can utilize your garden for compost, and the best thing, you get to walk to your backyard for the freshest produce instead of driving to the grocery store!

Eating home grown or locally grown food helps the climate problem because it reduces or eliminates the need for transporting food. My family has a garden in our backyard where we grow tomatoes, squash, strawberries, peaches, plums, etc. If you have the ability to, I would really recommend starting your own garden. Not only will you get fresh, delicious food, but the environment will benefit from it!

I agree that growing food locally or at home helps global warming because it reduces/does not require transportation. If you grow food at home, you won't have to use your car and release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. Although you may have to use your car to get locally grown foods, it probably won't be too far to get there.

I agree that both purchasing locally sourced food, and cultivating your own garden have immense benefits. Not only does buying local reduce transportation emissions, buying local emphasizes the importance of supporting local businesses! So much of what goes into producing mass amounts of food these days involve pesticides and other synthetic fertilizers, which local foods and home grown food typically steer clear of. If you choose to buy local, you also have the opportunity to understand how the food was grown and if there were any pesticides used. On top of the environmental benefits of locally grown food, you are essentially buying and consuming food that is in season. And of course, to reiterate what both of you said, the major impact of growing or buying local is fewer CO2 emissions by transportation of goods! An added bonus is that plants consume CO2 in the process of photosynthesis!

Eating locally-produced food helps the climate problem because the locally-produced food is healthy and reduces the risk of cancer. There are other elements that support this thesis, for example when I eat locally-produced food I don't use much fuel and the duration of transport is limited. Environmental pollution isn't increased and costs for customers can be cut. I haven't got a food garden but I would like to have one, as a further benefits is that home grown food is tastier.

My family has been keeping chickens as pets and for egg production since 2008, and have been keeping ducks since 2019. We have 11 chickens, 10 mallard-derived ducks, and 7 muscovy ducks. Of those, we have 6 laying hens and 9 laying ducks. We get about 3-4 chicken eggs a day and 4-5 duck eggs a day. I can count on one hand the amount of times we have had to buy eggs in the last ten years. In fact, I have two and a half dozen chicken eggs and four dozen duck eggs on my kitchen counter right now. We give eggs to our neighbors and friends regularly, and still have many to spare. I haven't seen any posts in this subforum that discuss keeping cickens or other poultry in anything more than the abstract, so I thought I would make a post to share some of my experience with them.

Chickens:

I would recommend chickens for most people, really. I've always been surprised that they aren't more popular in urban and suburban areas. A small flock of 3-4 hens would definitely meet or even surpass the egg needs of a single family. A backyard is enough space for them, and many keepers have their flock in an entirely enclosed coop and run. Entirely built or some assembly required coops are availaible, but I would recommend just building one yourself so you can meeet your specific needs. If space is very limited I would suggest looking into bantam, or miniature, breeds, although I have not personally kept these before. I would also suggest staying away from commercial or industrial production breeds; while their output may be more per year, their are extremely prone to health issues, especially reproductive ones. It is not uncommon for them to die suddenly and before three years of age. Heritage breeds laying 150-200 eggs per year are overall healthier, hardier, and more long-lived than their commercial counterparts. The average lifespan of a hen is 6-8 years, but I have had several make it to 10. Depending on your local climate, you may want to research cold or heat tolerant breeds. Chickens are friendly, personable, and severely underrated as pets. Ours always want to hang out with us, and our particularly friendly hens will do social things like groom us and sit in our laps. Our rooster even warns us when strange birds (or butterflies) fly overhead, to make sure we stay safe. Be aware of your local ordinances, because some cities will only allow a certain number of chickens, or will not allow roosters.

Waterfowl:

This includes mallard-derived ducks, muscovy ducks, and geese. Mallard-derived ducks and muscovy ducks are actually two different species, but they have basically identical requirements. A backyard may be suited to two or three ducks, but they require a pool for bathing and constant access to water. I would not recommend waterfowl of any kind if you have limited space, simply because emptying their pool(s) daily to change their water will quickly make a mucky mess of any space you do have. But if you have the space, ducks are excellent layers and are productive for most of their lives. Mallard-derived ducks will lay anywhere from 150-300 eggs a year depending on the breed and live to be about 10, while muscovies will lay around 180 eggs a year and can live up to 20. The most productive breeds of geese, however, will lay a maximum of 65 eggs a year. I would not get geese if you are looking for eggs.

Quail:

If you were reading this and thinking: "I can't have any of these, I don't have any yard at all," then quail are the birds for you!  They only need 0.5 to 1 square foot of space per bird, and any people keep quail in rabbit hutches. Their enclosures can potentially be entirely indoors, and are the only ones on this list to be so. Quail are small, quiet, and lay up to 300 eggs a year for 3-4 years. Coturnix quail are the most popular domestic quail, but there are a couple others you could choose from. While I haven't personally kept quail due to their small size, I would like to in the future. They're so cute. Here's a link to someone who has kept quail, since I have not, and I suspect this will be of interest to at least a few people: https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/quail-part-one

Turkeys:

Most turkeys are kept for meat, not eggs, but they do lay around 100 eggs per year. They have similar requirements to chickens, but are much bigger. This means more food, a larger coop and a larger run/forage area. Turkey eggs are bigger than a chicken or duck egg. This doesn't mean you can't keep a turkey for eggs, but it generally isn't recommended and we don't eat turkey eggs because it isn't profitable commercially.

Other/Exotic Poultry:

This includes guinea fowl, peafowl, and pheasants. I wouldn't suggest any of these for beginner poultry keepers, or for egg production. Guinea fowl and peafowl are kept mainly for pest control or ornamental purposes, while pheasants are kept for meat. Guineas hens may lay 80-160 eggs a year, but are notoriously loud, flighty, and temperamental. Pheasants come in next at 50-60 eggs during their breeding season, but are fairly sensitive and delicate birds, not nearly as hardy as more traditional poultry. Peafowl come in last for egg production, laying in their fourth year a maximum of one clutch of 5-9 eggs. Peafowl, like guinea fowl, are known to be loud and flighty.

That's some general knowledge about poultry and egg production! If anyone is interested in a post about poultry and meat production, I'm considering making one of those, which would also include pigeons.

Forgot to even mention this in the main post- our birds eat our kitchen/food scraps as long as it's okay for them to have, act as pest control for our yard and gardens, and we compost their dirty bedding to use as well. You just have to keep an eye out for the plants they like to eat and move them out of their reach, or they WILL eat all of your basil and lettuce seedlings even when you've been trying so hard to keep it alive in the Florida heat

Awesome and informative post!

I think it is best if food is still industrialized because it isn't feasible to feed everyone just through farmers markets. However, I think industries should start reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by making the transportation vehicles they use based on renewable energy sources.

that is a great idea do you think it's possible ???

that is a very good idea to reduce our carbon footprint!

Eating and producing locally-produced food is something anyone can do and is an amazing alternative to buying from your nearest supermarket. Not only does it help in the way that you aren’t supporting transportation pollution going into the ecosystem, but you might also get cheaper deals. I personally can plant my own avocados for a good cost instead of having to go to a supermarket and get a pound of avocados for $2.30. I don't have a garden myself, but my grandpa grows his own avocados and has never had to spend money on avocados. He gets to help the environment and get a good deal at the same time.

I think it would be best if there was still manufactured food, but shipping and transportation should use renewable energy based cars and trucks.

yea makes sense

It's better to make your own food it's easy for example you can make a garden in your backyard.

I agree with this because yes, it is so much easier than going out and buying food. You get to plant the things you want and its healthier for you.

My family and I grow a garden every spring. We have three planter boxes plus multiple pots full of herbs, strawberries, and different flowers.

thats amazing

interesting, I think that is amazing.

nice, great and healthy

Literally, just grow your own food. Its kinda easy

Some people don't have time or money in order o just grow food. Even than gardening depending on the food can be a challenge depending on your budget (comming from someone who has been gardening they're entire life). With our increasing intense weather it makes this significantly more harder

I believe that a way to make our human civilization more eco friendly is by producing our own vegetables. I myself have planted my own food for the past 2 years. Although I did harvest my own food, It was not my main source of food mainly because it takes time to grow. But, I did try it and I did see some benefits around my garden. The soil was more rich in natural nutrients and there was more life around my garden like bees, lady bugs, and caterpillars. All these animals, except the caterpillar of course, pollinated my plants and made them produce fruit. Growing your own food helps reduce the gases emissions in our planet because instead of buying food from the store that got there via transportation, we grow our own food while also benefiting the environment around it.

Home and Locally grown food help decrease the amount of traveling. This reduces the number of gases released into the environment from the vehicles used for you to get the products and the vehicles used to transport these products into our area. I do not currently have a garden at home, used to though when I was in my beginning years of elementary school. Home gardens are really fun and better for the environment.

I agree and I like that you talked about how it also saves car gas from being released. I've never thought about that when thinking about how home gardens help the climate problem. I usually think about what you can get from the garden like being able to compost and not have your vegetables wrapped in plastic every time you need some if you choose to grow them. I also have a little garden where my mom grows small things like tea leaves. Home gardens are also really fun.

All your points are very relevant and I totally agree. If one does not live in a space in which they could grow their own food, they should check out their city's or town's local farmer's markets to buy their groceries at. Not only is the food in these markets tastier but they tend to be healthier since they are locally grown. This alternative would significantly reduce one's carbon footprint since local farmers use fewer resources to harvest their crops and don't spend as much fuel and money on transportation.

I think it is very important to buy a majority of your food locally. For as long as I can remember my family has been buying our food from local or organic buisnesses. This way of life can benefit you in so many ways, for example a healthier diet. With a healthy diet, you will have more of the nutrients you need, making you more energetic and focussed. This is also a great choice for our environment. It also eliminates a lot of activity in the animal food industry.

I agree. Find out where all your produce is coming from. It just feels so much better to know where your food is coming from. It is also much healthier and better for the environment. Same with vegetables. Or even have your own garden.

I agree with you. I think it can be very difficult to know where your produce and groceries really come from. In my area there are a few local farmers market but it is still difficult to only buy locally grown product as so much product is grown and shipped into chain grocery stores. Eating more locally grown food would be better for our environment as well as supporting local business.

I completely agree with you. If you buy food locally not only are you helping your community but also heavily cutting down on CO2 emissions that would've been released by transporting those fruits or vegetables across the country. The elimination of the animal agriculture from your diet will also help the environment significantly.

Locally grown and organic food is excellent. When you eat it you don't just feel way better and healthier, but you are also supporting your community. If you support your community by buying there food from a market or a farm stand, they will grow more. Really everyone should buy locally grown and organic food, and maybe even grow their own too.

I agree as well. Not only does it support the community and cut down on CO2 emissions, but it also cuts down on the amount of pesticides and other chemicals used on the food. Most larger companies when growing food are more likely to use chemicals or preservatives on the food to make it last longer, while locally sourced and organic food is less likely to have it. Not only does that make the food healthier for us to eat, but it also provides less run off into the environment that could potentially hurt other animals.

I think that locally grown food may be better and have higher quality, it is more expensive which means those with lower income will not be able to purchase the food. Locally grown food also takes up much more space and resources because with mass produced food, you have an industry dedicated to maximizing output for least resources consumed, but local growers are only a team of people that won't have the ability to provide the amount of food required to sustain humanity. What's really needed is more regulation and inspection into the food industry to make sure they make food ethically and as cleanly as organic growers do.

Lately, it has been more popular to purchase local and or organic food, but we could take it a step further by growing food in our own backyards. For example, we have vegetable garden and lots of fruit trees, and we use the produce often for our meals. This helps in a number of ways. First of all, we are eating natural food rather than processed food, which is not only healthy but better for the environment. Second of all, we are decreasing the amount of food that needs to be transported or delivered to stores or our doorstep, because we get our food from our own backyard.

I think this is great! Also, when having a garden in your backyard, you reduce the amount of food waste with compost. When growing food, you have to use compost to allow it to increase. When creating compost, we use food scraps, and using food scraps for your compost will reduce your food waste tremendously.

Growing fruits and vegetables at home help reduce carbon emissions by reducing transportation of these products. Not only does reducing the number of huge diesel trucks off the roads eliminate their carbon emissions, we also reduce traffic which in turn saves the amount of idle time other vehicles spend in traffic, which again helps reduce carbon output. Also, who wants to drive to the grocery store.

While I do agree growing fruits and vegetables at home is a good idea, it takes a very long time to grow these things. I can see this work if more people become farmers EVERYWHERE around the world as this would mean that no transporting fruits and veggiesssssssss. This seems unlikely to happen but who knows, 2020 was weird in itself.

Mass-production has a benefit of being more optimized for production because a company can specialize into research and investment into making as optimum of production for least supplies and carbon emissions. And, when home growing, you need spend resources getting extra water to your crops and you can't spend all your time refining your food production. But, these mass-producing firms are more easily corrupt and may start producing more fossil fuels and get away with it because them collapsing would cause a sharp decrease in food production and causing mass starvation depending on how big the company is.

Grow your own food, it's nice, it's fun, you get your own food, it's cheaper (I think) all you have to do is keep the squirrels away, and you got a bunch of food now. It's better for the envirment and carbon emission and at the same time, this means your buying less food from the store, also means that less transportation invloved, also means less carbon. your backyard looks cool and not a plain patch of grass

I agree that we should eat as locally as we can. Eating locally is more sustainable, since we don't have to use oil and gas to power the cars and planes that transport the food. Local food also tends to  use less pesticides and preservatives to keep the food fresh while it is being transported from place to place. Lastly, when food is local it tastes way better.

Food is a necessity to human survival but over eating can cause or world to be affected in bad ways. The more you eat the more waste you produce like trash from the wrappers of the food. If you have home grown foods you can limit the amount of trash that is from produce from food companies.

stop using cars

I have a garden in my yard and we grow lots of vegetables that we use to cook. We don't use any pesticides so the food is organic and safe to eat. I think that having a small garden or just one plant that you can use as a food source is a great way to start using more home grown food.

that's awesome, my family try's do that but our areas weather is a bit iffy so crops can fail. but if you live in a place with more consistent weather, have a garden is a great idea

This is a great way to get food, and honestly I think I could do better in that regard, my family tries to grow stuff but it's mostly small things like green onions.

This is awesome

It is great that you have a garden that you and your family use to eat a lot of your food! My family has a garden that we use as much as we can. I think it is an amazing way to eat local and organic food. Also home grown garden food always tastes better! Everyone who can should have one.

I think it is great to have your own garden. it is a good way of growing your own vegetables or fruits if you can, and it helps reduce the amount of carbon it takes to transport food to grocery stores.

I think having a home garden is amazing! It's a great way to know that your produce is healthy and organic. Me and my mom used to have a garden and I found the produce tasted so much better than store-bought. I think having a garden is great The earth and us.

My sister always says that lawns are useless, they are large extra parts in our homes that require work and maintenance but and give us very little in return. I agree with her because if we got rid of lawns and replaced them with gardens instead, we can create sustainable food sources that are good for the environment and provides your family with healthy food to eat. We can also get cities to make community gardens so there's local food for the community to eat. This could also mean that we can start to rely less on cutting down forests to make land for farming.

I agree with you that lawns are useless! If we replaced front or back lawns with gardens we would have less of a need to cut down forest, use land for farming, and our communities will be more green! However, much of humanity doesn't have the time to watch over their own garden, which is why I think having community gardens will be a better idea. People will be able to watch and learn how to garden and learn to take care of plants! It can also bring a lot of people together and will allow the community to be stronger. I'm also thinking we could add flowers just to add more colour!

I do agree that lawns just being an open grass space is useless. However I also think that some people who work long shifts or are not home a lot may not be able to grow food since it takes maintenance. for example you have to water the plants, weed the weed growing around and more. So I think it would be great for people to plant gardens and if they could not take care of it themselves it would also be cool if they could let their neighbour or their friends or family either use it or take care of it while the person cannot take  care of their garden.

Well, I agree to some of that statement. But i also have some disagreements. Lawns can be useful in many ways, as an example. During covid the amount of dogs that have been adopted have more than tripled. So regarding to that, lawns i personally have a dog that runs in the lawn for hours and hours and loves it. And also when you have friends and/or family come over to visit lawns are really good to go out chill, and play games. But i also agree that if you have more than enough space then you need you can turn some of it into useful land like gardens. so as i said before you do have some good points but they aren't completely useless.

I agree with you, that’s a good idea and it makes sense. It would help everyone reduce meat consumption. But yet again the world is changing and about half of the time things won’t be in season as the weather gets colder. So many pros and cons it difficult to say what’s the right decision.

I agree partly with your statement that lawns are useless if not used in the right way but also, don't agree because lawns can have many different uses. For example, my family likes to grow vegetables in our lawn and play soccer on our lawns. If lawns are used as empty space where no one takes care of and the grass is all dead and long than I do agree that lawns are useless in that scenario. My family and I do like to play with our neighbors dog and we use our lawn as a place for him to run around and be free. If you do have extra lawn space that if you can turn that space into a garden that would be useful. For example, a community garden that the entire community can take care of together.

This is an interesting conversation to me because there are so many different pros and cons to this in my opinion. For example if you do use a yard space to grow food I think that is great, but like its said above if you aren't really using your lawn then it is a waste of space in my opinion. Also I do have dogs too, and I have a back yard and my dogs do like to be in that space, but lots of people own dogs living in apartments. Maybe the dog would prefer to be outside more but there are dogs that are fine without a backyard or front yard space. So I dont know really where I stand for this I think I am in the middle. Maybe we could do things like smaller yards like only front yard or backyard instead of both. Or like it is said above using extra lawn space for a community garden or maybe a composting place for worms or something.

I somewhat agree with your point that lawns are useless but they're not completely useless. Lawns can be used for social gatherings that may not be occurring now but could be used after the pandemic. Another good use for lawns could be pets, like dogs. Sometimes the house isn't good enough for them and the lawn is a great way for them to boost their mood. Home gardens are a good idea though, they may cost a bit of money but it would help with trees getting cut down and they're a sustainable food source as well.

Have any one tried a hydroponic garden?

Our class finish a project for both an automatic and normal hydroponic system. It was quite great time, and I have to admit it is quite effective. Though for the automatic system concern over budgetting may constraints to certain family.

I have hear that hydroponic trees take more time that normal tree. Is it true?

Locally grown food is Healthier for the environment because it dose not need to be transported reducing the green house gases caused by trucks and other vehicles. Locally grown food also usually dose not use pesticides or chemicals that are needed when food is picked and transported a long distance. This benefits the environment and you because those chemicals are not healthy. Eating locally grown food also promotes small farms rather than big commercial farms that are destroying the environment. I try to buy produce from local famers by looking at the labels where the produce came from. If it comes from more than 1-2 states away I don't buy it. I also try to buy produce that is in season so it is more likely to be local.

Locally grown food is Healthier for the environment because it dose not need to be transported reducing the green house gases caused by trucks and other vehicles. Locally grown food also usually dose not use pesticides or chemicals that are needed when food is picked and transported a long distance. This benefits the environment and you because those chemicals are not healthy. Eating locally grown food also promotes small farms rather than big commercial farms that are destroying the environment. I try to buy produce from local farmers by looking at the labels where the produce came from. If it comes from more than 1-2 states away I don't buy it. I also try to buy produce that is in season so it is more likely to be local.

I think we should compost more If we compost more, it can limit the amount of harmful methane gas released into the atmosphere. Composting also encourages people to start their own gardens.

Eating fruits and vegetables exclusively from your own backyard greatly helps the environment in many ways. You can control how you grow these plants, meaning they can be a potential receptacle for compost, as well as having control over what pesticides are used, if any. Eating from your own backyard also prevents C02 emissions from transport vehicles, including your own. Eating self grown plants helps by reducing vehicle emission, pesticides, and waste disposal emissions.

Eating locally produced food could have some major positive impacts on the environment. By buying locally, you can cut down on the significant greenhouse gas emissions caused by transportation and refrigeration. One study on environmental costs of produce in the UK showed that produce that was transported from outside of the UK used 20x more CO2 than locally grown food. If possible, switching your diet and habits so you can buy locally grown produce can considerably help the environment. There are also economic benefits of locally sourced produce. Farms draw in more taxes than they require in services. It also generates money for your local economy, benefiting your own community rather than giving more money to large retailers. I personally have a small backyard garden with a few lettuce plants, strawberries, lemons, and kiwis and there's a small grocery store near my house that primarily sells locally grown produce. The food is always very high quality and fresh and buying from the market gives money to a local store and the local farms it buys from.

https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/facts … local.html
http://web.colby.edu/st297-global18/201 … e%20gasses.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … 1114002469

I want to reduce my carbon footprint in general but mainly in home and transportation.
I want to do this by making sure I turn off the lights when I leave a room as much as I can.  Also to make sure that I am not leaving TV's on when I am done using them.  And for transport, taking the bus and walking and biking, we could instead ride bikes or walk. If there is a place far and you can in fact take public transportation and then walk or bike, take the opportunity.

Raising backyard chickens is a practical way to reduce carbon emissions, and creates friendly pets with their own unique personalities. Fresh eggs are a factor that contributes to reduction of carbon emissions with backyard chickens. Having chickens eliminates the need to buy eggs from the grocery store, which produces emissions through the transportation of eggs from farms to stores. In addition, packaging for store bought eggs creates pollution and greenhouse gasses. According to Liz Greene, "Every year, 35 million tons of food waste ends up in landfills where it breaks down and produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change." Chickens can consume food waste and kitchen scraps, which reduces the amount of methane added to the atmosphere. Their waste can also be used as fertilizer in gardens, or to help with the compost process. Overall, chickens are an enjoyable presence in the backyard, and help to reduce the carbon emissions created by human beings, which is vital to the continuation of life as we know it on earth.

Sources:
https://blog.epa.gov/2016/08/11/a-city-of-chickens/
https://earth911.com/home-garden/go-gre … -can-help/

Not eating meat contributed to lowering my carbon footprint because by not buying meat I didnt contribute in the factory and growing and processing emissions that come from the meat industry. Also growing vegetables and fruits at home also lowers greenhouse gas emissions from the plant industry therefore lowering my footprint, and its cool to see the plants grow and also feels nice to grow them yourself.

“Meat and dairy specifically accounts for around 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions”, according to interactive.carbonbrief.org. When people hear these numbers, they often think about the factory farms producing meat and assume that they can reduce these numbers by eating locally. Unfortunately, while some local foods produce fewer greenhouse gases than food shipped from around the world, the emissions of the transportation of meat are considerably lower than the rest of the emissions, so not much of a difference is made. For example, the transportation emissions of a beef herd are 0.30kg whereas all other emissions of a beef herd combine to 59.30kg. Even if we could reduce the emissions of transportation, it wouldn’t make much of a difference. However, that may not be as simple as we think. In the article, Willet says, “ ‘Train transportation is really very efficient and shipping is also relatively efficient. And probably more efficient than some small local farmer in western Massachusetts driving three hours with a pick-up truck.’ ” While, as a consumer, it can often seem like eating local is always better, it’s important to do the research to make sure that’s actually the case. Commonly accepted ideas like thinking that eating local is always better can be hard to overcome. As we learn more about the carbon footprint meat has, we can begin to look into alternatives to our diet. For people who still want the taste of meat, relatively new brands such as impossible burger and beyond burger have come out with realistic plant based meat. Those meat alternatives have a much smaller carbon footprint than beef. As we can see in the graph below, Beef has much higher carbon emissions than the emissions of plant based alternatives. The carbon footprint of Beef is 70.50kg whereas the footprint of both the beyond burger and the impossible burger are only 3.50kg. While it can be difficult to change up our diet or the way we source our foods, even changing it slightly can make a huge difference on the greenhouse gas emissions in the world we live in.

I think we should compost more If we compost more, it can limit the amount of harmful methane gas released into the atmosphere. Composting also encourages people to start their own gardens.

Instead of buying factory fertilizer, you can make your own fertilizer by composting your food and scraps and put it on your plants or garden. they will decompose and will become the fertilizer of fertilizers. It's also free

You can make amazing homemade food with fresh plants from your garden.

I agree, you can grow amazing homegrown plants yourself. When you grow your own food, you are able to have a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables without all the pesticides; self grown food and plants tend to be better than store bought. Not only that, you are able to tract everything you use, so you know you aren't wasting anything unnecessary. Growing your own food helps lower the carbon emissions from transportation, and reduces water runoff. A great way to grow plants is using a system called hydroponics! Plants are able to grow 25% quicker, and generally produce 30% more than plants grown in regular soil. Hydroponics is also a great way to save water; you can save up to 70-90% more water than soil.

In Mexico the health system is ISSSTE Citas ISSSTE

Composting is such a valuable alternative to throwing everything away into landfills, amount other benefits it adds nutrients to the soil. It introduces valuable organisms to the soil. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, decompose organic material. You can recycles kitchen and yard waste. It reduces landfill waste. It’s also generally good for the environment.

Although growing your own food has advantages, locally grown food is also a great alternative to save time. Locally grown food can be more expensive but it has its advantages. Locally grown food is safer because of there are less pesticides and steroids in the produce. Locally grown food is also fresher, meaning it most likely tastes better and is healthier.

locally grown food also tends to have less preservatives, making it have a shorter shelf life but be all around healthier.

I think that growing your own food and raising your own food is also an great way to reduce carbon emissions. If every one grew there own food or bought locally grown food it could greatly help in the effort to stop climate change.

I agree with you completely. I get all of my food locally, which means that there are no carbon emissions associated with distributing the produce. Also, there are no steroids and other hormones, which can disrupt your endocrine system. Furthermore, there are no pesticides, which are terrible for you and the bees.

I think that this is a great point. A lot of the food that my family gets is locally grown. This helps reduce the amount of carbon emissions. Not only does it help the environment but it is also healthier for you. Where I live their are lots of farmers markets where you can get lots of food that is locally grown, and help out smaller businesses. I think that this is a simple way to help, but it helps tremendously.

I agree that there needs to be a sustainable way of eating for the environment and even for yourself. I think growing your own food could help the climate immensely. The plants would help eat the CO2 and its just a healthier way of living.

At my house, I have a home garden that has not been in my care in previous years. This year, I am planning to use conservation agriculture (CA) techniques in my garden in hopes that it increases yield, uses less water, and is more environmentally friendly than in past years. CA involves not tilling the soil, using cover crops as much as possible, and only using organic products. The component I am focusing on the most this year will be using cover crops, as this graden has never had cover crops before. This will, hopefully, reduce the need to water as much, and make the soil healthier by adding nitrogen to it, making it better not only this year, but in future years as well. I would also suggest these techniques for home gardeners, in an effort to emulate how these plants would grow in the wild.

Food is a necessity, but we can change how it's produced and where it comes from. Much of the food available in grocery stores comes from large scale farms, using unsustainable practices. Many of these farms are monocrop farms with tiling and intensive agriculture. This greatly depletes the soil, making it unusable in the future. Along with soil depletion, these farms produce a ton of fossil fuel emissions in all stages of their business from producing crops to transportation and distribution. They also use extreme amounts of water. Switching to buying locally grown food is much better for the environment, as there are reduced emissions, since crops don't need to be transported as far, and there's often more variety, as monoculture is less prevalent, and intensive agriculture is less used with locally grown crops. With locally grown food, you also know much more about your food, as it is often grown without the use of pesticides and is much healthier than the crops of large scale monocrop farms. Currently, I don't grow my own food, but after learning more and more about agriculture in my environmental science class, I want to start, even if it's something as simple as planting a few fruit seeds in my backyard.

I agree with everything you said Valerie.  Large industrial mono crop agriculture is really harming our soil and the environment and Im afraid if big companies and people don't make changes, it could harm us for the future.  Thats why , even though I would buy a portion of my food from local farmers, I am going to try and be more aware of where my crops are coming from and the impact they have on the environment.  Same with you, after learning about soil depletion and growing my own garden, I may try and grow a few crops, then I know exactly how they are grown and what is being put into them.

Monocultures are particularly a problem in Russia, Australia and America, in Europe a crop rotation is prescribed by the EU, which is why I think that it should be stipulated by government and law. And it is also better if tomatoes grow on large farms in California than in small, heated greenhouses in Michigan.

I personally have a garden in my backyard. But I know many people in urban areas do not have the resources, time, money, or space to do this. This is where community gardens come into play. Community gardens are run by a group of people or a whole neighborhood. These gardens are grown for everyone living in the given area. Anyone can help grow the garden and take the produce it provides as they need it. This can help families provide healthier meals to their children. Because it is giving practically free produce to people who need it or can't afford it.
   

I think growing and eating home grown food is beneficial to the environment in various ways. It can not only be helpful to your health, but offer healthy emissions to the atmosphere and give less to harmful chemical foods that you may buy in stores.

Having a home garden has many benefits, such as cleaning the air around your house, providing low cost food, and providing organic food. Home gardens are a way to cut back on your carbon footprint as well because you aren't paying for food to be transported to your home. They are also extremely satisfying because you get the joy of knowing you grew this and it may even taste better!

Eating food that you grew yourself can be extremely satisfying because you know the work that went in to producing the food. You also get the satisfaction of knowing you helped reduce your carbon footprint by a little because the food you grew didn't need to be transported from far away (no trucks or ships) so there were likely little carbon emissions (if any) from it. Same with locally grown food. The produce travels a lot shorter distance to reach you, which means that there are less carbon emissions. Locally grown foods are often organic too, meaning that they don't use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides (I think), which further lowers their environmental impact. The only thing about all this though is that the food is usually more expensive. While those who are lucky enough to be able to afford organic/local produce should definitely do their best to buy it, I think more should be done to help lower the cost of these foods.

By eating locally produced food you can lower the average consumer's greenhouse gas emissions, and purchasing and eating locally grown foods can also help keep your area alive and booming. My family and I have a garden at home where we like to plant things such as carrots.

I think that this is a good idea and can help lower our carbon footprints!

Laurenhotts12 suggestion is great because we are lowering our own carbon footprints, as well as lowering the greenhouse emission that is used to deliver these products to the store. Another solution to lowering greenhouse gas emission is to grow food in your own yard. Currently, I have grown tomatoes, chilies and squash in my backyard which has saved my family money to buy from the grocery store and has lowered my carbon footprint by making me travel less to the store with a vehicle. Lastly, if we cannot grow our own vegetables, we can also purchase all our vegetables and fruits from the closest grocery store that provides locally grown food. This will lower our carbon emission and support local farmers during this pandemic.

I agree that purchasing locally grown foods is important because it makes it easier to tell where and how that food was grown, and you support a local farm all while reducing your carbon footprint. Even more important is, if possible, growing your own fruits and vegetables in a  home or community garden. This way you control how its grown, there's no delivery or shipping, and it saves you money. Over the summer my family and I grow all of our vegetables in our back yard, this way we can reduce our carbon footprint while saving money.

I have a garden at my house that we use to grow tomatoes and some other stuff. Growing your own food will help global warming by not having to deliver the food from farms with a truck.

Hi Ying Yin

Eating locally grown/ produced food is beneficial in many ways. Imported food often has to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to get to us. That requires burning fossil fuels, which we all know is not good for our planet. Buying local is also good for your community. By buying local, you are supporting local businesses and families, instead of big corporations. You are also protecting local farmland, and creating more habitats for animals in your community. Buying local also provides more jobs for people in your community, which can benefit your friends, neighbors, and even family. Overall buying local, will strengthen your community and the environment.

I agree with your statement of buying local. Like you said, buying local kind of cuts out the middle man which reduces the distance the product has to travel to get to your table. This helps with the burning of fuels and emotions put out into the air.

Yes! This is a fun  project my family and I have been doing, growing as much of our own food as possible. It is all trial and error, but I know it will all be worth it at the end.

i definitely agree with you, eating locally grown food is a great way to reduce our footprint and growing your own is a very fun way to do it as well.

Yes, I agree that eating locally grown and produced is very beneficial. For example, locally grown food is fresher, has more sustainable farming practices, and emits less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere because it goes a shorter distance.  According to epa.org, transportation accounts for 28.2% of all greenhouse gas emissions.  So anything we can do to decrease that amount will surely have a positive effect. What will also help is decreasing the amount of air-freighted food. According to ourworldindata.org “Very little food is air-freighted; it accounts for only 0.16% of food miles. But for the few products which are transported by air, the emissions can be very high: it emits 50 times more CO2eq than boat per tonne kilometer.” Like you said, buying local food also helps keep local business stay in operation which is great for the economy.

Yes, I agree that eating locally grown and produced is very beneficial. For example, locally grown food is fresher, has more sustainable farming practices, and emits less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere because it goes a shorter distance.  According to epa.org, transportation accounts for 28.2% of all greenhouse gas emissions.  So anything we can do to decrease that amount will surely have a positive effect. What will also help is decreasing the amount of air-freighted food. According to ourworldindata.org “Very little food is air-freighted; it accounts for only 0.16% of food miles. But for the few products which are transported by air, the emissions can be very high: it emits 50 times more CO2eq than boat per tonne kilometer.” Like you said, buying local food also helps keep local business stay in operation which is great for the economy.

i completely agree! buying produce locally and even growing your own at home has many many more benefits than we realize. we can save our plant and in turn, save ourselves.

I definitely agree because the extra amount of greenhouse gasses just to get the food here is already more than enough. It's much more beneficial to grow your own plants because it saves your carbon footprint while also positivley adding more oxygen producing plants into the atmosphere. It could also be considered healthier because when growing your own plants, there are no added preservatives or pesticides because you don't really need them especially if you have a smaller garden in your backyard.

Yes! I definitely agree with eating locally grown and produced food because the amount of greenhouse gasses used to bring food here is extreme. Like you said buying local also supports your community. So I 100% agree with this. Eating locally grown and produced foods is very beneficial.

I definitely agree with this! There are endless benefits to shopping for food locally/growing your own produce. It is also super fun to grow your own garden, and safer because you know what is going on your produce, rather than mass farming which uses many chemicals that are already bad for the environment.

I agree with you.Growing vegetables at home can not only enrich the fun of life, but also can eat their own safe, green vegetables

I completely agree with your claim. Doing all that you can to reduce emissions and give back to your community is great. It’s even better when you grow it yourself, you get the satisfaction of knowing you’re reducing your emissions and it tastes that much better.

Of course! Planes burn a least 150,000 liters of fossil fuels  on a ten hour flight that isn't even a roundabout so multiply that by 2 and 300,000 liters of gas wasted on food important.  By the time it gets to stores most of it is wasted anyway so we should turn to locally grown food.

Yes I completely agree! Buying local helps decrease the amount of travel your food has to go through before getting to your table, all the fossil fuels burned and gas emissions used through the process of getting one product shipped overseas and to your table is insane. Eating locally can cut this process down to little to none.

I agree that eating food that is locally grown is beneficial for everyone. Less fossil fuels burned as no trucks are required, and supporting local producers. This way we can support our community instead of the major companies that grow the same thing. Even better we can grow our own food as that brings satisfaction and at the same time still reducing emissions.

Grow food at home or buy locally

I think that people could eat more locally grown food to keep them healthy.

My grandfather and I love growing our own vegetables, salads, spices, tomatoes, beans. I find that doing this makes it possible to consume less abroad and therefore reduce our carbon footprint and more, consuming your own vegetables brings a real satisfaction. I then suggest all to start a small vegetable garden at the bottom of your garden, even if there are only 3 tomatoes and 1 salad you will see that you are ready quickly at the games.

I agree! When I was younger my family had a small garden and it was a very memorable part of my childhood. I wish it was more common in America to grow your own vegetables, and I hope I will have the space to have a big garden of my own in my backyard. Do you have any tips to starting your own garden at home?

Oh yeah even as a kid my family would tell me to help out in the yard. I always thought of the use of the different types of herbs they be growing every month from cilantro to mint. From time to time it gave the sense of accomplishment that I have earned throught working.

We have a garden and it's honestly so good to go out into and just do stuff in it. Personally I don't like pulling weeds, but you have to do it all. I liked how you brought up reducing your carbon footprint, even if you don't have a large crop. It always starts out small and gets bigger and bigger. It gives you the joy of making your own sauces, or dinner that makes you feel good.

I agree, I personally do this myself and its satisfying to know that it came from my backyard and not from across the country or some place. Also this goes all the way back to hunter gatherers when humans were one with nature and not one against nature.

I agree! My father and I just started growing our own garden last year and we not only had fresh vegetables but it also made my family eat healthier. I also agree that it is more satisfying planting your own garden!

I've always wanted to plant my own food since it is not only a satisfying process but also beneficial to the environment. I remember back at my grandma's house in the countryside she had a small piece of land just for planting vegetables like cabbages and sweet potatoes. Those veggies were pesticide-free and tasted amazing. My mom and I started planting mints and small herbs or spices in the flower pots some time ago and we will continue doing that.

I definite agree.

One area that I think I can better improve my carbon footprint is to eat more locally sources produce. This isn't always an option for people depending on a number of factors, but I'm fortunate enough to live in an area where I can have access to my own garden and community programs for exactly this. I'm guilty of making quick trips to the grocery store to get produce that is likely sold at local co-ops or homegrown by a member of my community. I'd like to focus on trying to grow more crops at home, and rejoining a co-op as the one that my family used to be a part of closed. I'd also like to do some more research and see if I can find any local farmers who have their own businesses which I could support.

I think that home grown foods can be very helpful when it comes to our climate problem. Growing your own produce guarantees you that its organic and non-GMO. Most people probably don't have good soil for growing produce, and would probably turn to fertilizers. There's nothing wrong with fertilizers, as long as they're organic. We have a garden at my house, and so do all of my neighbors. Even if it starts out as an effort to help with climate issues, it becomes into a hobby.

Eating locally grown food helps alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce air pollution and it cuts back on green house gas emissions. Having a garden at your own home can also help you cut back on trips to the grocery store, thus creating less air pollution from your car. Eating from local farms helps reduce the amount of produce entering factories, this also helps cut back on pollution.

Grow food in own garden.

Growing plants at home is a sure fire way to save energy. Growing food like fruits and vegetables can grant a way to avoid wasting energy going to the store and back, it also is a very healthy way to give back to the Earth.

Not only does it save energy and help the Earth, it is also healthier for us to eat freshly grown organic food than food grown with chemicals.

While growing your own food has benefits, locally grown food is also a great choice for saving time. It can be more costly to cultivate locally produced food, but it has its benefits. Locally produced food is healthy since the product contains less pesticides and steroids. Food grown locally is therefore fresher, which means that it more likely tastes better and is healthier.

I agree that buying locally grown food is a good alternative to save time. I believe it saves time because the grower has immediate access to the produce, and they don't have to wait for an extended period of time to receive imported goods from across the world. I believe it's more of an advantage to grow your own produce because you can control what is being used to help your plants grow. When you buy from local farmers, there is less of a chance of pesticides being used; however, farmers use different growing methods which can include some pesticides/chemicals.

I think home grown produce is very important to the environment. And by that it has a very positive affect towards the environment. Not only that but its very healthy for us humans and overall causes great affects  onto our lives as others. I suggest more people try to grow some herbs, plants, fruits, vegetables in their homes or somewhere they can plant . It is actually quite helpful and adds great taste in your food if you cook it at home.

I believe that locally grown foods are a huge benefit to our environment. Instead of having foods shipped from other states (which means that they aren't as fresh), and possibly having the foods containing chemicals/pesticides, growing fruits and vegetables locally is overall healthier and is beneficial to our environment.

Eating locally grown food is better than eating food from out of the area you live in because food being transported in from other states or counties are probably not as fresh as the locally grown food and can sometimes have preservatives in them to keep them fresh. The other option to eating locally grown food is eating fast food which is more unhealthy because it has extra preservatives and chemicals in them.

Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a great way of knowing what you are eating. There could be harmful chemicals on your vegetables from the store and you wouldn’t even know it. That is why some people decide to take the healthy route. It may be harder but at least you know you aren’t getting food poisoning. Organic foods may also be the more expensive option but they tend to be the healthiest. Knowing what you are eating can be important when you want to live a healthy life. Growing your foods at home can be a great way to accomplish that. This is a creative way of being healthy and it has many good things that come with it.

I believe homegrown food and organic should happen more and be bought more in homes because it saves cost, time, and provides income. Home gardens help the environment by reducing air and energy costs, minimizing carbon footprints. Gardens are a little hard to nurture because the food you grow has a lot of food nutrition depends on how you grow it. You can grow it whether to use chemicals during the process or not. You have full control of your garden because you can grow anything and grow it organically or non-organically. If you're too lazy to make a small plantation, then another way is to buy local organic food because it helps the environment and the local farmer. And if you want you to buy regular food, have fun leaving that carbon footprint and having a lack of nutrition, xoxo.

Eating locally grown food is very advantageous. Because, you can have fun while planting it and so on. Studies show that growing your own food has many health benefits. It is proven that it helps you to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits with no additional chemical sprays. According to www.onegreenplanet.org most of the fruits or vegetables that you guys are getting from the store has pesticides, including, insecticides, rodenticides, herbicides, fungicides, and antimicrobials. All of these are used to grow non organic fruits and vegetables. This is one of the most important thing to know about the benefits of growing your own food. Staying healthy is important more than anything else.

I believe that food grown locally, usually at home, is better than buying frozen of a shelf. The reason for this is the products in the stores are usually processed too much and aren’t even as fresh as they should be. I myself am trying to grow more foods at home with my family.

We can start growing our own food at home and compost. This will save food waste for composting, and also no pesticides will have to be used for these crops. Our family has our own garden and in the food grown tastes a lot better than store bought.

Growing food from your home is a better option than purchasing from the store. Home grown foods are fresher and have a better taste. It does not have toxins and pesticides that some producers would have. Purchasing food that is transported requires fossil fuels and is bad for the environment. In the end it better to grow at your home as it is also rewarding to grow your own food.

Growing food at home offers many benefits to you, your family, and the climate problem that we face. Just producing food at home helps the human body to be more active, save some pocket money that you might need later, decreases environment pollution of the use fossil fuel, and just by extending your wide variety of things to grow helps out in our other current world problem that is our pedemic (Covid-19). Getting food from local producers (farmers) we get much fresher and more nutrition because they were just picked from the field. Right now my family been growing greens in our backyards from herbs to fruits like limes and pomegranate.

I think if you eat home grown food it help with reducing carbon. If it’s grown it would be less transportation. It would go from farm to store to home which would be a lot of transportation.

Home grown food is healthier for you, reduces your carbon footprint, and is overall more sustainable. This is especially true if the ingrediants were grown yourself or by a person that you know doesn't use harmful chemicals and uses reduced water techniques.

I totally agree! Homegrown food is much healthier because preparing food and eating homegrown food at home, we can control the cleanness, healthiness, freshness of the meal and along with reducing our carbon footprint.

Consuming locally produced food doesn't create large carbon footprints through overseas plane travel or long truck trips since it reduces food miles that help alleviate our reliance on fossil fuels, it reduces air pollution, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmers markets are a great place to find fresher and overall better produce. You know where the produce is coming from and know it isn't being shipped overseas or across the country. It is also a great way to support small and local businesses, especially right now. Having a garden is a great idea! It uses way less resources than mass farming, and is a fun and rewarding hobby. My family recently started growing a garden and it's been so much fun so far.

Think about the process in which food is brought to your plate. It starts off as a seed, is nurtured then becomes a fully grown plant ready to be cropped. Some machines are required in order to harvest the vegetables. To be even able to be transferred to your local grocery store, it must first be shipped to a warehousing then shipped once again to the store. Throughout that process, there is large amounts of carbon being emitted. Going to the store, sometimes also requires driving, once again, emitting more carbon. Growing some of your own crops allows this process to be completely omitted. Having locally produced food is much more beneficial because there is less distance to cover, allowing for shorting travel distances. I have a food garden at home, including of avocados, cherries, pomegranates, figs, chives, green onions, mint, basil, lemons, oranges, and so much more.

Eating locally for one, means that the transportation needed either from the supplier or consumer to obtain/sell the food is less than in a situation in which food is not locally sourced. This means less pollution overall. Although locally produced food doesn’t necessarily mean the food is organic, sometimes the lack of transportation needed is better in comparison to when organic food needs excessive amounts of transportation. But, also, supporting local farmers/ food-producers directly benefits those farmers directly and by extension - your community. Farmers can negotiate their own prices, and don’t have to work through massive chains meaning they create their own relationship with the consumer. Not to mention, giving money to farmers for they produce locally means that money will directly go to the benefit of that farmer and likely towards producing more food. Buying food this way can be seen as a worthwhile investment! I don’t have a garden at home or at the school I currently attend (my former elementary school has one though!). I’d like one but probably when I’m older and live on my own, because frankly my parents are busy as is.

I think locally grown and produced food has a good impact on the environment. Bringing foods from another state or area uses transportation which burns fossil fuels which is what we are trying to avoid as much as possible. It also is good for the environment because you can support your community/locals. This also ties into a global context of identities and relationships. We are helping the environment along with building a community

Locally produced helps the climate problem a lot because there is easier access, inexpensive cost, healthier, and more fresh. First of all, home grown food allows you to grow your own food and monitor what you are really eating. Compared to store bought, general food, you can’t really tell whether or not this food is being jam packed with added preservatives, chemicals, artificial sweeteners, etc. All of these extra ingredients are very unhealthy and many people don’t know what the side effects are. The cost of growing them isn’t that expensive either other than the access to water. It just takes the proper soil/foundation and proper care which is generally inexpensive compared to constantly going to the store and buying a pack of it. By having a garden that you can grow your food in, you allow yourself to be able to get ingredients and food whenever you want. You don’t need to drive (which also releases greenhouse gasses)  and its a great educational opportunity for kids. Adding more plants is great because it also produces healthy oxygen that everyone needs.

Home grown food reduces your carbon footprint and is a healthier alternative to greasy fast foods. However, people don’t have the time to grow all their meals because of their education or work. They might have extra mouths to feed or they might not have the money to take care of  those home grown foods.

Homegrown food is a great way to lower your carbon footprint, it saves you money, lowers food waste numbers. Food waste can happen when a large number of the food is not up to standards and forces it to be thrown away. If you grow it at your home you could also feel a sense of pride and not waste as much.

Growing your own food at home is very beneficial for your body and the environment. When you grow your own food, you know exactly what goes into it, therefore, you know exactly what is going into your body. Many chemicals such as pesticides and preservatives are put into your food. These chemicals are very harmful to your body and to the environment. Another reason growing your own food is beneficial is because there is no packaging. The packaging of food is usually made out of plastic and it generates a lot of waste which is not good for the environment. Overall, growing your own food is healthier because you know exactly what is in it and no waste is generated making it more sustainable.

link-https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/backyard-gardening-grow-your-own-food-improve-your-health-201206294984

I agree with all of this! Going along with what you were saying about pesticides being dangerous in store bought foods, homegrown food is also generally better for you. According to the University of New Hampshire, foods that are homegrown tend to offer more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to someone's diet. Additionally, not only does store bought food require intense amounts of packaging, but they also require long-distance transportation to get to the markets. Going back to what you were saying about pesticides, they are also bad for the environment, not just your body!

https://www.unh.edu/healthyunh/blog/nut … r-own-food

I agree. Knowing want is in your food is very important. According to "One Green Planet Earth", Agriculture accounted for 80 percent of all the use of pesticides in the U.S. As you can see, we use a lot of pesticides for our own food. Organization that approved the use of these pesticides haven't all done very extensive research regarding the dangers that these different chemicals might have. However when growing your own food, you know exactly what is being put into your own food and what isn't. I also like how you mentioned something that most people don't even think about, the packaging. This does obviously reduce the amount of waste we contribute to the environment.

Sources
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environm … he-planet/

I agree, something else to consider that when you consistently buy food from a grocery store and waste most of the food that you bought. When you home grow you know what you want as well as how much, while most vegetables are sold in packages at stores.

Home grown foods have many positive impacts on our environment including food waste, enviornmental pollution, and a healthier benefit for yourself. Fist off, when you grow your own food you waste much less than when crops are harvested and processed on a large scale. When on a large scale a good amount of the fruits and vegetables are thrown away because they do not fit the “criteria” that they need to fulfill to be sold in a local grocery store. The food that is kept is thrown away and wasted when they could be put to much better use. Another factor that is beneficial when growing is that it reduces the amount of toxic pesticides and weed killers that enter our air and water streams. The third benefit you get from growing your own food is that you know what is put into growing it and how healthy it is without having to worry about if it is organic or not. In my household we do grow many vegetables in the spring/summer. We also have multiple fruit trees. This benefits us because we can use these instead of going out and buying them from a store.

I live on a Icelandic farm as far away from the capital of iceland as possible, and the closest shop is 60 km away. My family is producing alot of the food we eat by our selfs. Like meat and vegatables (in the summer only), that must be more eco friendly then buying meat or vegatables in the shop right?

Wow! Thats so cool, whats your total carbon emmision?

Yeah, less carbon emitted and less use of transportation.

my mom did the same thing when she was younger! she was on an icelandic farm with her aunt and she wasnt paid any money. its amazing what you are doing! it most definitely will have an impact^^

I grew up on a farm in Citra, Florida. Our farm is also a pretty fair distance away from any big cities. Although it is a horse and hay farm, we grow a lot of seasonal fruits and vegetables. This helps cut down my families carbon footprint a lot.

As a business major who grew up on a farm, supporting the local agricultural industry has always been a topic that I'm very passionate about. The agricultural industry is a crucial part of life, yet most local businesses are being overshadowed by foreign imports. While foreign imports are great for eating out of season and are typically cheaper, the benefits of growing your own food or buying locally outweigh these convinces. Buying locally not only gives back to the local economy, it also has vast environmental and ethical benefits. It reduces transportation emissions, cuts down on pollution through pesticide run-off, and maintains local farmland. Mistreatment of farm workers is also a big ethical issue, and by buying local you don't support these oppressive businesses. Eating locally also has countless health benefits an supports seasonal and organic consumption.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/7_benefit … ocal_foods

Growing your own source of food is better for the environment. Tons of fossil fuels are being burned by trying to get foods from farms and other places to the store. Fossil fuels play a big role in public health, but more importantly health risks. Prices of food is rising because it is starting to take more energy to get food where it needs to go. My family doesn't grow anything. We could start by planting some simple vegetables and fruits to save the cost of how much blueberries we spend over the course of two months.

Source: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environm … he-planet/

Homegrown produce is not only very helpful for the environment but it also is a fun activity to do and you can have whatever fresh produce you want right from your home. When you go to the grocery store and you purchase produce that produce has traveled over 2000 miles just to get to you. Not only does this impact the quality of your vegetables it also impacts the environment tremendously.  Most likely that vegetable had to travel from another country or state to get to you in large trucks or airplanes. This must dangerously large amounts of CO2 into the air which is a high factor in global warming.  By growing your own food in your home you are helping to reduce the amount of carbon emissions polluting our air. A personal benefit to that is that you have food that is grown right in your home so it has maintain a high quality of flavor and freshness. This also saves you an extra trip to the grocery store! Homegrown produce is also much healthier because this makes sure you have no dangerous pesticides or fertilizers in your food. Not only do commercial farms put these chemicals into the soil and water it also limits them into the air which is very dangerous. Pesticide chemicals even have been known to cause cancer. So homegrown food will guarantee you don't get the dangerous chemicals into your body.  As well as this having great health benefits and environmental impacts it also is a fun thing to do.

https://www.trianglepest.com/blog/what- … r-own-food

Growing your own food can be beneficial to the environment. Transporting fruits and vegetables from all across the world can have a huge impact on the environment. they would have to travel from the farm to either an airport or shipping dock. then that airplane or ship would travel across the world causing loads of emotions all by themselves. however there are more benefits to growing your own food than just lowering travel emissions. According to the University of New Hampshire, food grown at home has more nutrients. Food that comes from a distance is not as fresh as home grown and therefore loses some of its nutritional value. growing your own food could also be a fun activity for a family or neighborhood.  I have fond memories from my younger years of planting carrots and tomatoes with my dad and watching as they grew. To read more on benefits of growing your own food go to https://www.unh.edu/healthyunh/blog/nut … r-own-food

How do you determine what season different things can grow in?

I completely agree. I have a garden at my house and we grow a lot of fruits and vegetables. Your carbon footprint can reduce very quickly if you grow food at home. For one thing, it emits carbon to drive your car to the grocery store. Most food that you can buy at a store is mass produced. Mass producing food takes up a lot of carbon. According to Our World in Data, "Food is responsible for approximately 26% of global GHG emissions." They further break this 26% up into different categories of mass agriculture production. "Livestock & fisheries account for 31% of food emissions.", "Crop production accounts for 27% of food emissions.", "Land use accounts for 24% of food emissions." and "Supply chains account for 18% of food emissions".  That is a lot of carbon being used just too make food. If every family had a small garden where they could get even some of their food products from, imagine how much lower the climate change numbers would be. If you wanted carrots 27% plus 18% which is 45% and 45% of 26% is 11.7%. That is how much we could reduce climate change by if everyone grew their own crops. Growing food is not a laborious task, it is a fun one to do with your family. Me and my family have been planting a garden every season since I was two years old. This is a good way to socialize with your family, make memories you will cherish forever and significantly decrease carbon emissions.

link to my source: https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions

Homegrown foods can be very beneficial because you can control the pesticides you put into your food. It's also beneficial because you are eating more nutritious because the fruit and vegetables aren't being transported far distances. Also, by eating locally grown food you support your local farmers and help grow your local economy. Buying locally also cuts transport energy costs and reduces food waste. Farmer's markets are good ways to get locally grown food. Growing your own food also gives you something to do and a fun way to cook meals. meals will be more Satisfying if you see the food grow from a seed to the plate.

Sources: https://www.virtua.org/articles/is-eati … er-for-you

Growing your own food can be beneficial to the environment. Transporting fruits and vegetables from all across the world can have a huge impact on the environment. they would have to travel from the farm to either an airport or shipping dock. then that airplane or ship would travel across the world causing loads of emotions all by themselves. however there are more benefits to growing your own food than just lowering travel emissions. According to the University of New Hampshire, food grown at home has more nutrients. Food that comes from a distance is not as fresh as home grown and therefore loses some of its nutritional value. growing your own food could also be a fun activity for a family or neighborhood.  I have fond memories from my younger years of planting carrots and tomatoes with my dad and watching as they grew. To read more on benefits of growing your own food go to https://www.unh.edu/healthyunh/blog/nut … r-own-food

Making homegrown food or buying it from a farmers market has many benefits. For one homegrown food travel a very short distance to reach your table possibly having no carbon footprint if it is grown in your backyard. While the food that is grown in other areas/countries often has to be transported long distances by truck, which on average gets 5.9 mpg (2.5 kmpl), by boat, the average cargo ship can travel 621 miles (1,000 km) burning 73,968 gallons (280,000 liters) of fuel, or by plane, the average nautical miles per gallon is 4.5 (17 liters), while traveling an average of 560 nautical miles (901 km) per hour. Meaning planes burn about 125 gallons of fuel in an hour. All of these possible methods of transportation of our food have massive carbon footprints, which become larger the farther away the food is coming from. This is not to mention the effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on our environment. Inorganic fertilizer contains nitrous oxide which breaks down to the ozone layer. The loss of this layer could result in fatal U.V. rays reaching earth's surface. Not only this but they also damage and pollute our water supply and can be fatal to other animals. The use of pesticides is also dangerous for human health and has been proven to cause heart, blood pressure, and kidney problems.

I agree that buying food locally or growing it from home is more healthy for our world.From Michigan State University, I found that buying from farmers around your community can help reimburse the community's economy.As well as that I agree that if the food is bought from farmers nearby then you would not need to worry about contamination. This is important because in our struggle of Covid-19, we need to be as healthy as we can and it is better if the food we buy is more likely to have more nutrients and not have been sitting in a warehouse for a while. My last addition is, I think that if you are able to ask the farmer how they grow their crops and if they use pesticides. Then you can help keep yourself healthy.

I agree that buying local food or growing it yourself is far more healthy, and will help lower our societies carbon emissions.  When food is grown from a far distance, it requires it to be transported all the way to your local grocery store.  As I discussed in my last comment, transportation is the fastest way to expand your carbon footprint, which is why holding transportation to a minimum is the best way to lower carbon emissions.  And this is where locally grown food comes in.  Locally grown food is great because it eliminates any need for a long transportation that requires large amounts of gasoline.  Locally grown food will help support the community in ways most haven't even thought of.  Now when you are in the store, help support your local farm instead of buying things from farms that are far away, and if we all do this, it will help lower our carbon emissions by a lot.

According to arrowquip.com, it states that locally grown food affects the environment because it helps preserve small farmland. When this is established, it can help give a place for animals, insects, and birds to live instead of having land to be developed for industrial and commercial uses. It also states on arrowquip.com that eating locally grown food can reduce food miles, and with food miles reduced, we can help reduce air pollution and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. At my school, we have a garden in the living lab, which offers many fruits, plants, and vegetables.

I agree that locally or home grown food can be extremely beneficial for the environment. My family has been growing about 40% of the vegetables we eat at home since I was born, and I believe that that is part of the reason my carbon footprint was below the average one for my area. As you stated, it can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. I believe that everyone who is able to should do their best to grow their own food, whether as part of a community garden, at home, or something else. There are many options, and I believe that it should be an action that is taken across hundreds of communities, as it benefits the environment, animals and humans alike.

If you make your own produce your won't have to go and buy produce and then less produce will be getting moved around and sold.

Growing your own food doesn't only help the environment but your own health.

I agree with your comment. According to One Green Planet, the U.S puts " 10 kilo calories of fossil fuel energy into our food system for every one kilo-calorie of energy we get as food". If you have a garden and homegrown produce system at your home this number is likely to decrease the number of carbon emissions, lowering your (our) carbon footprint.

I also agree you are what you eat and if you eat healthy you are healthy. According to the University of New Hampshire home grown food is, "More Nutritious. When growing your own food, your diet is more diverse and healthy, packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants."

But it has to be less or equal to carbon emissions and the product you were to buy and not producing.

I 100% agree with Range8. According to Heidi Godman from Harvard Medical School, growing your own produce has a wide range of benefits. First of all, you can start eating healthier, with all the fresh produce you'd be growing, and you would also be in control of whether or not you want pesticides and chemicals on your food. On top of that, the article states that you can help give back to your community by donating fresh produce, helping the world be more sustainable, bit by bit.

Godman, Heidi. “Backyard Gardening: Grow Your Own Food, Improve Your Health.” Harvard Health Blog, 29 June 2012, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/backyard-gardening-grow-your-own-food-improve-your-health-201206294984.

I agree with Range8 and DFeldmanBOD3. From the research by the University of New Hampshire, growing your own produce has many benefits. To start, it can be more nutritious because you are in control of what you are eating and you don't have to listen to all the ads and busy noise of going to a grocery store or shopping online. Secondly, you save more money than going to a store and buying food and its actually better for the environment because you're preventing sales which prevent trucks and transportation for the food.

https://www.unh.edu/healthyunh/blog/nut … r-own-food.

I agree with DFeldmanBOD3 but there are also lots environmental benefits to growing your own produce. According to Triangle Pest Control, "...these foods travel an average of 1,500+ miles before ever being consumed." These miles that produce have been traveling are on trucks that produce lots of carbon into the atmosphere. Growing your own produce, and also spreading the word to others will slowly reduce the our carbon footprint. To add on to that, lots of produce is shipped in man made plastics or cardboard according to the article.

Trianglepest. (n.d.). What are the environmental benefits of growing your own food? Retrieved March 16, 2020, from
     Triangle pest control website:
     https://www.trianglepest.com/blog/what- … r-own-food

In addition to what CSweeneyBOD4 said, buying local foods can strengthen your local economy too. Consuming organically grown food rather than greens with pesticides may also reduce your carbon footprint. The transportation of food accounts for about 11% of greenhouse gas emissions per person in the United States, according to Michigan State University.

References
https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/234/62936/Guide.pdf

I 100% agree that growing your own food is better for the environment mainly because of how much gas you use on a trip to the grocery store. According to Scientists from the University of New Hampshire, when you take into account the typical energy cost of transporting food to your local grocery store, it is estimated that an average distance of 1,500 miles is traveled before the food is consumed. This long-distance transportation of food heavily relies on the energy from burning fossil fuels. In fact, it is estimated that we currently put nearly 10 kilocalories of fossil fuel energy into our food system for every one kilo-calorie of energy we get as food. This makes our carbon footprints even bigger than they already are and growing your own food could save you money on gas and reduce your carbon footprint. Lastly, growing organic foods is also very good for your health.

Grown food helps create more economic opportunities. It also helps to provides better health benefits. When you buy from local farms, it creates more jobs for their business. Local food travels are much less distance to the store than a processed grocery store food, causing them to use less fuel and using fewer greenhouse gases. Homegrown food is healthier, because it's not processed, it's actually grown. Nearby food supports the expansion of neighborhood farming, which decreases the dependence on monoculture, harvests become over a wide territory to the disservice of soils. https://www.ecowatch.com/10-reasons-why … 29859.html

Growing your own garden or receiving your produce from a local produce place can benefit our environment and our health.  It has been estimated that produce travels an average distance of 1500 miles before it is consumed which means the produce needs to been genetically modified to withstand the effects of long term travel.  If we cut out the travel, we can boost our immune system, prevent diseases, and ultimately remain healthier.  Also, smaller gardens are said to be "less efficient at storing CO2)" meaning you are helping to lower the carbon footprint.

I totally agree with this.  By growing our own produce we keep it fresh and simple.  We don't have to deal with GMO's or anything harmful to our bodies.  In your personal opinion do you think we should dedicate more time and money to agriculture or the urban industry?

I agree I think we should all start growing our own foods. There are tons of positives that come with it like not having to worry about GMO's and you also know where the food is coming from and how old or fresh it is.

also if we all grew our own gardens, we could plant o based the foods e need, instead of mass quantity where most foods get thrown away.

I agree because if everyone started growing their own food it would cut down on the amount of gas used transporting the produce, the amount of GMO's that people eat, and it would cut down on dangerous pesticides used.

Also, if people grew their own food in their gardens or homes it would make better use of how much space each person takes up with their items and purchases, which helps the environment as well as reduces your carbon footprint

I agree with everyone having a garden, I currently have a decent sized one and it has improved our diet a lot as well as reducing our grocery trips. We also know what went into making our food.

i agree we need to grow our own foods

My family and I grow most of our own food or buy it from the farm I work at down the street, and I can clearly taste the difference from long distance imported foods.

Also, if people grew their own food, it would benefit us in other ways than being CO2 efficient. For example, somebody may have a healthier diet if they grow their own food.

We would also be more self-sustainable and we wouldn't have to go to the store as much therefore cutting back on more CO2 emissions.

i think home grown food is healthier than processed food. and it could help reduce trash from packaging at stores.

When you buy produce from local farmers markets, or people who sell home grown goods in can really help reduce peoples carbon footprint. Every year, agriculture contributes almost around 56 million megatons of Co2 (according to nytimes.com. When you grow foods such as fruits and vegetables from home they are much healthier and in my opinion they taste much better when you grow them yourself. You also know that there are no pesticides or harsh chemicals being used.

Buying local foods can help the enviorment because you know that the food is being grown in your community and not on some random farms all over the state or country. Shopping at farmers markets can be helpful because they sell healthy and organic foods. All of the chemicals that the farmers spray on the fruits and veggies can effect the plants because and can effect the way they taste and it might cause health problems.

When you buy home grown foods you know exactly what you are buying and it lowers your carbon footprint. It is not just healthier but also much better than food that has been traveling for week around the globe before it comes to the store you buy it from.

It's very nice to know that what you eat is grown by yourself in your garden. It is also very healthy to work in the garden - it is a kind of recreation. Home grown food tastes much better because it is not treated with various chemical agents. Very little time goes by from picking vegetables and fruits to cooking and consuming them. It is important that we eat locally grown food from the area where we live, not that the food travels thousands of miles away. I think it would also be important to preserve the homegrown seeds and use them year after year.

I understand this feeling! Most of the food my family and I eat is home grown and is a noticeable improvement from store bought!

Here in New Mexico we do do not always have home grown food. We mainly have food shipped in to New Mexico.

i 100% agree with you! my parents started a garden about a year ago in our backyard. At first we thought it was a hassle taming it, watering and everything else. but as we started seeing fruits, veggies and everything WE have grown as a family we started feeling excited. once they were ready to eat, we home cooked them and they tasted amazing. We couldn't tell whether it was because we were excellent gardeners or because we ate all together knowing this was something we grew. We don't use any preservatives or pesticides either, and let me tell you it was so worth starting this garden! It has brought our family closer and eating healthy and saved us so much money then store bought veggies; also, it was convenient. I really do recommend having your own garden as all you need is commitment and a positive attitude!

110%  agree with you my father is a farmer and we live mostly of our own food for meat and potatos an vegtebles it is very useful.

I feel very strongly towards locally and organically grown food. My family doesn't usually eat as local as much as I would hope, which contributed a bit towards my carbon total. Every year, agriculture contributes almost around 56 million megatons of Co2 (according to nytimes.com) which causes the earths temperature to rise. Right now, the earth has gone up by 2 degrees Celsius making many organisms to go extinct.

If you eat home grown food, it can not only benefit your health but also the amount of carbon released. This is because, it's more nutritious and can save you money. The University of New Hampshire also writes that because there is more time put into the food, it also contains more vitamin D.

I feel very strongly towards locally and organically grown food. My family doesn't usually eat as local as much as I would hope, which contributed a bit towards my carbon total. Every year, agriculture contributes almost around 56 million megatons of Co2 (according to nytimes.com) which causes the earths temperature to rise. Right now, the earth has gone up by 2 degrees Celsius making many organisms to go extinct.

If you eat home grown food, it can not only benefit your health but also the amount of carbon released. This is because, it's more nutritious and can save you money. The University of New Hampshire also writes that because there is more time put into the food, it also contains more vitamin D.

I really appreciate home grown food. I believe that the vegetables, fruits and all the other goods taste so much better when they are produced with love and much more care than big companies could provide. It is so so important to focus a little bit more on growing our own food and being concious about what we put in our bodies.Because eventually, what we eat litterally becomes us, our bodies produce energy out of the food we give to it.Unfortuantely, it's not so easy to work in the fields and bend our backs all year but it is much needed and it is of high importance. peace

I agree that home grown food is very important. It's the only food you can be sure is really high quality and healthy because you know that you don't use any pesticides and other chemicals. I agree that it is hard work, but it is also nice to watch the plants growing and spend some time in the fresh air.

Of course! Definitely.

The amount of locally produced food is lower than globally produced food. Buying food that is out of season encourages openings of the new factories with mass production. For such production they'll use a lot of pesticides. They help the food grow quicker but in large quantities they are harmful for our environment. They can cause problems such as waterway pollution, chemical burn to corps, increased air pollution... I have two gardens where my family produce seasonal food, mostly vegetables.

I think that we should reduce very much our consomation of meat.

Gardens are a very effective way of reducing your carbon footprint as you are planting things that will help clean the atmosphere. Also, you could be spending less money on a meal or two.

Great idea. The plants suck up the carbon and a good vegie garden can provide with plenty of food that you don't even have to drive to a supermarket to buy. In Australia many families have their own vegie garden and we share vegies with others too.

good idea
but it costs as much to buy the materials but you could just buy it all fron the supermarket or you could go to a local farmer that has a paddock full of vegies and buy it.

In Australia we often share our vegetables that we grow at home and also we sell them at markets. It's a great way to reduce carbon and to help out others. Our climate is really good for growing vegies all year round.

Gardens are a very efficient way to reducing your carbon footprint as you are planting things that will held clear the atmosphere

So Alphabet man, have you considered that driving to the supermarket is not the only problem with your ideas. How do the vegetables get to the supermarket? They come in huge trucks, across the country that use gallons and gallons of diesel. Supporting a supermarket when you can buy local from markets or grow your own is exactly what we are trying to prevent. More trucks and driving equals more emissions and more carbon problems.

Gardens are a good thing for people to have as it turns carbon dioxide into oxygen. Homegrown veggies taste much better the supermarket ones, since there are chemicals in them. A lot of people in Australia buy Australian fruits and vegetables to support local farmers. Growing your vegetable garden will also save you money and time to buy them.

HORSE AND CART which don't use diesel or petrol, they only use water and hay
Banana king

Bongie

I believe that eating locally grown food is much more sustainable  than buying your produce from supermarkets.
Home/locally grown food is not covered in pesticides and chemicals. When those chemicals are used, they actually end up contaminating the soil they grow in, or being ingested by us, which is neither healthy or natural.
Home/locally grown food also reduces our carbon footprint, because it doesn’t need to be shuttled across continents to get to us, producing tons of carbon emissions in the process. It is already  right at home, ready for eating.

I think that home grown food is a good way of keeping our environment safe. Growing our own food at home is healthier for us than buying it in big shopping malls. Food that we find in shopping malls was grown by using many pesticides and chemicals to make them grow faster and to keep them fresh longer. Those chemicals are not good for our health and by using them we are also contaminating the soil it grows in. By growing our own food we are saving our Earth and also our health. My family has a pretty big garden and we grow most of our vegetables by ourselves while we can, but during winter months we also buy food from supermarkets. The difference between taste and smell of home grown and store bought food is really big and I would always pick the home grown food first.

we need to grow food at home to save money

if we grow more food stores will go out of business because no one is buying the food because there growing it themselves. but it would also be healthier for us because all the food is organic.

If we grow food at home it will help the climate problem as less machines will be used and less fossil fuels will be used and it will protect the environment.

Eating locally is really important for both your health and the environment's health. In my home, we have a backyard garden that grows many trees with fruits and planter boxes with many vegetables. We've grown anything from avocados, plums and tangerines to kale, tomatoes, lettuce and carrots. Growing your own food is a really positive thing because you reduce your carbon footprint by not having to drive to the store to get food, its right there! Also, it's cheaper since you don't have to buy as much food and it is healthier since you know how it is being grown, without pesticides and being handled in factories. Another example of how beneficial gardens can be and where they could be useful is in food deserts. Food deserts are places where there are no healthy places to get food. Food deserts are common in lower income neighborhoods. People don't have enough money to buy organically or aren't able to drive across town so they resort to unhealthy fast food. If these neighborhoods had community gardens, they could promote healthy eating habits and lifestyles.

I completely agree! Though most people don't have as great of access to such a great garden as you do (I really wish though haha!). The next best option would probably be to visit a local farmer's market so that people can support the small farming businesses in their community and so that they can get fresh vegetables. My father lives near an area where a farmer's market goes on every weekend, and it's amazing how many different kinds of things you can find at the markets that you wouldn't see in regular grocery stores! If anyone has an opportunity to grow their own vegetables and fruits like you, they definitely should take a shot at it! Otherwise, going to a farmer's market is also a very good choice!

Growing your own food or buying food at your local farmers market is not only great for the environment but great for you as well. If you grow your own food then its not shipped across the country thus producing much less carbon into the atmosphere and uses less pesticides.

When considering to buy food from a local vendor or from a superstore you should consider that the foods from the other countries don't have the guarantees that food from local vendors has.  Food from other countries also has to be transported from far distances and that involves boats and planes that use tonnes of fuel and pushes carbon out and into the atmosphere.  even food in our own country that is grown out in the countryside can be bad as they use tonnes of pesticides that could potentially make your food toxic and use put more carbon into the atmosphere.  With all this stuff said it is also said that food such as honey that is bought from locally grown farms makes it more healthy for yourself to eat from that honey rather than from honey made in other places.

Eating locally grown food not only helps the climate, but eating local also majorly supports your local economy. In Maine, there are many local farms that would fall apart if they weren’t supported. Buying things like eggs, honey, and vegetables locally can help you because eating healthy, help the environment because less CO2 emmisions and help keep your local economy, booming.

I agree with this because the more that you support your local circle of farmers and producers the more it helps the environment. This works because you are not buying from the massive and terrible farming industry. If we were all to buy local we would be eating better but any the same time not supporting killing our planet. Also i agree with what you said about the local economy, it would really help it out and make your town or city be much better.

I agree to this in lots of ways. I think with out of state foods that causes it to be transported from great distances which uses fossil fuels. With locally grown food that brings tha t transpertation distance down by a ton useing less fossil fuels.

It’s crazy how long food travels to get to places. When you think about how much carbon is used in growing the food and then used to transport the food hundreds of miles it ends up being a massive amount of carbon.

Most of the food we but is locally sourced. I saw how this impacted my carbon footprint results and it was made even clearer to me how important eating local is. Eating local can be difficult especially if you live somewhere where it is hard to grow/raise food. However, every little bit counts. For example, even if you don’t live in a great farming climate you could start eating locally but replacing storage-bought jarred herbs with growing your own herbs either inside out out, and continue from there. Every way we can decrease our carbon footprint helps the world

I agree! This is something I have been phasing into my family’s dietary routine every year. We come from Florida where it it very difficult to grow your own veggies. With our move up north however our garden booms durring the summer. With the support of local farmers this has become very easy for us. In addition Buying locally in another crucial element to this topic. Even when your garden is frozen you still have the chance to buy locally. This will not only reduce your carbon Footprint but also support our small town business.

A major impact on how big our carbon footprint is, is the amount of packaged food we buy every week or day. Not to mention that we also have to drive to get these foods, producing more carbon emissions than we perhaps could. A great way to cut down on these emissions, and the waste that comes from these packaged products is to either grow some or all of your own food, or buy locally. By doing this, you can greatly cut down on packaging due to the fact that you can bring it straight from your garden to your table. You also don’t have to drive to buy it, so you’re cutting down on your overall CO2 emissions. I believe that if more people in our society attempted this, it would more greatly effect the size of our carbon footprint.

I think that locally grown produce is better since it does not need to be shipped. Also with locally grown produce you know what it was grown with so you might no use thing like pesticides. Also if you have locally grown food it will probably be vegetables rather than meat which would also  help to lower your carbon footprint.

To add to that, being locally grown food helps support your local farms which is always important.

I agree that people should buy locally grown food because it also removes green house gasses from all the massive factories that process the food.

Eating locally grown food helps Earth's climate change problem because you don't have to cut down as much forests and other natural habitats to create big industrial farms.

Based off of the results from my Carbon Footprint questionnaire, it became evident to me how much of an impact has on our carbon footprint. One way we can cut back on carbon emissions is to eat locally produced foods and/or grow our own foods. By doing this, we eliminate long distance transportation of the foods, thus essentially reducing pollution and less energy usage.

Food is something that can greatly influence your carbon footprint. Growing food at home or buying locally is a lot better for the environment because it doesn't require any transportation of the produce. Transporting food can be a very long process (and is most of the time over seas) which contributes a lot of fossil fuels into the atmosphere. Buying locally or growing food at home is not only better for the environment but also cleaner and healthier for yourself.

I agree with this, but we have to remember that the transportation of the food is not the only way carbon is produced. There is also carbon in the food we eat, no matter if it's homegrown or from across the world. Yes, is is a good idea to grow food at home to reduce carbon production through automobiles and ships, but eating less food can also help, too.

I agree. Also, going vegetarian a few days a week helps. Cows are a big producer of methane according to https://timeforchange.org/are-cows-caus … ethane-CO2. Going vegetarian, even for a few days a week, helps reduce your carbon footprint and help the earth.

I completely agree with this because it definitely would be better for our environment. When we grow our own foods, we know it's clean and it's organic. This shortens the amount of gas and carbon going into the air due to transporting these foods. Buying food that is locally grown is also a good idea because most of these foods come from family farms in the area.

I agree that homegrown foods are healthier and better for the environment, as opposed to industrialized farming. What are your views on hunting and gathering? I think that hunting is a good way to harvest animals in a more humane way than industrialized farming, as they have a full and free life up to the point where they are harvested. Also, fat concentrations are less, as the meat is leaner and hunted meat is organic. Gathering also provides one with a more organic plant source.

Relating to this topic, I completely agree with what has been said. By locally buying foods, this allows for people to reduce their own carbon footprint because they are getting foods that haven't been transported from all over the world but have been grown in an area near you. This also allows people to know exactly where their foods are coming from which could provide a healthier lifestyle for many. If one has the pace to grow their own foods, this guarantees their foods are not processed, grown healthily and cleanly, and can be organic, all in which helps one become more sustainable. By not buying that isn't locally grown foods, this cuts down on the carbon footprint on the food item itself because it is grown in the area rather than being shipped on a truck or ship in which uses more gas.

Like most everyone else, I agree. I think that growing food at home not only cuts down on the number of carbon emissions made from the transporting vehicles but also ensures that your food is organic and free of pesticides. It also improves the lifestyle of people which benefits them in the long run. We grow our own cilantro at my house so we don't have to continuously go to the market to buy more. On that note, not only does transporting goods to grocery stores create more CO2 emissions, but the customers who transport themselves to the grocery stores are causing more emissions. Processing the fruits and vegetables also creates more fossil fuel and gas emissions.

I definitely agree.  Growing your own food or buying locally grown food is better for the environment than buying food that has been transported over seas. This reduces your carbon footprint and carbon emissions in general. This is because it takes ships or trucks to transport food which produces lots of carbon. This can easily be avoided by growing your own food or buying locally grown food. Growing food is not only environmentally friendly, but also fun. It also gives you a chance to get outside and enjoy nature.

This discussion is something that I completely agree with. I believe that growing your own food and having locally grown food is an amazing way to lower carbon dioxide emissions. Having locally grown food benefits people in many more ways than can be thought. If the food is local it can be easy to access, meaning no emissions from cars. This food can also be beneficial because more people wouldn't be relying on  large ships that bring all of the non local food to us. These ships give of carbon emissions, and hurts the atmosphere. Having home grown or locally grown food can reduce these problems.

Hello! My name is Brooke, I am 15 years old, and I am from North Carolina. I think that buying locally-produced foods significantly help to solve the climate problem. When you buy locally-produced food it does not have to be transported as far, meaning less greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Another benefit of buying locally-produced food is that it helps the economy in your community, by supporting local farms and businesses. We do have a small garden at my grandparents home. However, we do not sell the produce, we simply eat all the delicious fruits and vegetables ourselves! To my knowledge, we do not have a garden at our school. I think that if one was planted it would benefit our school by incorporating some of the produce into school lunches/breakfasts. This way the school does not have to pay as much for produce that is not locally-produced, and also reduces their carbon footprint without even realizing.

I believe consuming locally-produced food products greatly assists the current global climate change issue. This is because when you purchase local foods, the product isn't travelling a very far distance; thus meaning that less pollutants are being released into the atmosphere. Some other environmental and/or social benefits that may arise from eating these foods is that typically it is much cheaper to purchase and/or transport, it allows for more nutrients to be released into the soil the product is grown in, and locally grown foods usually contain much less chemicals and preservatives. We do not currently have a garden at school or at home, however I believe that if we were to start one, it could eventually be very beneficial to the environment!

Natalei, 14
North Carolina

eating local prevents large trucks from having to bring produce to certain places, so that means that the cars don't relace as much co2 trying to go down the highways.
What other ways can we reduce co2 emissions

In our modern age of food, people are increasingly concerned about the quality and cleanliness of the foods they eat. Foods grown locally make a lot of sense for those who want more control over what they put into their bodies. Eating locally grown food even helps in the fight against global warming and other climate issues. The Center for Sustainable Agriculture reports that "the average fresh food item on our dinner table travels 1,500 miles to get there". Buying locally produced food takes away the need for all that fuel used for transportation. Another benefit of eating locally is helping the economy. Farmers on average receive only 20 cents of each food dollar spent, and the rest going for transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration, and marketing (not local). Farmers who sell food to local customers “receive the full retail value, a dollar for each food dollar spent." I think that having a food garden in your backyard is a great way to help the environment and grow some of your own food right in your backyard. I used to have a full garden in my backyard at  my old house but since I moved to a house that doesn't really have a backyard, I do not have a garden or anything to plant food. This is also a good question for people that want to help the environment but do not have the resources to... https://www.thoughtco.com/eating-locall … nt-1203948

I totally agree with what you have to say, Kip! It is important to not only grow food locally to help the farmers but also to help stop climate change. When food is grown and shipped locally, fewer greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. This is because there is less distance to ship the produce to the stores, which also makes the food fresher for the customers. Overall, growing food locally is the right choice.

I agree completely with both of you! I think that a huge factor that most people don't realize is how much carbon is emitted when flying produce to and from far places around the world. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the amount of CO2 emitted from flying "currently account for some 11 percent of CO2 emissions from U.S. transportation sources and 3 percent of the United States’ total CO2 emissions". Flying is a huge factor in the carbon emitted and by simply eating foods grown locally, it could help cut down on the amounts of produce flown from around the world.

I agree with you completely. It is very important to eat clean. Eating locally is a good option for clean eating. You know what goes into your body and it doesn't make such an impact on the earth. Food shouldn't have to travel so far to get to us when there are options already near us. It will lessen CO2 emissions. Not only does it help the environment but it also helps with nutrition.  According to the Food Revolution Network, local food often contains more nutrients. It is allowed to mature naturally. Regular foods are often picked before they are ripe and have not developed all of the nutrients yet. In a study by Montclair University, they found that locally grown broccoli had double the vitamin C as broccoli grown out of season. Furthermore, buying locally preserves green space. Because farmers are actually getting paid they are less likely to sell their land for compensation. This also means the economy is helped and the sales chain is shortened and it goes directly to the customer. Overall locally grown is better.

I agree because it takes a lot of CO2 emissions to transport foods from long distances and it is easier to get food that is locally grown as opposed to somewhere far away. It is also very important to know what you are putting in your bodies, and it is easier to know when the food comes from where you live, and know very well. Buying locally grown foods are better for yourself and the environment.

I completely agree. By buying locally grown food, you are helping to reduce the high amounts of burning fossil fuels that fill our environment as a result of importing foods from commercial farmers. You also are reducing waste from food packaging materials such as plastics and cardboard, that also travel thousands of miles. Not only does it benefit the environment, but it is better for your health since you know what you are consuming.

Composting leads to the ability to produce homegrown foods. Adding compost to gardens strengthens the soil and makes the food taste better and fresher. When compost is added to a garden it enriches the soil and gets rid of plant diseases. Composting is a way of taking care of our organic waste without throwing it into the trash. Plastics in the rash and other materials will be burned emitting fossil fuels. When composting you are taking your waist and turning it into something for you eventually food. Compost covers a lot of our organic needs including shavings any time of food waste and leftover water. If you create small gardens with wooden blocks, you will be able to grow herbs and other small crops which will be enriched with your compost turning your waster food into more food. Home gardening also avoids us from going to large grocery chains which burn a lot of fuels in order to make small crops. Overall compost to home growing is an efficient and most effective way to reduce carbon footprint. Information from: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

I completely agree with what you are saying! Composting is the best and most effective way to get rid of uneaten food, cardboard, and many other things that people may consider garbage and throw into landfill. Not only is compost good for the environment because it removes some of the waste thrown into landfills, but by composting you also can eliminate 20-50% of your household waste! People may think . that compost in landfills are not harmful for the environment, especially since landfills get . covered, but compost in landfills do not properly get to decompose since there is no oxygen. Without The oxygen that compost needs to compost, the compost turns into methane which is more powerful and worse for the environment than carbon dioxide. Up to 35 times more potent! If by composting you eliminate 50% of your household waste this means that in our home life we are contributing to the 50% of compost found in landfills, which make the landfills the third largest source of methane. To finish I would like to reiterate what you initially claimed about compost being good for  plants. It is GREAT for plants, as the compost breaks down, its nutrients break down in the soil with it and enrich the soil in the needed nutrients.
My information was gathered from:
https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/10 … an-compost

I propose  as a community we should produce a local farm where all packing will be reusable. Plastic materials are everywhere. We use plastic bags, straws and plastic bottles for such a short time and then we dispose of it.When plastic is produced, it’s made from toxic materials such as benzene and vinyl hydrochloride.  It is destined to be toxic from birth to forever. These chemicals are known to cause cancer, and the manufacturing byproducts contaminate our air and soil. Not only does it affect our atmosphere but it also harms our wildlife. According to "OCEAN PLASTICS POLLUTION", "Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a global crisis. Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in swirling convergences that make up about 40 percent of the world's ocean surfaces. At current rates plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050". We need to protect our wildlife just as much as our atmosphere. Soon there may not be much le ft of either. Thats why s a community lets start with a small project to fine a reusable packing and ban all and any use of plastics in the Bay Area.

My family eats mostly organic food and recycles regularly.  Another thing my family actively participates in is local farmers markets and locally grown food in general. By purchasing local foods you are not only supporting these local businesses but you are also cutting down carbon emissions from shipment of food.
what are some ways that you are helping?

My family does most of this things but we also have a mini garden with tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, and other small vegetables. We also compost spoiled food or peels/skins from food in our backyard.

We do the same thing. We always go to the farmers market. We grow a lot of our own vegetables and compost a lot

I agree I think it is really helpful to do this. The problem is that organic foods are more expensive and in a lot of poorer urban areas they don’t even have any grocery stores where they can can get these food items. I think we have to work on getting afordable food options everywhere to achieve this

True, organic usually costs more, but home grown veggies are probably organic, unless you decide to bathe your garden in chemicals (yuk!) and insecticides (yikes!). I hope you can find some space, even a little potted plant, for making a home garden. Maybe plant some plants in empty milk bottles or some empty can and grow indoors if no room is available outdoors.

I feel that eating food that is locally produced is better for you. You physically know where it is coming from. It correlates to the climate problem with a positive effect. Growing locally can make it easier to know what chemicals go into it. In my town, we have local farms, but our schools do not. I do not either.

I completely agree. Not only is eating local, organic produce healthy, it also can help reduce a negative impact. You can easily find out how your local produce is grown/made and you can know where it comes from. Just ask! Educate yourself and be aware of where and what you put your money towards. Also, growing produce yourself is incredibly beneficial. It is much cheaper, and then you would for sure know that your produce is ethically grown.

local farms are also good for admitting less methane

Food has a bigger impact on the environment than expected. Although we go to the grocery store and pick up food, there is a much longer process that releases more fossil fuels and garbage. There is transportation to get the food to the grocery store, additionally, the packaging on the food adds extra plastic into the world. This is a lot of work for one item, however, this can be changed by having a garden at home or locally growing food. This also produces healthier foods that not only help the environment but benefit each persons diet. Although an at home garden requires work, the pros outweigh the cons with supplying fresh greens and minimizing plastic.

Eating locally-produced food helps the climate problem a lot. When you buy locally, the food is not being transported as far, so less pollutants are released into the environment. Typically when you buy home grown or local foods they are cheaper, because the transportation cost is not added in. So not only does home grown help the environment, as seen in the significant decrease in automobile use, it also helps the soil get more nutrients from plants and other foods being grown in the ground. Locally grown foods usually have less chemicals and preservatives, making them better for your health. I do not have a food garden, but I think I would like to start one. Home grown food tastes so much better, and helps the environment. Something this simple is a no brainer to do!

Sami, 15
North Carolina

Homegrown food is especially good because when you grow it yourself and have knowledge of everything that was put into the plant.  Along with growing your own food, we can use the leftover parts of the plants to compost in our own soil benefitting not only the new nutrients being added, but also providing food for animals like worms, snails, and slugs that are needed to compost unused materials.  Another benefit of using homegrown food is that there would be a less likely possibility of becoming sick from any unwanted bacteria or animals using exported food as a way of transportation and invading new lands.  Lastly, when growing your own food we allow growth for more plants which will help use extra CO2 in the air during photosynthesis to help keep CO2 down and certain areas and overall clean the air.

If humans became vegetarians, our carbon footprint would decrease. Livestock farming produces from 20%-50% of all man-made carbon emissions. According to Greeneats.com eating 1 kilogram of beef is the equivalent of driving 63 miles. This produces about 27 pounds of carbon, which is extremely harmful to the climate. If we ate less meat and ate more vegetables as a whole our carbon footprint would decrease drastically. In conclusion, one giant way to produce fewer carbon emissions is to eat meat just once in a while and eat more vegetables.

I agree with your points. We need to work on eating less meat and eating more vegetables. Humans really don't need to be eating all this meat and vegetables are better for us anyway. Also, the fact that eating meat is one of the most harmful things to our plant that should be a good incentive to stop eating so much meat.

Eating locally produced food helps climate change because it's not using all all of the fossil fuels like with non locally grown food does like with using planes, ships, etc to transport them all over the world. Other benefits are you know what's going into the vegetables like if they're using pesticides or not. At my school there are gardens that we grow vegetables in and then we give those vegetables to the cafeteria and they are used in our lunch's, I also have a garden at my house and last year we grew about 3-4 vegetables in it. I think growing vegetables at home and school really just makes your food taste better because you know its clean and there isn't anything artificial on it.

I think that school grown veggies are really good especially because they use it in our lunches, it taste much more fresh then some vegetables that use pesticides. At our school we have students help grow the plants and we use the plants for our lunches and I think that it should help our school financially. i personally wouldn't like to have a garden of my own at home mainly because it don't think i would be able to take care of it myself and i wouldn't remember to water the plants.

I think that it's really important for schools to be sustainable environments, and having a school garden where they grow food that is used on campus is a great way to do this. It's also a great resource for students to learn about sustainability.

I think by eating locally grown food, we can reduce the carbon emitted when the food is transported to our city. Eating food that is locally grown means that the food grown is in season, and tastes better than other foods flown in from other countries. I have a garden at home, we grow some foods, we usually grow tomatoes, figs, and zucchinis.

I agree with this idea, but some geographical regions don't allow to grow some necessary foods that people might need. Maybe we can reduce the carbon emitted from transport by changing the vehicles of transport to be more energy efficient.

I agree with homegrown food but it is hard because of some people geographical location it is hard for people to grow food. we do need to reduce carbon put in the air and I think this would help

Growing food at home or buying from helps the environment greatly. It helps the climate problem because you are not buying food from Cooperations that use factories that contribute to the CO2 being released into the atmosphere. In addition, growing food is better because you know where your food is coming from. You also are in control of how many pesticides are being used on your food and what fertilizer is being used in the soil.

It helps the climate problem because you dont have big factory helping the Co2 levels rise. A social benifit is that you may gain a friend. I have a food garde  at my house in which we plant plant and use them for our salads and different thing like that.

I agree. I think it's important that we know where are food sources are coming from. Additionally, having basic knowledge of our plants could help us better understand how to prevent food wastage. Growing and composting food at your home is the first step you can take to help your community. For me, I plant urban and organic seeds (especially tomatoes) in my backyard and occasionally can foods.

Every little thing helps

Gardens are a great way to grow your own food. They can be both fun and helpful. You can also know exactly were your food is coming from because you are the one growing it!!! Gardening can also save you money because you don't have to pay for the food at the store. All you have pay for is the seed to plant the produce. It will also reduce pollution because it reduces the cars to get to the store. Lastly, having a garden can be fun!

I personally believe that everybody should have their own garden at home. At my house since we have such a large family we enjoy growing our own food instead of buy food at a store which can be quit expensive. Its a great sustainable way to help out the enviornment. It also reduces our carbon footprint since most people drive a car or vehicle to go grocery shopping. Even if its a "quick trip" for one thing you just released carbon if you used your car to get tp the supermarket. Yes I understand that you can't grow things like chips or most dry snacks, but I am more focused on the produce part of your grocery needs.

I think this would be a fun way to help the environment. You could work with your family and have your own family garden. This would improve both your carbon footprint and the environment. Gardens are not hard to start or maintain if you truly care about it.

In some areas that people live in growing food is just not an option. For example what about in New York are they supposed to just starve during the winter time when its cold and they cant grow anything. You might say they can just get a greenhouse well not everyone can afford that and for people that live in apartments this would not work for them.

Having a garden is a great idea. You get all the fruits and vegetables you need and you know its all organic and fresh. You could go tot he store to get your fruits and vegetables, but you never know what's in them. You never know what GMO's could be put in your fruits and vegetables. They don't have to tell you. Plus, eating healthy cost way more than eating regular food with fats in it. They want you to get fat so that you'll buy more foods. When you are at your own house growing your own food you know exactly what everything is and that nothing happened to it.

When I was little I had my own little garden that had tomatoes and bell peppers. I was really busy so I stopped keeping the garden. I would really like to take it up again though because I really liked eating food that I grew myself.

Aww... that's cute! Me Too

I buy our produce from a fruit market about 5 minutes away from our house. The food from the market comes from a town about an hour away. What do you think are some benefits of buying produce from local farmers? (Potential answeres : economically, environmentally, and socially)

I like the idea of home grown food since it saves money and you know what is in your food but growing food takes time and commitment. In a busy life growing your own food can be challenging to manage. But community gardens where everyone works together could make the job easier. What ideas do have to make growing your own food easier?

I think a family garden if you live close to your other family members it could make it much either and save a lot of money. you could have potluck which can save the amount of food thrown out and would be a lot of fun.

I lovee the idea of a community garden but who would pay for it and would there need to be an organizer to manage everything?

sooon-08 I think a family garden is a great idea it is a great way of saving money and food you get to lower your carbon footprint and save money with your family.

adam_6798 I think we could have a fundraiser to get the money and an organizer would not be needed everyone could discuss and get their task and when in the beginning then it is self efficient maybe with a rotating supervisor to make sure check on everything.

> @helloo

You bring up a valuable point, as some people simply don't have the space to grow their own produce. I believe a communal garden to which everyone attends is a great idea. A few downsides to a communal garden would be vandalism, greed (someone taking more than they need), and planting invasive plants.

My cousin has a vegetable and herb garden that runs along the side of her house. Her family grows tomatoes, a variety of squashes, cucumbers and herbs like parsley and basil. Not only is the food they cook fresh and delicious, they make excellent spaghetti by the way, but raising these plants is safer to eat knowing where it’s coming from, and having them grown at home, they know that it doesn’t contribute to whatever cO2 normally is emitted from (large) machines that produce other vegetables when they water them, etc...

Your cousin and her family are doing a great job! I believe that knowing what you’re eating and where it comes from is really important. Nowadays people seem to have gain interest about what’s healthy and what is not, that’s actually remarkable.
I’m currently living with my parents in a maisonette and we have a vegetable garden too!
Besides being really convenient, it sometimes offers better quality and it’s a great way to safeguard the environment, trying to lower CO2’s amount.
I believe (and sincerely hope) that more families are starting to take part in this initiative!

Food is much more healthier when it is home grown and you know what your plant is eating. You are in control of how much pesticide and fertilizer goes into the soil, so you know what you are eating.  Home grown foods don't harm the environment as much as the ones in the store, which are mostly genetically modified. Not only that, but if you home grow food it will reduce one's greenhouse gas emissions and increase growing in your lot of land. If you plant fruits and vegetables at school or at home, then the soil will become more nutritious and healthy. Additionally, this food would be cheaper since it does not need to be bought from the store.

if you grow fish in a large, closed, and elevated box with a drip system that slowly drips water into the plants growing underneath them, and have a large rain water bucket that during the winter you can use to put in the fish box when needed then you can grow  fish and vegetables/fruits from your own back yard. Also, if you have an enclosed plant system with a large tube leading to the top of the fish container (where there is air) the plants can thrive off of the carbon the fish create by breathing and the plants can provide oxygen into the air, so that is less carbon being released into the atmosphere. Plus, you are wasting less water by using rain water. This reduces carbon foot print because instead of going to the store in a car or something (which emits carbon into the atmosphere), you are doing it in your own back yard.

Good idea!

My family grows most of our vegetables since it saves money and we know where it comes from. It is true that growing your own food cuts down the transportation required to move food but this only happens if a large group of people are doing it. Just because you decide to not buy lettuce, doesn't mean that the same amount of food will not be transported to the store where you get it from. It will take a decrease in profit for a store to order less food.

Personally I dislike growing home grown food due to the time and effort it takes to actually keep the plants going. I prefer to get store bought food because it lasts longer and is much easier to obtain. Follow up question, do you think home growing food makes a major difference in you carbon footprint or is just healthier (excluding things like not having to drive to the store and pollute the air.

homegrown food has a lot of benefits both to the economy and your health and the health of the environment. local food helps with the local economies and builds a sense of community with the farmers who grew it and yourself. another reason is it brings the cost of food down and The less the food has to travel means less CO2 is used just so that you can eat it. And finally people can understand where the food comes from if it is locally grown they can know the farmers and know that it is a safe product to be feeding to them selves and their kidsless…Like

I agree. It also can reduce your carbon footprints

Home grown food is better for you because it doesn’t have all the chemicals and preservatives as local food, and has more nutrients.

My family grows corn and tomatoes in our garden

should not even be a question, everybody should grow as much as they possibly can at home.

Agreed.  What can schools, towns or municipalities do to try to encourage this?

Offering free compost amendments for soil?  Seed exchanges?  Free classes in gardening at community centers?

I fully agree! Even if you don't have a garden, it's still possible to grow food at home. There are many vegetables or herbs that can be grown in a pot, so even if you live in the city center and don't have much space, you can still grow something in your balcony. It's not as difficult as it seems, so why not?

homegrown food has a lot of benefits both to the economy and your health and the health of the environment. local food helps with the local economies and builds a sense of community with the farmers who grew it and yourself. another reason is it brings the cost of food down and  The less the food has to travel means less CO2 is used just so that you can eat it. And finally people can understand where the food comes from if it is locally grown they can know the farmers and know that it is a safe product to be feeding to them selves and their kids

You also know exactly where your food is from and how its grown.

I think it is extermely important that home growing, local farms and local products get more acknowlgement. It decreases the amount of mass production in the food idustry, causing less air pollution in the process. Keeping your food organic and earth healthy is something that benefits people both in their physical selves and the enviroment. Unfortunetly many do not have the financial stability to be able to buy from organic local sources, so growing your own food is a simple solution, even just a little bit, it helps.

I definitely agree. I found it useful adding the part about what people can do even if they might be financially unstable or have trouble with financial stability. I found it useful because it shows people that even if you're in a position where pitching in and helping the environment might be more difficult for some more than others, they can still help in small, simple ways.

That is so true. Buying locally grown food is a great way to reduce carbon footprints. The food we buy from other places has to travel, which uses fuel.

This is so true. The long process food goes through before it is sold is often ignored.

Growing food at your house is the most effective way to help the environment and also yourself. Making your own food at home can have great outcomes but takes planning and time and work to make this happen. But if your willing to give that up then you should grow your own food.

Growing food at your home is one of the most effective way to help the environment, and yourself. Your family is safe from chemicals and pesticides by watching your food, and you save much more money. Home growing then benefits  the environment by reducing carbon emissions. Making your own food at home can have great outcomes but takes planning ,time and work to make this happen.

At my house, I always try to eat healthily. Not only do I try to eat healthily, my family grows food in our backyard too. This is very, very good. It is good because we do not use CO2 driving there and we know exactly what we used to grow our foods. We are also not contributing to the amount of transportation and maybe tractors that go around on the fields to water an plant the food. Also, we sometimes buy food from the local farmer's market (which we walk to) and buy fruits and veggies there. One experience I had was that when I went to a strawberry farm, I found and saw many tractors, which let out a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere, which is harmful to the environment. We usually grow flowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zuchinnis. They are usually very successful. At my school, we also grow vegetables and fruits and we have soup from the Living Lab every Wednesday. This is good because when people buy the home grown soup, they do not contribute to the kitchen they gives of CO2.

I think it is awesome that you grow food in your backyard. It is a great way of conserving and not contributing the driving to create more CO2 in the air.

Local/home grown food is better because you know if  and what pesticides it has or has had on it at one point in time. Pesticides is one thing you dont know about it being on your food when you buy it from a store.

Eating locally grown food is good for the environment because it can help eliminate CO2 and is much better for you, and it's especially nice knowing what is happening to your food through the growth process along with less fertilizers and pesticides being put on your crops.

Everyone should buy home grown food, as it has many advantages. It contains less pesticides and chemicals, and provides much more nutrients. Buying home grown food is also healthy for the environment, as it eliminates the need for transportation, which reduces global warming.

I agree that home grown food is definitely a positive for not only the environment but also for yourself as a person. They can be healthier for you without all the pesticides, especially if you grow your food organically. More people should home grow some of their food as it will help improve the environment.

Locally-produced crops can be better because you don't have to travel as far to get it and you aren't putting a lot of carbon in the air.  Eating these foods can also be better because you can know how it is being grown.  I have a garden in my yard to grow vegetables.

Not only is home grown food good for the environment, but it is much healthier than food from other states or countries! Home grown food or locally grown food is able to grown very close to your house, so that limits the amount of pesticides and preservatives that would be in your fruits and vegetables than if they were grown far away. The pesticides and harmful chemicals they put in fruit to keep them fresh are sometimes linked to breast cancer and a weakened immune system. If food is grown locally, it would also have many more nutrients opposed to fruits and vegetables that were picked weeks before arriving in stores.  Growing food is much easier than you think, and anyone would be able to do it. Even growing your own spices or herbs is possible if you live in an apartment complex or a big city. Many fruits and vegetables like beets, carrots, and beans don't take much work to grow. If you don't have the resources to grow food or feel that it is too much work, yo u could most likely find a community garden. These gardens are run by citizens of the city and are accessible to the public for free. Overall, growing food is an easy and cost efficient way to stay healthy.

I agree, If people buy organic and local foods it will limit the amount of transportation needed to get  pesticide filled foods to stores. This creates more carbon in the air because of the trucks emitting greenhouse into the air.

I agree with this. If we grow our own fruits and vegetables we can cut back on both the amount of fertilizers used and gas usage. We can choose the kinds of fertilizers and pesticides used, and only use a small amount of it. Growing our own food will reduce the amount of gas used by cars because it eliminates the need to transport the items from abroad.

My dad says we have a home garden because his parents grew up in the Great Depression and it was the cheapest way to feed themselves. While we may not be living in a time of crisis right now, he still insists we carry on the tradition.

There are many benefits that home gardens can bring, such as control of crops. We can control what chemicals and treatments are used in the garden, if any are used at all.

Another benefit is cutting the cost of groceries. If your groceries are in your own backyard, you save a trip to the store and the money you would spend on fruits and vegetables.

Source: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/advantages … 39103.html

On September 4th, 2012, Renee Cho published an article on Columbia University's Earth Institute website. The article talked about how eating locally grown food does not worsen climate change as much as eating food that is grown far away. When you purchase food from far regions, the transportation process can burn a lot of fossil fuels. The US. Department of Agriculture stated that there was a 9.6% increase in National Farmers Market Directory listings from 2011 to 2012. For this topic, a 9.6% increase is considered to be rapid growth. This data shows that the local food movement is growing quickly. Aside form environmental benefits, there are also social and economic benefits to eating locally grown foods. Buying food from farmers near by does not only build a communal bond between citizens and farmers, but it increases the pay of farmers. At local farmers markets, the farmers can have complete control over their goods and prices. These markets allow them to get fair wages for the work and food that they supply us with. Another benefit to eating locally grown food is tha t you know exactly what happens to the food while being grown. For example, my grandfather has a garden of his own. When I eat food that he grows, I know exactly what preservatives, pesticides, and even fertilizers go into the growing process.

There is definitely a benefit to consuming locally grown food. For one, it is normally organic and is not exposed to harmful conditions because California has strict agricultural laws. Locally grown food is a great option because it does not have to face the expensive costs of transportation, and is cheaper. While some foods may not be in season all the time, it is a good option. The main reason why locally grown food is great is because it does not generate CO2 from transportation. Not only does it help the environment, but buying locally supports local businesses and farm. I can almost guarantee that the food you find at farmer's markets is better than that of a grocery store. But there is something to be said about convenience. Not all people have the time to shop at a market for food fresh from the farm. I know that sometimes I don't. most people also don't have the time or space for growing their own food in a backyard garden. However, even buying some of your produce from local farms helps.

Locally grown food is great. They're fresh, they might be cheaper and they do not produce much carbon dioxide. By spending a little more time shopping at a market, you can help the environment. I absolutely agree with you and your action. Thank you

I completely agree with your statements, especially that locally grown food is much more beneficial than store bought food. Consuming locally grown food means consuming less pesticides and chemicals, and is definitely cheaper. When we buy locally grown food, we save a lot of fossil fuels that would be used in the transportation of the food. I also agree with your fact that buying locally grown food saves CO2 and is much healthier. It is also great tasting and helps support our local farmers.

As of now, we, at my household, do not have a garden in our backyard. For a while now, I have wanted to get one, being inspired to take action by my grandparents, who live very nearby, and my school community, which tends to an extensive garden every day. Bishop O'Dowd High School is a very environmentally green school and I have always wanted to take that step to becoming more green myself. There are many advantages to buying your food locally or even growing it your self. According to One Green Planet, an estimated 1,500 miles is traveled just transporting the food to local grocers. Buying locally grown food would not only let consumers know the area from which it is coming from but also cut down the Carbon Dioxide emissions that are caused by the automobiles that transport this food.
          Additionally, if you know where the food is coming from, we can monitor the pesticide and other chemicals that are used in the growing of the food, making it healthier for consumption. These pesticides are very harmful to the atmosphere and can cause health issues when consumed  by humans and other animals. By growing fruits and vegetables in our own backyards, we are able to make our means of production completely green and not have to travel to any given location to get the food we eat.
          My grandparents grow many fruits and vegetables in their own backyard, and they rarely have to travel to the grocery store to get their products because of this. Not only does this process seem very convenient, but they are able to know exactly what they use to grow the food, making the end product healthier for themselves and for the environment. My school also has what we call the "Living Lab" in which we make large amounts of fruits and vegetables that we use in our meals. Nurturing and taking care of the Living Lab is a very rewarding process that I would like to be a part of at my home. Considering the benefits of these home gardens and buying food from local producers, I am eager to take action!
Works Cited:
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environme … he-planet/
https://extension.psu.edu/potential-hea … pesticides

Sadie I agree with everything you said. I think that if people started growing their own food we would help the earth tremendously. Currently we have an average of about 400 ppm of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere, with carbon dioxide used for transportation of store bought products being a very high contributor. Home grown foods on the other hand, don't need to be moved from state to state or country to country, they are where they will be eaten. Garden also help out the earth because they eat up the carbon dioxide in the air, helping us bring down our CO2 levels.

I completely agree with both of you. As Gaby said, the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the transportation of food is to high. If people stated growing their own food it would not only cut down on the CO2 produced by transportation, but it would also cut down on the demand of products from big companies that dont always do what’s best for the environment.

Sadie, I agree with you fully.  However, lots of people don't have the time to maintain a home garden. It is very time consuming and isn't as simple as planting a few seeds on the ground and food popping up a few months later. It must be maintained, weeded, watered, and kept safe from animals. Unless everyone has the time and energy to keep up a garden that is capable of providing food for around four people full time, stores and markets will need to stick around. That being said, Farmer's Markets are a great option. They are local, and house some of the best food you'll find. The produce sold is grown by people who make it their job to produce great fruits and vegetables. Farmer's Markets also help support local farms.

Eating and buying locally grown food helps the climate crisis tremendously. When we buy transported goods from across the globe ships and trucks are forced to transport these goods miles and miles to reach your grocery store. This extensive transportation cause these ships and trucks to burn coal and fossil fuels to transport these items. When doing so they release large amounts of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. When we buy locally we minimize these transportation emission. Additionally, we help the help the families and business thrive here in the Bay Area!  When we buy local we help the earth and help economically support the farmers in our home towns. I have a very small food garden in my backyard but at my school we have a Living Lab that grows goods that are used in our cafeteria! I would love to expand my home garden to help minimize our need for non-local goods.

Erin- I agree with this completely. When we buy locally grown food, we save a lot of fossil fuels that would be used in the transportation of the food. Not does it save CO2, eating locally grown food is also healthier for us since they tend to have less preservatives and chemicals. Also, they taste better and we get to support local farms and businesses!

I totally agree with you, Erin! I like the idea of buying locally grown foods and growing our own. Many people may not think of the process and places, from which their food originate from. Do you think that buying serving proportionally changes our emissions as well? People should encourage growing our own food in our backyard. Although it possibly is hard for some people based on their living situations. I agree that people should be encouraged to buy food proportionately locally, and if possible grow their own food.

I agree with you but I think that all goverments could produce the food for themselves which would benefit their economy alot but the problem is that imported goods are mostly cheaper and people are looking at the prices alot, but what they dont get is that they are benefiting the global warming of the planet. Goverments should do less import and try to put their own goods on the local market and the rest can be selled to the countries in need. That way the we would polute less and get a better economy in the countries.

Supporting locally grown food within your community helps both the economy and environment, effective in all aspect of the ecosystem. Buying, selling, and growing home grown foods cut out the unnecessary tasks from which food is normally delivered. Converting to locally grown foods decreases combustion rates, even if by a slim margin. Usually, production food is traveled almost halfway across the world, which takes multiple layer of transportation to get to our grocery stories, adding multiple layers of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at the same time. Not only that, but supporting locally grown foods also decreases the respiration rate from the food chain. That being said, your also helping yourself and the community. By buying or selling, you know whats going into your body rather than wishing for the best. Maximiliano Rizzi, a reporter and co author, has covered multiple cases where those who purchase genetically altered foods have gotten sick. Thus, by supporting home grown foods, you are befitting the community, the environment, and yourself all together.

I agree with you Niles. It is a good way to grow local because we save lots of animals lives. People also don't have to go to stores to get food that can be grown outside. People who grow at Home saves money and time to. If the person is hungry they just go outside and get what they want and eat. It is a smart way to grow and eat at home.

This is a great idea. The advantages of locally grown food are stupendous. There is an immense amount of CO2 released into the environment due to the transportation of food. By locally growing food, we can help eliminate the amount of CO2 in our environment. Not only does locally grown food help reduce CO2 because of transportation, but it also produces healthier and fresher foods.

Eating local food is a very significant way to help the climate change problem, and is an affective and easy first step! When you eat and buy food that is grown and produced nearby, it does not have to be shipped very far, which is good because planes, ships, and trucks heavily pollute the environment. Other benefits are that it is great to support your local community!  I have a food garden in my yard, in which we grow tomatoes, lemons, oranges, apples, blueberries, limes, and more! This allows us to eat food that we know is organic and chemical-free, and it eliminates transportation pollution.

Agreed! I believe everybody should try buying from local markets. Not only food, but other products such as clothing, furniture, and simple decorations! Many are surprised to see so many farms in the area that they never knew about. Local stores that offer little, homemade objects create their products sustainably and without the overuse of machines. I agree with your statement that these would also help support the community, as customers would contribute to the local economy and therefore bring up the community!

Eating local and organic food is very important and is a good way you can help decrease your carbon footprint. There are so many benefits to eating locally grown food. By eating locally grown food you can help decrease the amount of transportation it takes to deliver the food. Transportation plays a huge role in carbon dioxide emission, so by eating locally grown food the amount of carbon dioxide would decrease. Also when you eat local food you know where it comes from and can then work on monitoring the chemicals and pesticides put on your food. These pesticides and chemicals can be very harmful to the environment. Additionally, when you buy local and organic food you help your local farms. I think having a sustainable food garden is very important in schools because it teaches kids the importance of being sustainable. When you produce your own food you can also insure that the food you are growing is green and does not negatively effect the environment. Overall,  eating locally grown food not only helps reduce carbon dioxide emission, but locally grown food also often tastes better.

Eating locally grown may be a challenge to some people, but if people can go the extra mile it would really help the environment. Once people start eating homegrown because of price and demand, the cost will go down, making it obtainable to all. Also if people are eating more home grown food then the transportation that is needed to transport foods from other places goes down. All in all, its healthy for you and the environment too.

I feel that eating locally-produced is very important because it takes the hassle of shipping and packing the food to send to stores all over the world. most home grown foods in the bay area aren't sprayed with chemicals and other things that aren't good for us or the plant we do have a food garden at Bishop O'Dowd, it is called the living lab.

This is very true, but most locally produced foods cost more because of their more  pure nature and lack of chemicals. However like you said growing local foods without chemicals or shipping is much better for the environment.

I agree with what your saying 100%. Companies use so much carbon and excess energy to genetically modify foods, process them, package them and then ship them. If we all tried to make a better effort and try to eat locally grown food that is also organic, it would largely decrease our carbon footprint, and it would also be a lot healthier for us and the environment. Disposing of food waste is almost just as important and purchasing and consuming it. Composting food waste instead of throwing it away has amazing benefits. For one, it decreases the amount of garbage you produce. Second, it is very easy to do, and by composting, the broken down food can be used for many other purposes, such as a fertilizer for your yard.  Another thing to keep in mind is to try and produce as little waste as possible. Only buy what you know you will eat, eat a wholesome diet, and if you have leftovers, save it for another day instead of just throwing them away. These little changes will surely have a big impact if we all try to change.

Home gardens may seem like a small adaptation when thinking about a problem as large as climate change, however that does not mean they cannot make a difference. Having your own garden is a great way to add greenery to your home as well as reduce your CO2 admissions! Your backyard garden can act as a (small) CO2 sink and take in some of the Carbon you produce and turn it back to oxygen! Having a home garden is also a great way to understand the value and work put into your food. When I was younger I would pick something to grow every year and with the help of my mom, I would grow a fruit or veggie. After spending months tending over my plants from seedlings to harvest time I gained a new appreciation for the food I am given. I can never eat a carrot the same again, now I will always think about how my time and effort my carrot plants took to grow. Home gardens are great for teaching kids the value of there food and engage them in a hands-on way to understand the process their food goes through from seedling to plate. My childhood garden taught me not to waste my food and  to only take what I am truly going to eat, majorly cutting down my food waste. If every child was raised knowing the background of there food, maybe they would limit their food waste and produce more food at home or buy it locally, cutting down the CO2 admissions caused my shipping as well as CO2 used on wasted food.

On gardensure.com, it says the risk of food poisoning is rising. The use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers has increased. These all can trigger toxic effect in the foods. The best way to escape these uncertainties is reducing dependency. Home grown foods reduce the chances of food contamination. Home gardening can save cost, time, and provide income.

I agree with this statement because most home grown foods in the bay area aren't sprayed with chemicals and other things that aren't good for us or the plants.

Eating local produce can help decrease the climate because the distance of transportation will be smaller. When trucks travel place to place the emit CO2 and other harmful gasses into the atmosphere adding to the greenhouse effect; this further leads to the warming of our planet. However, when switching to local produce, transportation is cut down immensely. Eating locally grown food right from your neighborhood can bring together a community as they all work together to help the environment. O'dowd has the living lab which is a perfect example of this and we eat most of the food that is produced in the cafeteria.

Buying home grown food has many advantages.
It tastes better, its better for your health because it has less chemicals and more nutrients, it reduces global warming because it eliminates the need for transportation. It can also save you money and you get to support local farmers. Buying home grown food also supports your local economy.

Not only do gardens help with your carbon footprint but they also provide good free food and a hobby to do in spare time. Instead of going to the store everyday and spending money to buy one use items and kill the earth with your carbon contribution, you can stay in your backyard and created delicious food of your own. Simply stated, gardens reduce the amount of one use items and carbon emitters purchased and destroyed. "Gardening" the book talks about all the foods that you can create in your backyard, and even how to cook them. There are so many possibilities for gardens that are way better than CO2 emitting options that it is almost a no brainer. There are obviously disadvantages though, time management, lack of garden knowledge, and space or materials, to be considered but this is your choice.

Eating locally-produced food definitely is a component in helping our climate problem. According to MSU extension there are many benefits of eating locally. One benefit is that eating locally gives off more nutrients where as getting food from a farther place is less nutrient due to its old age. Another benefit would be that one would know where their food derives from as opposed to not knowing and potentially getting sick.
Cited:
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/7_benefits … ocal_foods

I agree. Eating locally-produced food will help limit the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Eating more locally grown food helps prevent global warming because it requires less fossil fuels to transport. Knowing where your food is grown and where it comes from is reassuring. Eating organic can make a big impact in our environments.

me and my familie are growing lots af palnts inn are back graden , my brother is a big fan of the green stuff he loves it he cant note stopp  eating it a dont know why, but back to the mean stuff a love granteing and a thing whe are doing what is read for the

Eating locally grown food is more than good for you. Yes, I can see why your family eats it so much and they might not know it, but they're helping the environment just by having a garden in their back yard. Eating locally grown food is so good for the environment because it saves so much more CO2 from going into our atmosphere. Every time we get food farmed in China, New York, or other far countries, we are damaging the environment because of the transportation. A flight from China to Oakland is 10,524 KM which is a lot of CO2 going into the air when instead, we can farm our own fruits and veggies which is 0 miles! This little thing can do so much for the environment, so let's get little baby gardens going in all of our backyards!

Growing your own food has many positive benefits compared to the ultra-processed foods. Local foods are a staple in my home and its for many reasons. The first reason is that homegrown foods are as close as your backyard, while processed foods travel thousands of miles to reach your closest supermarket. That traveling is usually through ships or planes, then to trucks and cars. All of this traveling combined releases thousands of kg of carbon dioxide. This can be eliminated through simple backyard gardens or your closest farmer market.
The next reason is that by eating grown foods it not only tastes better, but it also is healthier. Next time you buy a fruit at the supermarket that looks as clean as you had just grown it in a greenhouse. Chances are it has had chemicals such as pesticides on it. And if that not enough, there are genetically modified foods, made to grow faster and bigger. This may sound and look like a sold deal, but it had made many shortcuts crucial in the making of an organic food. So next time you go to your supermarket, steer clear of any "too good  to be true" foods. If you go to your nearest farmers market, then you could also be helping your economy, yes the economy. This is because farmers who sell their crops to supermarkets have to pay for shipping and then sell their crops for a low price so that the markets can have a profit. Instead, if you buy from a farmers market, then the farmers sell at full retail and it encourages more farmers to sell locally.
All in all, growing your own foods make sure that 1) it's healthy 2) tastes better 3) helps the environment and 4) helps your local farmers and your economy.  This only scratches the surface in home growing your own food. The benefits of this method outweigh the cons of what supermarkets have churned nowadays.

I think it could be a good idea for people to grow their own food so they would not have to waste the gas and money to drive to the store and buy food, but sometimes people don't know how to grow food or they might not have the right area to do it.

While this is a good idea, it's not always viable. Some plants require a lot of water or care that people just don't have the time or money for. I tried it with our family once and the plants ended up dying and those that lived are overgrown and refuse to bear anything. However, not all GMO foods can be bad. For instance, there is a GMO crop that could provide food for thousands, if not millions more people. This golden rice grows decently quickly and provides huge yields. if developments in the right GMO's continue, world hunger could just be a bad dream. While there are downsides to GMO's, there are also downsides to organic crops. Organic crops don't yield as much of a harvest but some can be more beneficial. Hope you take this into consideration.

This is a good idea however it is not a viable way for a lot of families to live. Many families either do not have the time to grow their own food due to work and school. They also may not have a means to get the right seeds or crops to eat to begin with. As well, you said that it helps for the environment, however many farms that are grown by them selves destroy the top soil because they constantly need food thus ruining the potential for future crops however you were right in saying that they would be saving thousands of kg in transportation.

Yes! I totally agree, all people should give growing there own food a chance. Not only is it healthier for you but it helps you feel more active and energized. After all you are what you eat, and if you eat junk food and other crap what you expect your self to feel like.

I agree, this will be a great change in our society we should focus on locally grown food because it can be more accessible for families and better for the environment. There will be a limitation of harmful green house gasses in the atmosphere because of reduced transportation which can possible slow down global warming. I hope that this problem can change soon and become more affordable for lower income families who cant always have the luxury of obtaining fresh produce.

Hi Hello What are your  lifestyles and family's activities? Also Where you from?

I have a garden in my backyard, and I do much environment work in my community with my family. I am from Castro Vally, California, USA.

I agree Andrew, growing food on any accessible land your family owns is a great way to reduce the amount of energy used to transport food and other goods from places otherwise. Although it may not be very easy to start doing at first, I think that once a family or individual makes it a habit, no matter how small or large the scale of the garden is, it can make a big difference when done by more and more people, even gradually.

Eating locally and home grown foods is way better for the environment then packaged foods. At our school we have a garden that grows food for some of the school meals and is eaten by animals on our campus. At my home we have garden and we grow a lot of food that is eaten in our house. Some of the plants seeds are expensive but its a small price pay for a cleaner atmosphere and good home grown food! Having a food garden reduces your carbon footprint and I highly encourage everyone to get one.

We don't realize the amount of garbage we accumulate by just eating packaged foods. Like you said, if we reduce half of the processed and packaged foods with food we grow by ourselves, it would make a huge difference on our planet. Our planet is very important, and we can help save it by growing what we can, instead of buying it.

Pearce M, growing your own food at home but also in school is great idea! While I was typing in my data for carbonate calculator I noticed that we are producing a lot of carbon just with taking plastic bags in shops and of course buying plastic packages. As I said, home grown food is way healthier, not just for us but for our planet too. I hope that we are going to be able to grow our own food for not such high prices...

Pearce M, how cool is that, to have garden in your school. My school doesn’t really care about our planet; the only thing we have there are 3 different trash bins for recycling, but in practice no one is really obeying it..

There are many reasons why home grown foods are beneficial to the environment. For one, most people who own a small garden are unlikely to use pesticides, and that lowers the amount of toxins let into water supplies and the earth itself. Also, food grown by hand is less likely to be thrown out, as people do not like seeing their efforts go to waste. The major benefit of home grown food is the lack of a need for transportation. Most farms are rather far from the supermarkets that their produce is sold at, and the fuel burned by shipping trucks is a large contributor to global warming. Getting rid of the need to transport these foods over long distances removes this unnecessary pollution, and is very beneficial. My school has a garden, and most of the cafeteria food we eat comes from it.

Buying local food from other places are very risky. For Local food with the global warming and this bipolar weather. I feel like it is better to grow your own food because can watch over it and care for it. Also, with the water in local food, there are things in that water that is not healthy for the fruits and veggies. Which is why I say that you know what your food is getting.

It is always better to buy and use local food and even grow your own. But not all people have that possibility. But while buying food people shoud pay attention about where food is coming from.

Eating locally-produced food helps the climate problem by reducing the use of fuel to transport raw materials to produce the food. When food is produced locally, there is no need to transport food it to be consumed by the community. This will definitely decrease the burning of fossil fuels and greenhouse emissions. There will also be a decrease in using packaging materials if you do not need to haul food for long distances because it is available locally, and so there will be lesser waste materials to dispose of decreasing pollution.
Buying locally grown products can improve the local economy by providing jobs. This will also build better human connections within the community, and promote social responsibility as we feel more connected to each other and become responsible keepers of our community. 
This will also lead to better city planning and the utilization of space through converting the unused land into community gardens while promoting a healthy living environment in the community and promote more "green space".
In my school, we have a Living Lab which is a ve getable and botanical garden and a certified wildlife habitat which also provides fruits and vegetables the students consume during lunch time. The Living Lab teaches students about sustainability and the conservation of resources, plants, and our environment as a whole. While carbon emissions are rampant in the industrialized cities of the Bay Area, green areas such as the Living Lab, have trees and vegetation which utilizes the carbon from the atmosphere and converts it to oxygen while supplying our school community locally grown produce.

I absolutely agree with you, Gabriel. Both in the Bay Area and around the world, there are programs called CSAs. CSA stands for community-supported agriculture, which is a method of connecting the community with the food they eat. Programs like Full Belly Farm and Imperfect Produce, to name a few in the Greater Bay Area, not only give people access to organic fruits and vegetables but also make it their mission to show the communities they serve exactly how the food gets from the farm to their table. A lot of these programs have events where people are invited out to the farms themselves so that they can experience what it's like to work in agriculture and develop a deeper connection with their food.

Source: http://www.justfood.org/csa

Throughout the world, people eat packaged food that voyages hundreds of miles to reach a destination. All that travel emits a copious amount of CO2, which effects our environment poorly. One thing that could reduce the concentration in the atmosphere would be buying locally-grown food. Buying food near you reduces the amount of CO2, because it does not travel far. Packaged food also hurts the environment because of what it contains (plastic and wrappers). According to Terra Pass, "Eating seasonally and locally can reduce the carbon footprint of your food by 10%". This proves how a reduction in travel and cost can help our environment, and gives support to business near us. Purchasing locally is also better because there isn't as much packaging as with other materials, reducing the amount of trash we create. In all, buying local is good for the environment and your home!
Works cited: https://www.terrapass.com/eat-your-way- … -footprint

Eating locally grown food helps fight against global warming. On Average, our fresh food travels 1,500 miles to get to our stores. But buying locally produced food eliminates the need for all that fuel used in transportation. Also eating local protects farmland. Without small-scale farms, the land might otherwise be developed for industrial or commercial use. That's just a few reasons why locally grown foods are better.

I agree that locally grown food id better. It would help stop the pollution of trucks and ships, making trips back and forth to import food. If we bought locally grown, it would reduce global warming.  If we continue to eat imported food, more and more fuel will be added to our problem of global warming.

Locally grown food is a great way to eat healthily and consume important vitamins. Growing your own food is great for the environment and people should try to make an effort to grow foods and reduce the number of people who consume harmful chemicals in foods from factories. Overall, I strongly agree that growing foods locally is a great step towards helping the environment.

this is a great idea because this is very accessible to many people and easy to maintain. it is easy to start a garden in your own backyard to gather produce for meals. Some stores people shop at provide grass feed meat and it is better for the body.

Eating locally grown foods has many benefits. And lots of this local food can be found farmer's markets. According to a Michigan State University Article (URL below), there are seven main benefits to eating locally farmed and produced foods. First of all, they have more nutrients. This is because it comes straight from the nearby farm and right to your table. There is less time for it go grow old and lose its nutrients. By buying local food, you are also supporting your community's economy. All the money you spend at a local farmer's market goes back into your community and not some far off supplier. By buying food locally, you are supporting your local environment and keeping your community green. To read about the rest of the seven reasons visit: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/7_benefits … ocal_foods

Eating locally grown foods can be expensive, but it is important to support local businesses.  If more people begin to eat locally, the price will drop and the environment will benefit at the same time.  Since transportation is one of the big CO2 emitters, it is important to save as much driving, flying etc. as possible.  Eating locally would reduce the distance produce has to travel to get onto your table and thus be saving the environment.

One of the very reasons why people eat so poorly is in fact price. Locally, organic, non GMO foods and crops are much more expensive than a trip to Burger King or In N Out. While,  yes, organic is a much better option, most people do not have the luxury of choosing. You can feed a family of four an entire dinner from Burger King for about 20-30 dollars, where it would be much more expensive if you were going organic. Yes, converting to organic will eventually lower the prices but most people are not willing to make the change. Plus, the time it will take for that transition will be longer than anticipated, and people will most likely become bored or agitated and simply go back to what they were eating before.

I think this is a very important and easy way to reduce CO2. Although organic food is more expensive than buying normal, non-organic food, it is a lot better for the environment and our bodies. Organic food means it is not sprayed with pesticides, which makes it so food doesn't go bad as fast. Pesticides allow for them to transport the food long distances and it wont go bad. Organic means that it must be farmed locally because it doesn't have the shelf life to be shipped from very far. My family tries to buy organic whenever we can.

I am very lucky to be living in the suburbs because I can have a garden and grow my own fruits and vegetables. Not buying that in the supermarket can help the environment, as well as your own health. Unfortunately, not everyone has that privilege, especially if they live in a small apartment. But even then you can have freshly grown food that you can buy at a farmer's market. The problem is that going to the supermarket is much more easier and probably cheaper. But a positive side to eating home grown food is that you help support local farmers in you

I agree! I think it is very important that people use the resources they have. Growing your own food or buying fresh food at a farmer's market is very beneficial. It has many benefits, both to yourself and to the environment. I have had some great experiences with that personally. Growing your own fresh food at home is not only a fun experience but also very tasty!

I agree that it is very important to buy food locally, even if you cannot grow it yourself, because transporting food can use a lot of fuel and energy, and keeping it cold can too. Also, by buying your fruit and vegetables at farmers markets you can help support local businesses, and get to know the people who actually grow your food. Food from farmers markets often tastes better and is more likely to be organic. You can also grow some food at your house, even if you live in a city. You could grow some vegetables in your yard (like lettuce or tomatoes) if you have a small yard, or if you don't have a yard or you live in an apartment, you can still grow things like herbs inside. Growing your own herbs a good option because you will save money from not buying them at the store, and they will be organic.

Eating locally-produced food helps our environment in many ways. It helps the climate problem because food needs to be transported from miles away, and making our own food would eliminate the need for this transportation. Other environmental benefits are that locally grown/produced food does not rely on fertilizers and pesticides, which lead to less water and soil contamination from run off. Social benefits of the locally grown produce is it supports local families and farmers, and it brings the community together. I personally do not have a food garden at home, but at school we have a large one, a living lab. I would like to have a food garden at home. There is a variety of foods I could grow and I would be contributing to bettering the environment. This website has more information on how locally grown produce contributes to the environment in a positive way, https://arrowquip.com/blog/animal-scien … grown-food

Wow, this is a very good point you've brought up! I especially agree with the point on killing two birds with one stone when you mentioned that growing locally helps the climate problem and transportation. May I ask, what is it about growing local that helps with climate? Are there things that rest in fertilizers and pesticides that we do not know about?

Eating locally grown food helps the environment a lot. One thing I think people underestimate in terms of global warming is travel. Simply taking a round trip flight to another continent can add ~5000 kgs of carbon to the atmosphere, over 50% higher than what is considered a sustainable *annual* output, [and ships are even worse](https://grist.org/living/you-thought-pl … ise-ships/). [Although most food is transported in more carbon-efficient ways](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_miles), it still has an enormous environmental impact: The sheer amount of food transported by road means its carbon emissions are three times as much as food transported by plane. If everyone only ate food grown locally, we would drastically lower carbon emissions worldwide.

Many cities and towns across the globe have a weekly or bi-weekly farmers market, which is an awesome opportunity to eat locally and help the local farming community. These farmers markets present a way to eat fresh, healthier food that are usually free of pesticides and certified organic. Not only does this help the environment by keeping harmful pesticides out of our ecosystems, but it also helps out the local economy! Another major impact of these farmers markets is buying less grocery store fruits and vegetables, which can sometimes travel thousands of miles (pollution by travel) and be grown in unsustainable and uneconomical way. For example, if you live in California (like me), and you buy a fruit or vegetable that was grown in Venezuela, you are polluting the environment. This does not mean that buying grocery store fruits and vegetables is a horrible crime, but it does mean that you should check the label and see where your mangoes and strawberries are bei ng grown. It also means you should look for a local farmers market near you, and help out the environment
and the local economy!

Eating locally and organically is a win-win for myself and the environment. By eating locally grown food, you are giving money to support the farmers around you, rather than all the big delivering companies. You would get fresher food while lowering your carbon footprint because most of the carbon dioxide comes from all the transportation needed to get to your destination if you eat non-local food. Also, in most of the non-local/non-organic food, a lot of chemicals and pesticides have been used to keep the food in good condition. If we eat local/organic food, it would reduce the amount of harm to our planet, bugs (such as bees), water sources, etc… I have a garden at my school and my home. I believe planting in your own garden is a great way to save money and get good food while reducing your carbon footprint.

In my algebra class I had to do a presentation on showing the difference in carbon dioxide being emitted from food being shipped from across the world and how much was emitted from getting food from a store that sells locally grown food. The difference was very drastic and it showed me how much carbon dioxide is put into the air just so someone can by food from across the globe.  My school (Bishop O'Dowd) grows some of its own food and buys the rest from stores selling locally grown food.

Buying locally grown food is definitely a plus for our environment because, as what has already been previously said above, would help the farmers as well as lowering our carbon footprint. Yet, is there truly a convenient way for everyone to grow vegetables in their backyard? Most people, along with myself personally, would enjoy to have the accessibility of fresh fruits but may not have the time to properly grow the produce. Maybe if there were community plots close in perimeter that people could pay for to take care of their section of crops, it could help cater to the businessmen and women.

I definitely think growing home grown fruits and vegetables are the best option. Not literally at home, but in your community. This will cut down the carbon dioxide usage to transport "fresh" fruits and such. Also, it is a healthier option. When you know where your food is being made and grown, you are more likely to trust snd enjoy it. The main reason is because now a days hormones and steroids are in everything, so they can produce more faster. What do you think can be done to get more people to choose home grown?

My opinion on having a garden at your home is that i think everyone should at least grow one thing at their home becaus even if it is only one plant it makes a big difference. Many smal thing make one big.

En mi opinión, creo que tienes razón, ya que las gracias a una simple planta podemos obtener alimento y nos quita la necesidad de tener que comprarlo aparte del beneficio que da al planeta. Si todas las personas de un país tuvieran plantas en sus casas, marcaría una gran diferencia en ese país ya que con la aportación de todos sería una gran ayuda y si lo hiciésemos en todo el mundo habría un cambio notable a mejor.

I have found, based on personal experience, that if you grow fruits and vegetables at home, it can really decrease the number of times you have to go grocery shopping per week. This can be really beneficial to the environment because you spend less time in the car and you eat fewer packaged foods. My family used to have a great garden with many different kinds of produce, but recently we have been taking poor care of it. A goal of mine is to get back into the backyard and try to make a difference in my own little world. Furthermore, after reading articles by NPR, in the Fresh Food"  category I have realized how much better it is for your own health as well. Overall, growing foods at home have a lot of benefits that I would like to take advantage of.

My families consumption was the highest part of my carbon footprint with a kgs of 2672, a little above the average of a Californian. Ways we try to lower our carbon footprint is by growing our own food. We has sections in our garden to grow food, mainly tomato's, and peppers. Although we do not eat meals that are fully home grown it still contributes to lowering our carbon footprint. We spend less gas going to the grocery store, and use less carbon consuming and throwing away food.

Wow Kpazawala! I admire the fact that you grow your food at home- many people do not realize how helpful locally grown food is for the environment. When you home grow or locally buy  your food, it is unnecessary to go to the grocery store, plus it reduces the amount of transportation that is needed to bring food into our area. This is a great way to lower your carbon footprint since a lot of people seemed to be affected most by food produce.

Buying local food helps the climate problem and global warning in many ways. It requires reduces fossil fuels because it uses less to transport. There are many places to buy locally-sourced food including farmer's markets, Whole Foods, and many small local grocery stores. Locally grown food keeps local land productive, money in the community, costs less than most foods, and is better for your community. I have a garden at home and we grow lots of foods such as rhubarb and tomatoes. Not only is it fun and tasty, but it helps the environment! The production of foods accounts for 83% of emissions so even reducing that number a little bit by buying local food or growing your own food can help.

I think eating locally has many benefits, including ones that don't involve climate change. When we eat locally grown foods, less is wasted, and communities grow closer. I don't have a home or school garden, but that is definitely something I would want to get.

I agree so much! I think that local eating is a great way at brining communities closer by working together towards a common goal, and I would definitely  recommend a home or at school garden. I personally have 2 gardens at my home where we grow various vegetables and fruit that we use in our meals, we also have local areas about 2 miles away that grow fruits like strawberries when they are in season, instead of buying them from a store we can get them exactly where they are grown without pesticides. My school also has multiple composts and a very large garden used to grow items used at our cafeteria, these are all things I would recommend trying if possible in an effort to help lower emissions and harmful effects on our environment.

I agree with this. I think that homegrown food or locally grown food can help reduce CO2 in our atmosphere. If foods are grown locally, less transportation is needed to transport these products to supermarkets and stores. Growing your own food can also reduce CO2 emission and also save money. My family and I grow our own rosemary, basil and lemons. It is very helpful and easy to get these foods by just walking to my front yard. We don't need to drive to the store and burn gas. It is also good to know that our food is fresh and that it doesn't contain any harsh chemicals.  A friend of mine used to have chickens and she would get fresh eggs every week without having to drive anywhere. Homegrown food is a very good idea because it is convenient and saves time, money, and the environment.

I agree!! Homegrown or locally grown produce can really help make a dent in the CO2 in the atmosphere. The smaller distance between farm and table means the smaller amount of transportation needed to move the food. Its great to know where your food comes from, so you can know it is fresh. My family shares a few fruit trees with my neighbor, and I love knowing that the fruit I'm eating is chemical free and fresh.  Locally grown food is great for the environment because it saves fuel and money.

I personally think eating locally-grown food is an awesome way to lower your carbon footprint.  When you eat locally grown food it helps the environment because not as much carbon will be emitted into the atmosphere due to transportation than if you were to get your food from the other side of the world.  Locally-grown food is also great for your wallet.  Since the food doesn't need to travel as far, the cost for getting the food to your grocery store isn't as high, meaning you pay less.  Not to mention that you also help support local farmers and growers in your community.  I am very proud to go to a school where we have a small orchard that yields all different kinds of fruits and vegetables, which can be used in the lunches served at our school.  My grandparents also have a garden in their backyard,   which saves our family hundreds of dollars worth of food each summer.  It just doesn't get more local than that!

Home growing your own food is very beneficial to our climate problem! In your own garden, you are aware of how much water the use. In big crop fields, water is sprayed everywhere on a timer. Water conservation is key. When food products are grown, big vehicles, such as planes, ships, and trucks, will have to ship items to stores far and wide. This increases carbon emission which will affect global warming. Tractors and machines are also used to harvest. Organic, locally produced food require little to none transportation. Growing your own food helps our environment immensely; besides it's more rewarding and cleaner(if no pesticides), to eat the food you grew. We do have a garden out back in our school and an Outdoor Development Program. They are responsible for tending to our nature area, including plants, chickens, etc. I would love to see my school take further action and grow our own vegetables..etc, and perhaps selling them at lunch or allowing the kitchen to use them in school lunches!

I think its amazing that you grow your own food. It is beneficial. I like this idea!

Home growing could be a big step in the future of the world. I think it could change many lives in many factors.

Eating home grown foods are good for the environment. Not only are the foods organic (if you don't use pesticides or spray things at it), but they decrease the carbon footprint of the world.

Eating locally grown food is good because that means that it didn’t travel at all. In other words, the truck or plane or boat that the food could have come from didn’t emit carbon. Some  other benefits of eating locally are:
You support your town/city
You know (or can find out) the way that food is grown
And you are confident that this food is delicious
My family has a garden in our backyard, as well as a compost bin. We are currently growing tomatoes and lemons. At school we have life lab where we learn about plants and plant them around our school. We have a garden in which we are growing fruit trees, and a chicken coop. My family, as well as some others, are trying to eat mostly locally grown foods. Try to too!

Not everybody has the possibility to eat his own home grown. But everybody has the possibility to buy local food. We do not have to eat all fruits during winter for example, we can just follow what is growing at what time in nature around us. The transportation by ship, flight and car makes a big footprint and that is possible to avoid. If this will be considered all over the world it would be a lower footprint.

It is a great idea to grow your own vegetables and fruits at home if you can. It will make your carbon footprint lower because your vegetables and fruits does not go in a ship, airplane or car. You will also produce oxygen which is a great advantage and you will know where you food is from and whether there is used some pesticides for example. It is necessary for all people to try to lower their carbon footprint, and this is not a hard way to make it a little bit lower.

Home Grown is the best kind of food material you can get. Me and my family grow our one herbs, rhubarb and some berries that we make jam out of. Many of my family members are farmers, so we buy our meat and vegetables that they grow from them. I also have an uncle who is a fisherman and we buy our fish from him. Not only does the food taste better, fresher when it is home grown but it also lowers your CO2 footprint.

Home grown food is a good way to have lower footprint for food. My footprint for food isn´t as low as it could be. If me and my family would grow more at home the footprint would be lower. In the summer we grow tomatoes, strawberries and some herbs. So in the summer we do our best to eat home grown as much as we can. We also own chickens so we eat our own eggs. One thing that I could think more about is to buy more food that is grown in the towns near to my home.

My idea is to grow your own vegetables. We need to fix our carbon footprint and it's a good idea to start growing food at home. Home grown is also usually better on all ways.

I think that is a good idea, how grown food is both healthier and better for the environment. You can grow your own vegetables and you can breed and eat you own animals.

If you want to lower your carbon footprint, it's a great idea to grow your own food. First of all, you will not have to transport it for a long way, and second of all, you can grow it organic so it has much lower impact on the environment.

Home grown food it very important to help lower your carbon footprint and help the world. Many reasons for growing your food, like purchasing less store bought food and knowing where your food it from, are just some great reasons to grow food. With less store bought food, the less transportation is needed lowering the amount of carbon being released into the air is less. If more people grow their own food, this will benefit the world and the people.
When people grow their own food or buy it locally it saves time, money and uses less fossil fuels. The large grocery stores often get their food from large farms far away. This means that farmers are having to travel long distances to deliver the food. In the article How Growing Your Own Food Can Benefit the Planet and Why You Should Consider It, it states “the average distance of 1,500 miles is traveled before the food is consumed”. At the large farms many pesticides are being sprayed on the foods. On the other hand, when growing your own food you get to know and put what you want on your food. Having food easily accessible , getting fresh food is easy to place on the table. Along with lowering the carbon output, the price goes down too. Instead of paying for expensive organic food from large stores, you can easily grow the food. With the food grown nearby less transportation is required for you and others, your food is controlled by yourself and the expenses for food go down with your carbon footprint.
Overall when growing food at home your carbon footprint will decrease. Due to less transportation needed for you to get food, knowing what is being put or not put on your food and the decrease in price payed for food, home grown is beneficial. Anytime in the day food outside or inside your home is available to be put on the table at a reduced price. An easy, healthy, fun and less expensive way to lower your carbon footprint and to help the world is to grown your own food or to try and buy locally.
Website:                                                             http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environme … he-planet/

I agree. The shorter the distance the food has to travel to get onto your dinner table the better.

My family and I have been planning to grow our own fruits and vegetables but have never gotten to it. We even bought the fertilizer but have not gotten to spreading it and enriching the soil. I agree with your statement about reducing carbon footprint by producing our own food without having to purchase food. This would go a long way if people who could adopted this practice. I feel by growing our own food we will get to be more involved with the process and more invested to saving our own environment. Agriculture and transportation accounts for about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. If we could also find better ways to keep insects away from crops without damaging the soil it would benefit us greatly.

I have had a home garden since I was little and loved planting on every year, however now my family and I have drifted away from that and have been buying everything from the store. It would be helpful to the environment, myself, and my family if we started just to grow a few of our own vegetables or fruits again.

Not only does eating locally reduce one's carbon footprint, it also is better for our health. As you mentioned, many large companies and chains must have their food travel very far, which increases the need for preservatives and harmful chemicals in products. Like you said, there also tend to be more use of pesticides in larger farms which are added to our atmosphere, our bodies, and even back into the earth when those crops decompose. Supporting local businesses is incredibly important so that they can stay in business, which helps our environment and health. I know my school has helped with this by having our own Living Lab, a large garden where we grow many of our own vegetables and use them in our cafeteria very often. We also compost, which is a great way of recycling the organic food back into our own soil without need for long hours of transportation in trucks or cars.

I agree with everything said above. My grandmother grows her own array of fruits and veggies in her backyard and I find them to be more delicious than store bought items. Also, my grandma does not waste anything. If she has some leftover fruit that she knows she won't be able to eat fresh in time, she turns it into jam or marmalade. Home growing is one of the only ways you can know for sure that your food is pesticide free. Not only is home grown food delicious, but it reduces carbon emissions as well since you're not continuously driving back and forth from the store to buy produce.

I agree with all of the above points. I have a garden of my own, and we grow many varieties of fruits and vegetables. I never use pesticides. Having a garden reduces carbon emissions, because the food does not have to be transported. Also, whenever I rip out the plants at the end of the season, I compost them. I then use the soil, from the compost, to start a new round of plants.

I agree growing food can cut down packaging when you buy food from the store. Im lucky that I live somewhere where you can easily start a garden, the weather conditions are good and it rains a lot.

Growing fruits and vegetables at home can help with a lot of things like, eating healthy, producing more oxygen, and helping with the reduction of climate change. What's a place where you learn, and are at most of the day, school! Some schools provide gardens for their students, but most schools don't have a garden, even they should. There are many reasons why all schools should provide  vegetable garden.  It can help teach students about healthy living, we've had some more recent problems with obesity, especially in the U.S, so by having a garden kids will learn how to eat healthier reducing the rate of obesity. Secondly, it will help reduce our already large carbon footprint, instead of families and schools buying food in packages, they can grow it right in there garden, reducing the production of CO2 in our atmosphere. Since all plants produce Oxygen, having a garden will increase the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, reducing carbon footprints. having a school garden can help things other that carbon footprints, it can help students learn teamwork, cooperation, and  learn more about subjects like math and science. studies show that schools with gardens have significantly higher scores in math and science then schools without. Lastly schools with gardens will teach students how to create there own gardens at home. Families all over will start to make gardens helping reduce the treat of climate change making the Earth a more healthy and clean place. Climate change is becoming a large threat of the Earth and the life on it doing things as small as a garden or even just planting a single plant, can help a lot in the long run. We should all convine our families and school boards to make a garden to help save our home.
link: http://web3.cas.usf.edu/tbsg/benefitsof … ening.aspx

Eating local produce can help decrease the climate because the distance of transportation will be smaller. When trucks transport food from different areas, the emit many harmful gasses into the atmosphere; this further leads to the warming of our planet. However, when switching to local produce, transportation is cut down immensely! Eating home grown food right from  your neighborhood can bring together a community as they all work together to improve the environment. My school has a garden in which they grow all the fruits and vegetables used for our lunch!

I agree that eating locally can decrease carbon emissions, but to make a garden sustainable, we have to keep an organic garden that does not use any pesticides or harmful chemicals. The problem with eating locally is the vegetables at farmer's market is more expensive than vegetables from supermarkets. I think the reason is that there are too little people keeping an organic garden locally and Americans do not shop every day for fresh produce and so the farmer's market only opens once a week. If it opens every day and people's shopping habits change, the price, I believe, would be more affordable and more people are likely to support locally grown food.

Eating locally would be beneficial to our environment, however, research has shown that transportation accounts for only 10% of the energy used in the production of crops and accounts for 4% of the greenhouse gas emissions made by the American diet. Instead of eating locally, we could look at a different alternative: eating food that is grown responsibly. By supporting farmers that are growing their food in a responsible manner we can have a much greater impact on the effect of food production.

Eating locally can also sometimes be much more expensive and not all people can afford this type of food. On the topic of homegrown food, eating homegrown food may not be an option for all people. Some people live in large cities where there is no room for a small garden to produce their own food.

From the research I have done I believe that eating responsibly is the best way to decrease the impact of food production on the Earth.

Eating local produce is beneficial to our environment in some ways such as that it helps support farmers that grow the food both financially and encourages them to grow more. Like others have said, eating locally is not always possible due to the lack of space. To most people, buying vegetables and fruits at supermarkets are much more convenient and less expensive then organic food that tend to have higher and more expensive prices. Also, most people believe that the fruits and vegetables you buy at the store contributes to your health the same way locally grown food does. As other comments previously said, trucks that usually transport food do not emit that much energy as other things we do.

I agree that growing your own food is beneficial to the environment  but most people do not have the time to take care of the garden. Maybe growing like a few fruits and vegetables in your backyard is possible and you can incorporate that into your meal.
Through my experie nce and research, I believe that eating locally grown food could help benefit the environment in many ways but it is hard to incorporate the process into everyday life.

I believe that if everyone ate locally grown food, that would be very helpful for the environment. Locally grown food gives us a chance to control the amount of food waste around the world. When I was a toddler, I can remember my brother and I not wanting to eat the vegetables that my mother had prepared for us, but I had to, because my parents did not want us to waste any food. Almost half the amount of food in the United States is not even consumed; it is being wasted and thrown into landfills. Food waste is a big producer of methane, which is a greenhouse gas. Methane is damaging to the environment, and can be found in landfills and transportation vehicles such as cars. The amount of food waste is staggering, but a solution to that could be choosing to eat locally grown foods. Food that is grown locally can help farmers keep track of the number of products being grown so that none of it is wasted.
 
I do see the appeal to a supermarket rather than a farmer's market. The prices can vary extremely, and some people just can't afford to have locally grown food every day  of the week. So what can we do to solve this dilemma? From my research, and the information from previous posts, I agree that eating responsibly is, for now, the best solution that won't cost people extreme amounts of money, and will actually play a factor in helping to save the environment. Instead of buying food that you know is never going to be eaten, save money, time, and most importantly the environment by choosing to not walk out of the store with unnecessary food just to turn around and throw it away.

The following sites are extremely helpful and very informative on food waste and ways to help save the environment from it:

http://staging.unep.org/wed/2013/quickfacts/
https://www.nrdc.org/issues/food-waste

Eating locally does help our environment and is very beneficial. A few reasons would be locally grown foods tastes better and are good for your health, it reduces global warming, and helps the economy. If we are to eat locally grown food then it is more fresh, nutritious, and tastier than the processed food that is shipped from various parts of the world. When buying locally grown food we are eliminating the need for transportation which helps to reduce global warming. The farmers who sell their locally grown food “receive the full retail value, a dollar for each food dollar spent” says Ikerd. There are more reasons as to why eating locally grown food is beneficial for the environment and I hope that people take the option to purchase food that is grown locally.

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/eating-locall … nt-1203948

Purchasing locally grown foods and growing your own reduces waste because fossil fuels do not have to be burned to transport foods from across the country.  Home grown and local foods also reduce the use of plastic bags and packaging.  For example, my family grows some herbs and spices, and while it is a small impact, it means that we do not need to waste a plastic container to store it in, but rather pick it right off the plant to use in cooking.

I think that having your own garden is a great idea. I also think that more people should be informed about how to make their own fertilizer out of their waste.

I agree Katya. I found an interesting article about the pros and cons to making your own fertilizer. Some of the pros include the fertiizer increasing the ability of the soil to retain moisture, thus reducing the need to water very often and the fertilizers release nitrogen slowly, giving the plants a more stable and steady growth period. Some of the cons, though, were that organic, homemade fertilizers can carry disease causing rganisms and that getting the correct ratio of fertilizer to soil needs some experimenting before you can really rely on the fertilizer. This aricle also includes five very interesting compost recipes for homegrown fertilizers.
http://www.organicauthority.com/organic … cipes.html

Wow! I didn't know that homemade fertilizers could carry disease and that ratio matters. Reading over the article, I saw that fertilizer also has to be compatible with your plants, as different plants have different needs. For example, tomatoes do well in acidic soil. However, some plants just do better in different areas and have different seasons that they thrive in. When I go to my local nursery, I see that they have different plants for different seasons in order to make it easier for the plant to get introduced into its new area.

I believe that eating local food grown in your town is a very good thing. It can help decrease the amount of harmful gasses that are being emitted into the air by the trucks that transport food. I don't have a garden, but many people from my church share with us a lot of fresh vegetables from their gardens. I think every one should start eating food that is grown in their own town, instead of food that is transported from places around the world.

This is an option viable only for villages and medium sized cities. How can you feed a city like New York only with local produces? You can't really do it. Also, those countries that are mainly producing food are going to have huge problems after a while. But, just for little cities, this isa brillant idea!

You are so right, it would be hard to feed a big city like New York with only food grown locally. We could start with the small cities and then slowly, somehow, start eating locally in the big cities.

It depends how you define local. NY is a big state with a lot of farms. It could feed more people in NYC than you might think! And then, what about vertical gardens (on the sides of buildings), and rooftop gardens? So many possibilities!

I recently spent two weekends in Mendocino, a city on the coast of Northern California. I stayed in two different places there, both of which had their own farms. The first home had acres of land and had a large farm with all sorts of vegetables and fruits. They ate most of their meals from their garden. The next place I stayed had their own garden as well as their own composting system. Most properties in Mendocino are relatively spacious and sunny, so it is easy for people to start their own gardens.
Although my family has herbs, tomatoes, peppers, a lemon tree, and other small pots of edible plants, we do not use our garden for our main source of food. When something does grow in our garden, we usually use it for seasoning on a meal but we do not have enough for to be the main food of the meal. My yard has many trees so it is very shaded, so there is only a small patch of our yard that we can use for growing food.
Although my family cannot grow enough food in my yard alone to make a big impact on our carbon footprint, I believe that my family can make steps to decreas e our carbon footprint. For example, we can make sure that we are only eating fruit and vegetables that are in season and are locally grown. This way we will not be indirectly using planes, trucks and many other modes of transportation to get our food. Because most of the houses in my neighborhood do not have a lot of room for gardening, we could suggest that our neighborhood could create a community garden. My family could connect with American Community Gardening Association and see whether they could help my neighborhood with creating a community garden. If we have a dedicated area for gardening that everyone could use, I am certain that our neighborhood would not only have a smaller carbon footprint, but we would also be more connected to all of our neighbors. This would also promote more healthy and aware eating habits. Although each individual family would not have their own garden like the ones in Mendocino, I am sure that having a community garden would be beneficial to my neighborhood in many ways.
Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/bac … 1206294984

According to "Eat locally to nourish yourself and the environment", on Chopra Center, eating locally has many benefits to both yourself and the environment for several reasons. When food is brought locally, there are shorter transportation trips, meaning burning less fossil fuels (not traveling by ship, plane or truck). These local farmers also tend to use less fossil fuel when producing and manufacturing their food. Growing our own foods in our backyards is the best way to eat locally and prevent the most amount of carbon entering the atmosphere (mainly due to the proximity). According to Michael Pollan, "“It takes 56 calories of fossil fuel energy to deliver 1 calorie of food energy to your plate.” Other benefits of growing and buying locally is simply that the cost is much lower, because it's close, and it's generally better for your health (it's more fresh). I do not have a garden at home, but my grandpa does. He grows green beans, apples, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, plums, etc. At least twice a month he brings us whatever is in season from his garden and we make a  fresh salad. We also have the living lab at school where some vegetables are grown and served as soup during some lunches. I would love to have a garden at home to eat more fresh food because it makes me feel healthier and I feel like I'm helping the environment more.

I love your creative approach to reducing our carbon emission. I do see my neighbors' gardens in their yards and I find it inspiring, but what if some people do not have the same green thumb as others? Or, what if the area that they live in doesn't support and sustain a healthy garden. Are there different approaches to producing your own locally grown food?

I could not agree more with you. Eating locally definitely will help the environment become a cleaner place. It also will help us, the consumers, eat more natural or organic food. I agree with Katharine, a lot of my neighbors have gardens. I think it is really cool because they will bring us over tomatoes and many other things from their gardens. I do wonder, what would happen if everyone grew their own fruits and vegetables?  Everyone would have organic, home grown food. We would also have a decrease in transportation of food around to grocery stores and restaurants. Very interesting idea!!

I agree with all of your ideas. As Katharine said before, not all people live in an area that can support a garden or just don't have the space. My grandparents spend part of the year in New Mexico and the soil isn't fertile enough to grow vegetables, so my grandfather, instead of buying bags and bags of fertilizer, plants the seeds in hay bales. It has worked very well over the past few years, and as the plants grow, they break down the hay so disposing of used hay bales isn't an issue.
People that live in big cites like New York don't necessarily have enough space for a garden, so reducing the distance food has to travel may be answer. In the middle of cites, you can build a vertical farm. Vertical farms are multi-story buildings that use a hydroponic system and occasionally artificial light to grow crops. According to EcoWatch, they can grow food using less water, less soil, and producing less waste, leaving a smaller footprint on the environment than tradition al farming.  It may be a more efficient way of farming considering weather and natural disasters have no effect on the amount of crops that are produced, provided that the building isn't damaged.

With a country filled with distributing and importing goods from long distances, we forget the pleasure and positives that come with producing food from our own hands. Almost all of Americans consume processed and genetically modified food. According to Time Health over 60% of Americans eat ultra-processed food. It is a huge part of culture and society. Unfortunately many Americans are oblivious to the negatives of consuming and buying  these products. Processed food are found to be detrimental to health through its high trans fat levels. It also has on effect on the environment through carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. Although processed food and GMOs are convenient and abundant they have quite a few of negatives.
Growing your own food own your own has so many positives. Fresh food that is grown without the exposure of preservatives taste is so much better. Through personal experience there is a distinct difference in taste between a fresh apple to a apple bought from Safeway. The fresh apple just has that flavor aspect that trumps the apple from Safeway. N ot only does it taste better but their are not any health afflictions in doing this. There is no need to worry about damaging trans fat entering your system. Also the extreme pleasure in growing your own food is beyond satisfying. It is safer for the environment and promotes individuality and a proactive nature within communities. I would fully enjoy of having my own garden through my experience and recommend everyone to get one.

I recently stumbled upon a program called Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF for short. As a volunteer for WWOOF, you would live alongside the farm host, helping with daily tasks and experiencing life as a farmer, then in exchange you will receive free food and board. The movement links volunteers with organic farmers and growers in 210 countries around the world. I think this is an amazing opportunity because it promotes cultural and educational experiences for people who want to immerse themselves in different ways of life around the world, while also maintaining sustainability. If I were to take part in this program, I would be most excited to learn about the various local foods unique to each area and how they are prepared.

Growing your own food or buying locally grown food can reduce your carbon footprint tremendously. When you buy food that is not locally grown, not only is there the growing of the food, but there is also the transportation, packaging, retailing, cooking of food, and the clearing of land to grow food in the first place. "Food produces about 8 tons of emissions per household, or about 17% of the total. Worldwide, new reports suggest that agriculture produces around a half of all man-made emissions" (greeneatz.com).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/ho … lanet.html
http://www.greeneatz.com/foods-carbon-footprint.html

My carbon footprint for food was 3545 kgs which is below the average for my regional average of 5551 kgs. Because I live in Houston, Texas, it is hard to grow local foods. The climate is too hot and humid to sustain many food sources. When we first moved to Houston, my mother had tried to start a vegetable garden but it suffered from the Houston heat and animals outside. Some people may not be able to grow their own food but they could reduce their carbon footprint by buying food with less packaging, reusing foood containers, and bringing reusable bags to put your groceries in.

I would definitely have my food/vegetation growing in my own backyard but the work, time, and space needed doesn't make it possible. As far as the food being locally grown, I agree that Houston weather affects how much there is available.

It is impossible to disagree with the fact that growing food at home would have an extremely positive effect of the environment.  That being said, it can be a large inconvenience to grow your own food. As said in the comments above, the climate of your area most likely will not support all the vegetation you want to grow. My family has an indoor basil plant, and even that is hard to keep up with.  We also have a lemon tree growing in our backyard, but it has taken a while to sprout, and the lemons are not of excellent quality.  Aside from growing some plants,  we try to reduce our use of plastic bags from the supermarket by bringing our own reusable bags.  Another great way to reduce your carbon footprint for food without going through the trouble of making a garden is to buy locally grown foods.

I live in Houston, and my dad has a garden and loves to care for it. While the heat limits what we can grow, we still grow what we can. When we grow food, we use it in our house to cook and give away to friends. In this homegrown food, there are no GMO's and no waste with packaging. With a garden, it is also easier to lessen your waste by composting. We have a trash bin full of compost and my dad uses it in his gardens. If many people used a garden at home, it would significantly lessen how much we waste, both by less packaging and by composting.

I completely agree with this,and I also have a vegetable garden at my house as well. I also think that schools should try growing different fruits and vegetables in gardens to use in school food. Although it will only be limited at first, I believe that any food that is grown or used is better than none at all. According to this website (http://whosgreenaz.com/2011/02/01/grow- … vironment/) growing your own food reduces pesticides and chemicals usually used in foods that are mass grown. Also, growing your own food reduces the carbon emissions used in transportation of foods shipped from other countries. So, growing your own vegetables and fruits is better for the environment and also cheaper than buying from a local store.

I completely agree with what you are saying. Over this summer, my family and I have barely gone to the grocery store. We have nearly about 40 fruit trees in our backyard and are growing almost every type of vegetable possible. This has limited the amount that we need to go to the grocery store. We use a lot of water, but all of our fruits and vegetables are grown organically. It is also cheaper than buying from a grocery store.

At my old school, we had a garden where each grade level learned how to plant and harvest foods so that they could do it at their house in a small backyard garden. Because we were taught how to grow vegetables, many of us started to grow them at home. According to http://www.greeneatz.com/foods-carbon-footprint.html,  conventional farming methods have a much larger impact on the environment than organic farming methods. Growing plants without pesticides is much better for the environment than farming with pesticides because of reduced carbon emissions.

Eating locally produced food is extremely important in my opinion for several reasons. By buying and consuming food closer to the source decreases the carbon emissions produced from transporting the food. This not only helps the environment, but it also helps the local community by supporting local producers. A lot of times, local food is also organic, which definitely has a positive affect on the environment. Eliminating harmful pesticides keeps other organisms from experiencing the toxic effects of the chemicals from exposure through runoff or direct contact. Having a garden is about as local as one can get and is a very beneficial way to get food in terms of efficiency, helping the environment and limiting waste. Not only is there virtually no carbon emissions from transporting the foods and you can eliminate the pesticides used entirely, but it also reduces the amount of food waste being produced. I find myself being more conscious of the amount of food I pick  in my own garden because I am the one growing and harvesting it. It is also more financially efficient to grow your own food. The more local the food, the better, for us and for the earth.

Does eating locally grown food help with the fight against climate change? Well, again, I am not 100% sold on the idea of climate change, however, it is a cinch that there are many benefits from locally grown food.
1. If you buy local, and be careful, because just because it is at a farmer's market, does not mean it is local, then you are reducing the amount of gas required to get the food to your table.
2. If you buy local, you are keeping money in your local economy.
3. Locally grown food, usually speaking, is healthier as the farmer's do not put as much pesticide on the produce as commercial farmers do.
https://www.thoughtco.com/eating-locall … nt-1203948
-LeAnne Kolb, Orange Park, Fl.

Growing food at home can really help eliminate overuse of harmful pesticides and chemicals. Even if you can't live completely off of what you're able to grow at home, what you can grow at home helps reduce how much farmers need to produce which in turn could help reduce the need to use so many chemicals in farming. You'll also have complete control over how your food is grown, so you can eliminate extra pesticides and chemicals from your food and preserve more nutritional benefits of the food. By growing your food at home, you can have direct control over the amount carbon emissions from the chemicals you may use. Growing even just a small bit of the food you need at home can help reduce our dependency on the vast quantities of pesticides and chemicals we are using that are harming earth.
Link: http://www.gardensure.com/benefits-homegrown-food/

If you grow your own foods at home, it is a good way to save money and keep the air clean. You can just walk out to your garden and pick the vegetables or fruit and make a meal. You don't have to drive to a store and spend lots of money on food that you can grow.

woooow

Eating locally-produced foods helps the environment in a variety of ways. It cuts down on emissions used in food transport, and less chemicals and artificial processes are used. Additionally, it creates a space for plants and promotes clean air. Not only that, but it's good for the community as it can bring people together and create jobs. My school does have a food garden, and I think it contributes to a healthy school environment.

I agree that eating locally-produced food can help cut down on emissions by eliminating the transportation steps that typically cause the release of carbon dioxide, and eating local can create great job opportunities that could potentially be extremely successful long term if more people start eating locally grown food. I think it's really neat that your school has a food garden, and that's a great way to get a hands on experience that also provides insight on how to live more sustainably.

After taking a culinary class and seeing how much people depend on other people for food is scary. You really see this in effect right before a major disaster when all the grocery stores go out of stock. I feel that we should grow are own food to supply for us and are family that lives with you. I feel this would end the hunger in the world as well as people fighting for food. http://whosgreenaz.com/2011/02/01/grow- … vironment/

Hi Christopher,
I never thought about how dependent we are on others providing us food. As Americans, we do not think about where the food is coming from or how it is impacting the Earth. This is shown by the excessive use of non-biodegradable packaging and the terrible GMO’s injected in our food. By growing our own fruits and vegetables it would massively reduce the world’s carbon footprint. In addition, it would promote better eating habits. According to the American Heart Association “about every one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese”. If every community had a local garden where everyone in the area could pick and grow food for the neighborhood; childhood and teen obesity would decrease dramatically, killing two birds with one stone.

More information on childhood obesity: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLi … cnOodN941g

In my town we have a supportive housing unit for homeless families. One of the amazing things that they do there is have a farm, on the farm they allow the people who live there to help out. By giving them this job it teaches them management skill, social skill, and they get to learn more about the environment. People in our town can sign up for a subscription to get their vegetables every month. So,not only does buying locally help the environment but it also helps the community by creating jobs and bringing in revenue.

With the population rapidly growing, the amount of space for a large home garden has shrunk significantly. In most cities, people live in high rise apartments, with maybe a small rooftop garden. This is why we should start thinking more about vertical gardens than horizontal ones. As long as you have some access to sunlight, via a window or a balcony, and a wall, you could start your own vertical garden. Vertical gardens are also easy to manage, simply pour the water into the top and the rest will slowly drain down to the other plants. At my house, we have our own vertical garden hung up in the kitchen, which we use to store and grow most of our herbs we use in cooking.
https://www.realsimple.com/home-organiz … cal-garden

local food is good because it uses less transportation to make it to your local stores. home grown food can also work to lessen allergies, especially honey

Eating locally grown food is good because it's better for the environment. There is less transportation needed so it leaves less of a carbon footprint. Also, your money goes directly to the farmers who grow the food instead of huge companies. Gardens are convenient because you can get food whenever you need it. They are also more fresh than from the store because there are no chemicals and pesticides. Since local produce is grown in smaller amounts, it is better quality because the farmers can spread out resources evenly.

I agree Néha, by eating more local and organic food you can help decrease green house gases. Less transportation is used than the less gases going into the air. Local farmers are better for the environment than big companies which produce lots of agricultural  green house gases. I also agree the more local you eat the more healthy and non-GMO the food might be.

I agree with you. Companies that mass produce milk and meat products treat the animals extremely horribly. Growing your own food and buying locally is a great way to know how the animals are being treated and to boy cot the big, inhumane companies without having to cut out meat and dairy products altogether.

I agree that we should eat more local foods to reduce our carbon footprint and to eat more healthy foods

My mother grows fresh produce that we sell in the fall. The farmers market that we sell at is less than half a miles ride away from my house and is easily accessible. More farmers markets like this one are great for smaller towns and are something we don't see enough of.

Even though Home Grown Foods take a lot more energy they also save a lot more money in the long run and are safer for your body because you know exactly whats going into them.

This is a very good alternative to mass farming. Another good way for people to get healthy and local grow foods is farmers markets.

Eating locally-produced food greatly helps the climate problem. The processing and distribution of food leads to many CO2 emissions. I do not have a garden, but my school does.

I agree, eating local foods have a lot of benefits for a person. For example, eating local honey helps your allergies. Eating local food also cuts out a lot of the extra steps from planes, and trucks, and buses to get the food to the town.

i agree local food are good for people but then you have fast food that makes people sick and sometimes the food that we make locally is not healthy like fried chicken that has oil and your body shouldn't have a lot of oil

I am going to try to reduce my carbon footprint by reducing the food category score. My score for food was extremely high compared to my region. I am going to buy locally grown and organic food in order to reduce my footprint.

I agree with you as well because eating local food reduces the transportation used to get the food from one place to another.

I agree, buying local food or having a garden of your own is very important.

A large contributor to human's carbon footprint is the buying and selling of imported produce. Transporting goods uses millions of gallons of fuel every year, burning even more fossil fuels in the process, making it a huge source of extra carbon put into the atmosphere. By shopping at places that sell local goods such as farmers markets, you can get fresh produce with less carbon output, as I concluded from research I did for one of my science fair projects.

Eating locally produced food will help people who don't have good transportation can't get the food they need quickly. Having local grown food is also better for the people living around the stores that sell the food. It also benefits those who can't travel very far.

I agree with you Clayton that living near stores benefits you. The closer you are, the less you need to travel. This means you can walk or bike ride there and not drive, helping your carbon footprint.  Also, having locally grown food helps the environment in a positive way because carbon has no role in it. This allows the plants around it, and the people, to live healthier.

Locally produced food is helpful for health and the environment for a multitude of reasons.  Most likely, food grown locally is picked at the best time when it is the ripest, rather than needing to be picked early and shipped to a different place.  This transportation of the food also gives the food for a higher risk of contamination since there is a lot of time between consumption and harvest.  Also, food grown locally would taste better and have more nutrients, since the plants that are in season at that time are raised in the correct area and don't need to come from somewhere where it is in season, which it would have to be picked before it is fully ripened and fresh.  This food also benefits the environment, because the grown food supports the farmland in the area.   
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/7_benefits … ocal_foods

Eating locally home or grown food helps reduce the climate problem because purchasing food all the way across the world leads to the burning of fuel and production of mass carbon as the food must be transported to wherever your location is. Food produced in factories furthermore adds to this as fossil fuels are burned in order to produce the food. Other potential environmental and social benefits of eating locally-grown food is that it will help flourish your at-home-garden as you will be forced to care for and nurture the land the food is being produced in.

Eating locally grown food immensely helps the climate problem.  It does so by reducing the transportation. if you are buying something that is locally grown from a food store, you are still adding to the problem because the farmers need to drive over the produce, the supermarket needs to keep them ripe by using cooling systems, and you need to drive to the food store. Getting food from a farmer's market is the next best thing because they don't need to use a cooling system while they are selling. The best way is to grow your own food, because it involves zero transportation. There is a community garden in my neighborhood where I get all my vegetables, this is helpful because it is reducing my carbon footprint and giving back to the community.

I agree that people should buy locally grown food and that it will help the environment. I think it will help the environment of people did grow their own food but realistically that is not an option for everyone. Some people live in an area where they can't grow their own food or they don't have the time. I think it is good  to promote buying locally grown food, and helping the environment.

When you eat locally grown food,  you are giving back to your own community. The benefits of locally grown food ensure healthy living, less Co2 levels, and helps the economy. You first ensure healthy living because in smaller farms you get better care of the food, meaning that the farmers only pick the freshest and healthiest produce. This is unlike non-local farms because they do not take as mush care as they should be with the produce that we eat. The big companies spray chemicals like pesticides on the produce and use shining polish to make the produce more desireable. These chemicals cause major health issues and result in mutations, such as cancer. Another example of why we would eat locally grown food is because co2 levels are lower when you buy local. Since it takes less time to drive to the local city, the cars do not take allot of fuel to get there. This results in lower co2 levels. My last example of why you should eat locally grown is because it helps the economy. Locally grown food helps the economy by local farmers getting more money. Farmers on average rece ive only 20 cents of each food dollar spent. This is because the rest of the money is going to transporting,  processing, packaging, refrigerating and marketing the food. Farmers who sell food to local customers receive the full dollar for each food dollar spent, But not only do the local farmers get more money they also are getting encouraged to use local farmland for farming. This is keeping development of new houses in a check, by also preserving open space for farming.

Eating locally produced food can help the climate change problem a lot because most of the food that we eat are imported from places far away. If we eat locally grown or locally produced food, less fossil fuel would be burned to bring the produce to the grocery stores. I do have a food garden where I grow a variety of vegetables like Kale, Potatoes, Peas, and many more. When you grow food at home, the vegetables are fresh, it contains no pesticides or chemicals and last but not least it's actually fun! If you have some spare space in your backyard, don't hesitate to give it a try!

I don't think most people realize how many fossil fuels are burned and carbon is released during the process of growing, importing, and selling foods. That is why this is such a great idea. In your backyard try growing the bare necessities, Back or front yards are completely suitable environments to grow plants such as basil, tomatoes, lemons, lavender, kale, fennel, apples, and oranges. That doesn't even begin to catalogue all the options you have when it comes to growing your own food. And when you cannot grow your own food or don't have a specific food, try to buy from your local farmers market or just from anywhere that sells locally grown products. By doing this you are decreasing your carbon footprint because you are skipping many of the fossil fuel releasing steps that cause your carbon footprint to increase. Did you know that a lot of food that is not locally grown travels at least 1,500 miles to get to you? According to (),  a normal meal purchased from a conventional supermarket chain can use 4 to 17 times more petroleum for transport than the same locally grow n ingredients. It is little steps like these that amount to a surprising and amazing improvement in our carbon footprint.

My mom tries to buy local produce that is in season. We live in Oakland, California and there is a lot of produce grown in the area, that we can buy from local stores or farmers markets. When I asked her about it she said that she generally does a pretty good job buying locally but there are somethings that she buys even if they are brought in from farther away because she likes to cook and likes to have the ingredients she wants.  One thing she said surprised me. On and off over the years we have had an organic fruit/vegetable box delivered and we have used different services. One of the companies used partly local produce but supplemented it with produce brought in from far away.

Dear Jackie,
I agree, growing locally or buying from local produce stores can cut down the carbon emissions by a significant amount. Personally I grow vegetables and fruits myself, but it comes with some difficulties, Some people may not have the space and animals can easily raid the produce, but I do agree that trying to grow produce can really help the environment.

It is best to get food from local farmers markets because there is less transportation involved in getting the food. There is less transportation for getting the food to the market. An even better way is to avoid all transportation and grow food yourself in your backyard if possible. Do some research to find plants that are native to your area because they will be the most adapted to your environment so that means less water and best results.

I think that growing foods in a local garden is a really good idea. Growing foods locally lessens the amount of fossil fuels burned in the atmosphere.This is because agricultural facilities need to use fossil fuels to produce different fruits and vegetables. I think that we all need to have access to a local a garden so we can produce our own food without burning any fossil fuels.

Having a small garden at home has been fun.  My mom likes to grow tomatoes especially.  Learning how to plant, water, feed and harvest vegetables is a great resource.  If we had more space we would plant more.  My mom grew up on a farm in another state so growing food and supporting local farmers when possible has always been important to my family. Also by taking your food scraps and other compostable materials and using them in your garden prevents them from ending up in the landfill.   Not only does buying locally help to reduce the carbon emissions from trucking in food but it also helps the local growers and economy.  Supporting sustainable farming practices will encourage others to think about how they farm.  The climate action business association reported that by catching rain for later use on your garden is another idea to be mindful of our carbon footprint.

Sites Used:
www.cabaus.org

Gardening and buying locally produced food is an easy change and great for the environment. Having your own garden is an easy way to lessen your carbon footprint, and even give back into the environment. Plants photosynthesize by taking carbon dioxide out of the air, therefore reducing global warming. Aside from the obvious benefits to the environment, gardening is good for our own health. Local produce is another easy way to help reduce our carbon footprints. The agricultural industry has become strictly a financial tactic instead of healthy food produce. The cheap energy and agricultural subsidies have led to pollution in soil and water. Industrial food production is solely based on fossil fuels. Buying from a local produce shop not only supports your community, but helps the environment greatly.

Sources: http://www.thegreengirls.com/gardening- … vironment/

http://www.environmentforbeginners.com/ … iew/110/1/

This is an awesome thing, I completely agree that locally grown foods should be way more prioritized than efficiency. It takes me back to an idea somewhere above yours that focuses on rooftop gardens. I feel like this would be an excellent way to provide space for locally grown foods in the city, because I'd assume it would be harder to find a place for crops there than it would be here in the land of agriculture. I feel like a city policy granting that rooftop gardens are socially acceptable would be  a great way use gardening and plants to improve air, and also provide fresh food for the building's inhabitants.

i agree with this too! Gardens in peoples yards reduce the amount of transportation that it takes for the food to come to you. This would reduce the amount of co2 that you produce and impact the environment where you live in a positive way. Rooftop gardens in cities whole also be a good idea, because often in urban settings  there are less plants and so it would be important to consume co2!

You make a strong point. Buying locally-sourced food is a great way to reduce the carbon emissions created through the production and transportation of produce. Unfortunately, due to the use of pesticides and cheap energy in our farms and factories, runoff water is often polluted and unsafe. This water eventually makes its way to our oceans and fresh water sources, where it does great damage. Another great solution would be to cease the use of pesticides entirely, which would help with keeping our water clean and safe.

I agree with you as well, gardens and locally grown food is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint. For example, at Bishop O'Dowd High School we have the Living Lab which provides us with our own food we grow. We decrease are carbon footprint by using the food we grow for lunches for our whole school. Simple things like this can reduce a huge amount of our carbon footprint.

I completey agree with you as well and it is also much more healthy for us as humans too. It keeps our carbon footprint down and it is much more healthy for us. Obesity is a real problem in the United States so this might help fight that as well. So it is a win win situtation

Eating locally produced foods helps our climate problem. “Local food has more nutrients. Local food has a shorter time between harvest and your table, and it is less likely that the nutrient value has decreased.” The vegetables are grown locally, this benefits the economy, the land, and yourself. You gain more nutrients because the plants are not shipped far. The farmland improves due to the plants planted on it. Overall, buying locally benefits the town or city, and your own nutrition.
Article: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/7_benefits … ocal_foods

I agree that locally grown food are far better for us and for our community. I think if people were to stop shipping produce and meat across the country, man's carbon footprint would go down dramatically. Health would rise across the world because of the fresher and more nutrient food we are consuming compared to the bruised and unripe produce we get at the store. I do not think everyone should have a large field of produce in their backyard but I think having a small vegetable garden is a great way to eat more local. This can also help teach sustainability and allow people to become more aware of the problems we have in our world today. After reading an article from Columbia University I became more aware of the impact local food can have on our environment. I agree that locally grown food are far better for us and for our community. I think if people were to stop shipping produce and meat across the country man's carbon footprint would go down dramatically. Health would rise across the world because of the fresher and more nutrient food we are consuming compared to the  bruised and unripe produce we get at the store. I do not think everyone should have a large field of produce in their backyard but I think having a small vegetable garden is a great way to eat more local. This can also help teach sustainability and allow people to become more aware of the problems we have in our world today. After reading an article from Columbia University I became more aware of the impact local food can have on our environment.

http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/09/04 … ocal-food/

Eating local foods help the climate problem massively because the mass growers use chemicals to put into the foods. Eating home made food or home grown food will not help you but help the economy.

I agree, buying locally grown food is so much better for the environment and also supports small businesses. Its good to participate in famers markets and buy foods without modification and chemicals. Home grown food is also good. You get the satisfaction watching food grow and it often tastes better!

I agree with both Arquil and Thomas about the fact that locally grown food is more healthier for both the environment and you. Since stores or mass growers add chemicals into their products, you're not sure what they put, it's not a reliable source to eat from, but if you grow your own then you could trust yourself eating it because only you know what you've done with it. Local and Homegrown foods are the way to go!!!!!

Eating locally is very beneficial to our environment. One reason is because it takes less time to get from the farm to your table. This reduces the use of transportation, which emits less fossil fuels into the atmosphere. Also, when you chose to grow your own food, you are less likely to use harsh chemicals that are used on non-locally grown plants to keep them fresh. Purchasing locally grown food lessens the amount of waste that would normally be produced from food from non local places.
http://www.ecowatch.com/10-reasons-why- … 29859.html

I agree completely! Some things that are easy to grow at home and are very healthy  are bush beans, carrots, and beets. You'd be helping the environment, and yourself by eating healthily. By growing things on your own, you know your food is organic, and you don't have to travel to get the food you want, since it will be at your home. Also, if you do not want to grow the food yourself, you could possibly walk to the closest farmers market to buy locally grown food, to support local farms.

Eating home grown foods would help the climate problem because by growing food we would get rid of the chemicals that mass growers put into food. Other benefits would be home grown food would have more nutrients and  would help save money on food costs. I have a food garden at my school that we use a lot.

I agree with you considering lots of carbon dioxide is used in the process of making our food. This use of CO2 has a serious effect on our environment and personal health. By eating home or locally grown food, we are able to be aware of how many chemicals are used in the process of growing and making our food. Also, when food is shipped, CO2 is used, and growing our own food can save money and reduce our carbon footprints. My family has been looking into putting a vegetable garden in our backyard in order to eat more home grown foods.

All this information I agree with being true. I think the CO2 we release from processing food is devastating and is heating up the earth to an unsafe level. One way we can reduce the food made in factories is by growing our own food at our houses. This food not only helps the environment but also is better for us to eat. This food doesn't have all the chemicals that the food sold in grocery stores has. Another way growing your own fruits and vegetables helps is that a vegetarian diet produces less carbon dioxide and therefore reduces your carbon foot print. The lower your carbon foot print the more you are helping the environment. A final advantage of home grown produce is you save a lot of money. Growing your own food helps the environment and your self so everyone should start. Check out this website for more benefits of home grown produce: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/di … wn-produce

There are manny benefits of growing your own produce, and some down sides too. The first benefit is that u know where the food is coming from and have vary easy access to it. The second is that it is vary fresh and no pesticides are used. there are some down sides to it. One of which is that it cost money to start up a home growing setup. If indoors then one needs a grow light but if out side it can grow much better.

When you grow your own produce you eliminate the need to transport those products from far away places around the world. U.S. transportation sector is responsible for about a third of our country’s climate-changing emissions. Globally, about 15 percent of manmade carbon dioxide comes from cars, trucks, airplanes, ships and other vehicles. These vehicles have to transport produce to your local grocery store making them a big contributor to climate change. If you have your own garden or raise your own chickens then you can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately help global warming.

According to the "David Suzuki Foundation", one of the main caused for climate change is agriculture. Meat production is one of the leading causes for this problem. Agriculture releases a considerable volume of greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide. Too much of those greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is harmful. Eating locally-produced food will help the climate change because transporting foods from other countries adds emissions into the atmosphere, which will have a negative effect on Earth.

Great question Makana, I never would of thought about agriculture being a lead cause of climate change in our community, but we learn something new everyday. I like the research and data you have about the CO2 release coming from mass meat production but https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/gl … mperature/ also has some good data on other sources that contribute to climate change.

Somewhat, food does cause global warming because of destroying land for crops. CO2 is released because of mass food productions. But it is not as important as other factors to global warming.

I think food it self is not causing it but the amount of energy it self required to produce the food is definitely contributing to global worming. The main contributor to global worming is CO2 emission form burning  fusel fuels.

With pesticides, global warming, and land abuse, mass food production is a harmful industry. Big name companies such as Dole and others are literally destroying the world, through these listed effects of mass food production. There is an easy solution to these problems, and most families and communities have access to the means to make it happen. If we start home growing our foods, we can end crisis such as global warming and frog death. As GardenSure, a trusted gardening website states, "By growing foods in your backyard, you can reduce the unnecessary cost burden, which also includes a grower’s profit margin." This means that as well as helping the environment and growing our own tasty food, we can also work to end the economic crisis.

I agree, it is also beneficial to have buy food that is organic. Organic food can offer benefits to the environment, public health and local communities. Farming organic food does not rely on synthetic or petroleum-based pesticides or fertilizers, making less water and soil contamination from run-off. Buying organic food at local farmer’s markets, also reduces your carbon footprint. According to the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC), “Transporting food long distances uses tremendous energy: it takes 435 fossil-fuel calories to fly a 5 calorie strawberry from California to New York.” Locally grown food reduces the present average of 1,300 miles’ food travels from “field to plate.”

I agree, mass companies have a big part in the worlds CO2 emissions. Mass production and long transportations are affecting the atmosphere. Locally grown foods aren't only better for the environment, they also help local economy, and are overall better for you.Switching to local and organic food not only reduces your carbon footprint it helps your body and the environment around you. It's a good, realistic idea that most people have access to that will help reduce your carbon footprint, help local economy, and your body.

I agree with the comment. Home growing would prevent things like mass production and the usage of pesticides. Also with mass production comes the transportation. The majority of cargo ships, planes and trucks are filled with food all around the world. Along with reducing the emissions it would reduce the money spent on food as well.

I agree with you because if we plant our own food and grow locally we don't have to worry about over producing or harming other animals around us. If we buy name brands like Dole we are supporting them ruining our Earth, since they choose to mass produce their foods and use harmful pesticides. Fertilizers  can lead to chemicals going into our waterways, and deforestation. Deforestation can result when the fertilizers are put into the soil, because it ruins the soil which makes it useless to continue planting on the soil.
https://www.environment.co.za/environme … nment.html
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/envir … restation/

That is such a great idea, and I think more people need to realize how beneficial homegrown fruits and vegetables are. I agree that pesticides, land abuse, and especially mass production are all world issues, and by home growing plants, it would slowly lower these problematic issues. While mass production may have some positive effects, it has far more negative ones overruling the positives and are slowly destroying our plants! According to an interesting recent study from TIME I found, each year around 285 million tons of meat is produced all together, which is eventually sent to mass production warehouses. These products are all sent through a series of processes through mass production machines, that ultimately destroy the raw ingredients of the plants and other products used, in the first place. This is why I definitely agree that home growing prevents these problems all together and is a much better option not only for us humans' health, but also for the environment. Our family tries our best to home grow as many plants as we can, and we try to stay away from pestic ides and other brands you said that mass produce, including Dole. If we all pitch in and slowly shift over and adjust to home growing our fruits and veggies, we will be able to positively change our earth for the better!

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the- … roduction/

I think that if you create your own garden or get your food from a local farmer's market, you will be saving and helping out the environment. You also will feel safer eating food that you grew yourself, rather than eating food that was processed in factories.

I like your idea of creating your own garden. Creating your garden can help the environment. Growing your own food makes the food more healthy for your body. If you grow foods with seeds you can reuse the seeds to plant an apple etc.

Creating your own garden without using pesticides and chemicals is an ideal way to help the environment. In the long run it will save you money and it will be good for your health. By planting seeds, you help the bees, if you compost the food waste and using the soil from the compost you are helping out your vegetable to grow better and you are helping with slowing global warming by plants absorbing CO2. Even getting food from the farmers market is helping local businesses.

I definitely agree with your statement. It makes sense that if we buy and support local farms, then this gives back more to the environment. Farmers and sellers don't have to travel as far or ship their produce as far to their customers if they have a local business. Steve Cohen from the Observer argues, "According to the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC), 'Transporting food long distances uses tremendous energy: it takes 435 fossil-fuel calories to fly a 5 calorie strawberry from California to New York.'" I think that this information forces us to realize that our diets actually do make an impact. We should avoid our wants for the specialized produce from out of state and be happy with meeting our needs with local produce.

I agree with this. I believe that fresh produce can be much healthier and safer to eat than food purchased from a grocery store. Freshly grown food provides food without chemicals such as pesticides etc. This helps the environment because it is not being produced in factories which produce fossil fuels so growing locally is the way to go.

I agree with what you are saying and it is understandable that eating less processed foods will help out the environment greatly. I understand why you would feel safer eating less processed foods because of all the chemicals that come with the processing of certain foods. I like this alternative that you have suggested and it is a viable way to help out the environment that we live in.

I think that if we grow our foods on our own will help our environment so that we won't need the bad fuels from the factories and so that our foods are fully organic with no extra hormones. This will also contribute to us helping the air because we won't get the smoke from the factory buildings.

I agree with this. Growing our own food locally can eliminate the need for the transportation of food in trucks which releases Carbon Dioxide. Growing our own food can lead to the decrease of processed foods which is healthier for us and the environment. Growing your own food can decrease pesticides. Growing your own food is not only good for the environment it also saves you money. Business Insider says you can save up to $24,000. a year!
http://www.businessinsider.com/growing- … ear-2015-4

I agree. When people grow their own food it encourages the people to become more healthy because they want to eat their own food. Because the food that they are growing is healthy, the people will have a more healthy diet. The fresh food will also provide humans with produce that contains no pesticides. Moreover, the large corporations that supply produce to humans will have to improve the quality of their products in order to compete with the local gardens.

I agree when you produce your own food from a garden you can ensure that the process of growing it is way more sanitary and healthy than in a factory. According to the link https://www.valuepenguin.com/how-much-we-spend-food Americans spend about 40% of their income on groceries every year. I think growing a garden is a good idea but many Americans lack the time to maintain a garden so they settle for processed food.

I agree as well. if people grow their own food, it can help eliminate the transportation food trucks releasing CO2  into the atmosphere. It also encourages people to eat healthier and live a healthier lifestyle. I also think that a good idea is to buy from local food markets if you aren't able to grow your own food because if its local it wasn't transported from far. Also if the food was locally grown or your grew it yourself, it wouldn't be processed in factories that let CO2 into the air. This helps our bodies and the atmosphere. Growing food yourself would also save money and time.

Eating local food is better for the climate because when we eat locally we not only help our communities businesses but we also lower CO2 levels. The reason for this is because when we don't eat locally different aspects of getting food from elsewhere can pollute the air; such as the transportation to get it here or the factories used to package the food. It is alo better to eat locally because the food is fresher and it less likely for it to become contaminated.

I agree.  Eating locally sourced food is good for you and for the environment.  When you eat locally grown food not as much energy has to be put into transporting it by plane, train or truck.  This puts less CO2 in the atmosphere.  Also, there are less preservatives in local food because it takes less time to be transported to a buyer.  Another way to impact your footprint while eating locally is to eat a vegetarian diet.  It is a lot easier to find locally sourced fruits and vegetables than local meat and meat takes a lot of carbon to produce.  Here is a link with an interesting chart showing how much carbon it takes to produce each food and how far you would have to drive to produce the same amount of carbon:
http://www.greeneatz.com/foods-carbon-footprint.html

I agree with what you said. Eating locally would definitely help decrease the carbon being released into the atmosphere. According to http://www.cbsnews.com/news/carbon-diox … r-second/,  all the world's combined nations combined pumped nearly 38.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air by burning fossil fuels. Growing your own food would also help. You would be eating healthier and help lower CO2 levels.

I concur with your ideas about eating locally. I also believe that purchasing and eating locally grown food benefits local businesses and the environment. We could lower the CO2 emissions dramatically if we buy food that is grown locally. This would happen because there will be less of a distance for the food to travel, whether by boats, planes, or trucks. So there will be less C02 emissions from the transportation to be released. I also think that growing fruits and vegetables at home or at school will have a beneficial impact on the community. The home grown food will be fresh, healthy, and the process will release no CO2 into the environment.

Eating locally-produced food helps the climate problem because if you buy groceries locally it would take less time to get to your house which means less transportation which would harm the environment less. I think a better way for getting food to your house is having a garden at home. This would be so much better for the environment and you would not have to drive to stores as much compared to if you did not have a garden. http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/vegetab … /5069.html

I agree with this because my family has a garden, that produces good organic food. In the summer most of the food that we eat is from our garden. This saves trips to the store and our food is very organic. Though gardens can be a lot of work the produce that comes out of them organic, and is better for the environment. I live in a small town with no grocery store and to get food it is a 15 minute drives one way. With the garden we don't have to make this drive, this is better for our environment, while also getting better food. In the end I think everyone should try to start a garden it could be small, but anything helps.

I absolutely agree with Giovanny because when we get transported goods from other cities, states, and even countries it has a great impact on CO2 in the air and is bad for environment. I feel that every state should have plains and plains of food so they won't have to order from other states. The best way like you said is to even start a garden because that even saves you from getting in your car and driving to Safeway or something, when you already have fresh tomatoes, and other necessities for your well made dinner. Also having chickens can help because you can have fresh eggs from your own backyard. We need to start eating a lot of our locally organic grown foods to help the environment. LET'S MAKE A CHANGE!!!!

I agree with you. I think that if we grow our own food, lowering our CO2 levels for food, we will also lower our transportation CO2 levels as well. In the US our CO2 levels for transportation are fairly high, so I think one way that we can help that is to use homegrown food. I also think that if you go to the store maybe walk instead of driving or ride a bike, Using homegrown food has many great outcomes, like lowering our transportation rates and it is healthier because we know where it came from.

I think that eating locally and organically is extremely important to the environment. By eating food grown locally and supporting the farmers in your surrounding area, you get your food fresher and more conveniently while lowering the carbon footprint caused by transportation of the food. Instead of your money going to big companies, it stays in your area, benefiting people you know and keeping the money within your community. Eating organically grown food is also important because it greatly reduces the use of chemicals and pesticides which are quite harmful to our planet, affecting animals, water sources, and future use of the land, not necessarily in a good way. If more people in our communities have organic gardens at their houses or at least access to fresh food nearby, it will greatly reduce the co2 emissions being released in our atmosphere.

Eating locally produced food helps the climate problem immensely. The environmental and social benefits of eating locally grown food would be the amount of transportation that would be cut down. There would also be less emissions of CO2/smoke in the atmosphere, and would use less fossil fuels in the environment. According to a post by Michigan State, eating locally grown food is safer for you and the environment, because you can track where your food was grown, how it was grown, and it provides more nutrients and flavor than food shipped across the country. Some social benefits include helping local economy such as people in farmers markets and small businesses.
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/7_benefits … ocal_foods

Eating locally helps the climate problem massively because the mass growers use chemicals that harm the environment and the shipping process of produce has a big impact on the earth. By eating local food, you also know how the animals are treated if you are using dairy products and you know what they are fed. If produce is not having to be shipped from the factories where it is packaged, it will save time, plastic, and all of the gas used to ship. My family used to have chickens but we had to get rid of them and we do grow some of our own food like kale, lemons, and other herbs. Knowing where your food is coming from is a comforting feeling especially when you see the things that go into factory farmed produce.

I agree with Jessie. The chemicals that are used to grow foods are having serious and detrimental effects on our environment and personal health. Our earth as we know it, is on a track of serious food modifying that will only lead to harm.

I agree with you. Lots of carbon dioxide is emitted through the growing/making food and through the transportation. I think a great idea to limit carbon dioxide emissions would be to have a community farmers market which would encourage local farmers to sell more of their food and also offer the public more of a chance to get that food. This would then reduce the amount of food being transported into the community.

Eating locally produced food helps the climate problem because it reduces the amount of pollution and carbon dioxide being put into the atmosphere. When something is locally produced the food can be driven five or ten minutes to the nearest store or farmer's market to be sold. When food isn’t locally produced the food may travel across the world through truck or plane which both pollute the air. Foods that come from your own garden also don’t require any plastic which is made in factories. The factories release a huge amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when they are making the plastic. I have a garden in my backyard and the fruits and vegetables seem much more fresh than buying them from a store. So eating food that is locally produced is much better than store bought foods because it is much better for the atmosphere and the food is fresher.
https://www.washington.edu/wholeu/2016/ … own-foods/

I agree with you in that food taste better fresh.  I know this because it taste much better when my mom uses food from the farmers market or from our backyard garden then from the grocery store.  Another thing locally produced food helps with is cost,time, and carbon footprint.  It cost a lot more money, spends a lot more  time and causes more pollution to have food shipped all over the country and put through many middle men to get in a grocery store then for each farm to drive there own produce to a farmers market or local market for people to buy food from.  Also food taste much better with out all the preservatives and sitting in boxes for 3 weeks and in the grocery store for 2 weeks before you buy it.
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/7_benefits … ocal_foods

I think that growing your own food will better help the environment instead of help supporting produce that are made from factories. There are positive impacts to the environment and you when it comes to growing your own food. It might cost a lot of money at the moment or in the short term but in the long run, running your own farm is very beneficial and saves you a lot of money. You won’t be using engines or coal fueled emissions to collect or package food. Instead it’s picked by hand and can be packaged by reusable bags. Food packaging in the United States turns out to be 20% of our carbon footprint. My family has an apple tree and we grow our own tomatoes. We use our tiny gardens to help reduce our family’s footprint.

I agree, I use to raise livestock and it makes you more cautious of how wasteful you are being. We really don't need to be raising so many animals for food. there are currently 98.4 million registered cows in the united states alone. take that number and add the amount of cows in the rest of the world and that will equal an ungodly amount of cows, methane, and the factories that are used to process the meat. in conclusion we could help the environment by using as much as we can from animals and reducing the amount of animals we raise every year to help the world get back on track

Owen I agree. If you make your own food, that not only benefits you, but like you said, it will help cut down on the amount of food that is made in processing factories. Those are some of the main contributors to global warming.

I agree with what you said very heavily. I agree because some companies may have used some toxins in the growing of produce and you growing you produce yourself means that you know what you have put in your plants and what types of pesticides if you decide to use pesticides. http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/11357- … avoid.html

I totally agree that growing your own food or even buying locally grown food will benefit the environment. For example, according to One Green Planet, “When you take into account the typical energy cost of transporting food to your local grocer, it is estimated that an average distance of 1,500 miles is traveled before the food is consumed.” This shows how much our food has to travel before it even gets to us. By growing our own food we would shorten the energy cost of transporting our food and the food we consume would no longer have to travel just for our consumption which would benefit our environment. Transporting our food for such long distances relies on the burning of fossil fuels which is bad for the environment. A simple solution to this is growing or buying locally grown food. I propose that people make their own gardens as a source of their food. O’Dowd has a living lab where they use their grown food for the cafeteria which I think many schools should  try to do as well.
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environme … he-planet/

I agree with this post. Someone buying local food or making their own food would greatly decrease their carbon footprint. According to http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/food-miles, carbon food emissions is 11% transportation processing, with only 1% of that being by plane. Even with plane, no type of transportation could replace the act of walking a few steps or driving a block compared to driving miles to a store where about 100 miles of CO2 was emitted from the transportation of the food to the store. This issue does not apply to only the U.S, but in the U.K as well. According to http://www.i-sis.org.uk/FMAS.php, “Since 1978, the annual amount of food moved by HGVs in the UK has increased by 23 percent with the average distance for each trip also up by 50 percent.”. If people decided to grow their own/ raise their own food instead of driving miles to a store where the food was travelled from far by truck or ship while emitting unnecessary CO2 in the process.

It is very easy to start your own garden. If you have room in you yard, which most people do, you can grow vegetables that can feed your family throughout the season. Going your own food can have a huge impact on decreasing your carbon footprint. When you buy fruits and vegetables at the store you may think that since it is a vegetable it hasn't been processed, but the shipping and sorting of the foods take up a tremendous amount of energy. You could now reduce that amount and walk out to you garden and your veggies for dinner! If a garden wouldn't work in your yard, then eat locally. Eating locally can be less expensive and can conserve all of the energy that is used when transporting these goods.

Having your own homemade garden can help create organic fruits and vegetables with no artificial coloring where plants and fruits go to factories. Eating organically is not only helping the environment but also healthy for us.

Growing your own garden is not always possible. Those who live in the city and those who do not have the money or time to grow a garden just can't grow their own food. It is much more important to try to eat locally as this not only better for our atmosphere, but it will help boost the local economy. Lots of people think it is ridiculously over expensive to eat locally. It really isn't, its just whether or not you are willing to give up a few dollars for the good of our earth. We should stop looking at these purchases as personal choices we make and we should start looking at how much it might help our ancestors as they will eventually face serious consequences to this fast growing issue of global climate change.

I agree with bagellord, if you live in a city, or in a location with a large draught or one that just doesn't get much water, it would not be possible to create and sustain a garden of your own. You would either have to go to a grocery store or a local farm/market. A local farm would be a great place to get your food because of the amount of positive thing you get and give from it. You are not only helping your own body by eating foods without chemicals and such, but you are also helping the local economy by buying food from them.

When people decide that they want to reduce their carbon footprint, they immediately think “cut back”, “reuse”, or “recycle.” However many people don’t think of doing something extra, like growing food in your own backyard! Foods are processed, shipped, and stored. This uses a lot of energy for something that you could get just a few feet away. Ever think of starting your own home garden? A few years ago, I started a vegetable garden, and grew lots of different and delicious foods. However, the majority of it has died since then. The main reason being it was a lot of work to take care of the garden. After learning about how big of a difference this can make and after reading all about it, I am motivated to start up my garden again! Here is an organization trying to spread the word: http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new … s/29131020

jkelley, starting a garden to reduce your carbon footprint is great idea! While it is much less convenient then eating store bought fruits and veggies, growing them out of your backyard would reduce energy used to ship produce internationally and also reduce the unnecessary packaging around the food. One way you could solve the inconvenience issue is trying to visit your local farmers market once a week to buy produce, and try to avoid buying fruits and veggies from grocery stores like Safeway or Trader Joe’s. The produce from markets will come from your immediate area, meaning it will take a lot less to get it to you. Less shipping. Less packaging. Less waste!

I definitely agree with your idea of starting a home garden because it does save money and can sustain carbon in many ways. Planting your own garden reduces the need for people to drive to grocery markets, and food processing factories release a lot of carbon dioxide. Maintaining a home garden can be hard, but scientist have discovered new easier ways to grow an indoor or outdoor garden. For example, NASA developed a compact eco-friendly system that has self irrigation. The system includes coco fiber inside to nurture the plants and water and a small lamp that requires only a little light. ( http://futuristicnews.com/rotary-hydrop … r-indoors/ ) Beginning a home garden can become a hobby, and will give people time away from their electronics, and can also reduce the amount of carbon produced.

I think eating locally is beneficial for the Earth because you it takes less energy to transport the goods. The food will be fresher which is healthier and will be more inexpensive because it is closer to your location! Lastly, the transportation can hurt the environment because there will be fossil fuels and gases released into the area.

When eating locally it is not only good for your body but also the environment. When eating locally you use less trucks, cars, planes, and and other transpiration systems that pollute our environment. Locally grown food is also not processed and it is organic which means it does not release nearly as many carbon emissions like the food we get from animals that are later processed.

Eating locally helps climate problems in many ways. One way eating locally is better is because of being closer to the food you don't have to ship a long way afar. If you don't have to ship it away you receive many positive outcomes. Some outcomes are that the food is fresher so its healthier for other people. Another benefit from this is not wasting gas from shipping it place to place so we don't pollute out environment. At school we do have a garden and we use the plants and food in our cafeteria for weekly fresh produce.

As we all know our Earth is heating up and there are many important contributing factors to the problem. One big factor is our food industries. Specifically, the meat industry where cows release a very harmful gas called methane that is causing our planet to heat up. By eating less cow products, we could be cutting down on the number of cows being farmed and slow down the process of global warming. We could also be saving an abundance of resources such as water and corn by cutting down on our meat intake.

Eating locally produced food helps the climate by not having the food being made in a factory. Meaning no machines have to be used to create the food. Eating home grown is a lot healthier cause it is filled with all natural stuff. Your body needs certain healthy things to function and a lot of what is needed can easily be grown. I used to have a garden and it produced really fresh yummy things. Without the extra preservatives and all the other bad things.

I would definitely agree, eating home grown plants is a much better alternative to buying certain foods sold in stores. Some of these foods and their preparations have a large part our carbon footprints. The reason why packaged foods are treated with so many chemicals and processes is so they can safely grow and have a longer lifetime on the shelves without rotting or decaying. This causes food to be about *20%* of the USA 's carbon footprint. This aside, I am glad to say that my family has a large garden in our backyard and we grow many of the plants and herbs we use in our home cooking. We do this as one way to help our own carbon footprint in our own household.

I think that eating locally-produced food can really help alleviate a persons carbon footprint. However, most of the food we purchase from the supermarket is shipped from other parts of the world because it is very cheap. This process is not very good for the environment, as the food usually travels thousands of km by plane and car. This takes tons of fuel, and releases a lot of carbon into the air. If supermarkets only bought local food, this would greatly reduce the amount of fuel needed to transport the food, which in turn would reduce the carbon footprint. My family doesn't have a vegetable garden, although it does seem like a very interesting idea that we could try.

at the very least, supermarkets should label where the food is from

I definitely agree with both opinions. I think it would be really great if supermarkets could label where the food is coming from, that way people have the choice of buying produce that is locally grown. In addition, growing your own vegetables and fruits at home may help. For example, a square foot garden may be a good idea because it does not take up a lot of space and you can produce many different varieties of vegetables. Another idea could be reusing buckets or bags and making upside down plant pots, which are called hanging pots, to grow vegetables in. By reusing different materials and buying more locally grown produce, we can help reduce our carbon footprint a little bit at a time.

Importing food can mean that it is being shipped thousands of miles, which has a very large carbon food print. The more food that needs to be shipped, means more carbon being released into the atmosphere. Growing your own food or buying it locally grown reduces that number. Also the food is then fresher. I have a small produce garden at home, but we still have to buy some at the store. My school has a garden where some produce is grown and then used in the meals served in the cafeteria. I would like to continue to expand the garden at my house in order to reduce our carbon footprint and enjoy fresher food.

https://www.washington.edu/wholeu/2016/ … own-foods/

Eating locally will help our climate problems because then we don't have to ship food as far as we would normally. When the food is close by, you don't have to ship it as far, which will save gas. Some other benefits of eating locally are that the food is fresh and hasn't been sitting around for weeks. Also when eating fresh food you don't use as much plastic, and it hasn't been in a factory.    In my backyard we have a garden, and my family plants new fruit and vegetables every season.

Eating Local food helps alot with climate change.It helps because if we don’t drive long ways to get our food so there isn’t much CO2 pollution. Some other benefits for eating local food is it isn’t so expensive. When we import food it costs a lot of money. In the summer we make a garden. In my garden we grow snap peas and tomatoes. This is why it is better to get local food or grow your own food.

I agree. Another good part of eating locally grown food is that your money goes to the farmers who grow the food instead of a big company. Gardening is good because you have food in your yard for whenever you need it. My dad has a huge garden and we can make salad from all the vegetables. The vegetables from our garden taste more fresh than the ones from the store.

Food is a big part of our world. The problem is, some foods are contributing to climate change. The meat industry is a huge part. Animals like cows release methane, which is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in our atmosphere. They also use a lot of resources like fresh water, and they need lots of space for both growing their food, and for the animals themselves. While meat is delicious, there are other more environmentally friendly foods. A lot of fruits and vegetables can be grown in your own backyard! Plants don't need as much space as animals do, and they don't use as much water. To top it all off, they're carbon sinks, which means that they take out carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Once you get a plant started, in the right conditions, a plant can easily flourish on its own! I have two plum trees in my backyard, and my family hasn't done much with them for years. We got them a few years ago, and they just started to grow on their own. Now, we get at least two hundred plums a year! My school also has a vegetable garden. I haven't been there a lot, but I know that  it's been doing really well. A lot of the things grown there are put into our own cafeteria. In just a few years, we've gotten a nice garden with lots of crops. It's really simple to start growing your own food at home and it's better for our world, so it's a great choice!

Most large supermarkets import cheap food from abroad. In some cases it has been transported thousands of km to the supermarket. If home grown food was purchased by the supermarkets this would dramatically reduce the amount of fuel used and consequently the amount of pollution created.
If we consumed locally produced seasonal foods instead of out of season foods - again this would reduce our carbon footprint.
My family, for eample, has a vegetable garden therefore many products such as potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and many other vegetables/fruit are produced by us and we don't need to buy them.

I totally agree with you. i would be better to have all natural food to help our carbon footprints and to have good food.

and no pesticides released into the envirnment

Thank you! I really appreciate your comments, it's nice to know that there is someone else who is aware of this problem.

We have a big garden at home and we grow our own vegetables. We don't use any pesticides. I think that it's nonsense to grow your own vegetables and to use pesticides, because it would be better if you would buy them in the supermarket then.

I agree with you. We don't have a garden at home, so we don't grow our own vegetables but we get them from a local farmer's market or from our family who grow their own food. My mom and I always make the effort to only buy things from Slovenian producers (since we come from Slovenia) and support local farmers. The food is more natural this way and I believe the less food you buy in the supermarket, the better it is. If I just think from where the food came from and how much time it was in containers on ships before it arrived on the shelves, it makes me sick. It's important to support locals and, if you have a chance, grow your own food.

i totally agree with you . we have a big garden too and we also grow our own food and vegetables . we dont use any pesticides , all produts are eko

I think that home grown food is much better than food in supermarkets. At our home we have our own garden and our vegetable is very good and food from supermarkets is very bad and it's too expensive,too.

I think that is could defiantly help with Climate.  It will help the environment by, well one not really having to burn fossil fuels for Transportation and some social why's might be finding other people around you town to maybe get to know people who live in the same town as you. My family used to but, the winter kinda knocked it out.

Between 1990-2011 75% of Italians used their car, 12% public transport and private buses and only 6% trains. The pollution released from the transport of home grown produce lower than transporting between states. My family grows tomatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli and many herbs and vegetables in our backyard. Our carbon footprint is lower because of this. There are also health benefits of course and growing some of your own food is much more convenient, eco-friendly, and healthy than buying it all.

There are many easy ways to save the environment from pollution.
One of these, for example, is to eat as often as possible local food. I often eat zero kilometer products: eggs, yougurt which are produced on the farm near to my village, cheese that I buy at the alp that is located in the wood above my village, meat of animals hunted by my father who goes hunting and carrots, potatoes, salad, tomatoes, strawberries,.. that I grow in my food garden.
I think that this is a very good idea because it isn't necessary to move to buy food and the food that I eat doesn't travel millions of kilometers before arriving at the supermarket and than at my home.
So I don't pollute going to buy the food. If more people ate locally-produced food, environmental pollution might decrease.
A little effort can make a big difference.

Yes, I agree that eating locally grown food is better than driving to the supermarket to buy groceries. However, agricultural practices can still pollute the earth. Methods of fertilizer application, tillage, and irrigation can lead to the production and emission of nitrous oxide. Also, in enteric fermentation, livestock produce methane as part of their digestion, Moreover, the handling of the livestock's manure and the amount of exposure to oxygen and moisture adds to the emissions of methane and nitrous oxide.
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/source … griculture

A study by David Suzuki found that locally grown food is better for the climate. He found that shipping food only effects the carbon footprint by only 11%. How the food was grown affects the carbon footprint much more by about 83%.  This means that if you grow your own food it will lower the carbon emissions. There are many other different positive outcomes of growing your own food. Having food that is freshly grown is more nourishing and tastes better. As stated by the Cooking Light Website, " Even the most perfect specimen will begin to decline before you bring it home—it loses moisture and vitamins and begins to metabolize its own reserves. Some foods, like sweet corn or snap peas, begin to transform altogether directly after picking (converting sugar to starch and losing sweetness and flavor)." Center for food safety states that 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients. This can cause serious risks to us humans. Growing your own food can eliminate the risks of the effects of eating genetically modified food.  My school  does have our garden, but we are not active in it. I think that food should be grown in schools where it allows students to participate and learn. This can later cause students to want to grow their own food at in their homes. Foodday.com has found studies that show three positive outcomes of students who have available gardening in school. Students are more likely to eat vegetables, and they are more likely make food from scratch increasing gratitude for healthier varied ingredients. I do have a garden at my house, and I enjoy going out to pick food that we will use for dinner.

Sources:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can … te-change/
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-sea … -to-garden
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issu … -ge-foods#
http://www.foodday.org/food_education

Growing your own food in a home garden is a very good idea and helps the climate problem greatly. According to http://nj-green.org/blog/growing-your-o … e-change/, growing your own food can help reverse climate change. Growing food in your own home garden reduces the number of miles food has to travel to get to your table, and fixes carbon in the soil. Locally-produced food is carried on trucks for an average of 44.6 miles to get to our grocery stores in comparison to the 1,500 miles it takes to bring the food to the same stores using the conventional system of semi-trailer trucks coming from farms far away. So, buying locally grown food means less miles are being traveled to transfer the food which equals less carbon dioxide emitted into the air. Not only should you eat food grown locally, but you should go a step farther and create your own home garden. The average gardener invests $70 and reaps a $600 harvest. So, not only are you improving the environment, but you are making more money in the process! Also, gardening can give you extreme h ealth benefits, ranging from an improved mood to a lower risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and dementia. At this time, I do not have a home garden. But, after doing research on this topic, I am going to try to start one very soon.

Although industrial farms produce food in mass amounts, it is not the best choice for our environment. In his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan shares, “When George Naylor's father spread his first load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, the ecology of his farm underwent a quiet revolution. Until then, the farm's nitrogen had been recycled in a natural loop. Legumes used the sun's energy to fix nitrogen in the soil. Other plants used the nitrogen to grow. Animals ate the plants and the farmer recycled the nitrogen by spreading the animals' manure on the soil” (42). Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer produced in a fertilizer plant. When fertilizer plants make fertilizer, the plants also emit Carbon Dioxide. Pollan expands, “But now the Naylors didn't need to produce their own nitrogen— they went out and bought it. The nitrogen for the fields would no longer be made with the sun's energy but with fossil fuels. Farming was no longer an ecological loop— it was more like a factory” (42). Since there is already an abundance of Carbon Dioxide, the emissions from the ferti lizer plants create an excess supply. This is dangerous because Carbon Dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Although greenhouse gases are essential to life on Earth, excess amounts can cause climate change. Eating home-grown food helps the climate problem because you control the way its grown. You can grow food naturally instead of using ammonium nitrate or other dangerous chemicals that contribute to the rising amount of greenhouse gases which is a leading cause climate change. Eating home-grown food is also healthier because of the decrease in added chemicals and fertilizers. In my garden, my family has small plants including pepper plants, basil, rosemary, and a kumquat tree. This is an easy way to start out without devoting yourself to home-grown food. If home-grown food is too much of a hassle, there are also many farmers markets. There is a farmers market near me that has a wide variety of locally grown options. These options are grown by local farmers using no dangerous chemicals, otherwise used by industrial farmers. By just a small change in our food source, we can really change the world and reduce our Carbon Footprint. Works Cited: Chevat, Richie, and Michael Pollan. The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets behind What You Eat. Print.

I agree, Emma - this is a crucial issue.

I believe that it should also be considered a matter of national security to grow food locally.  And finally, local varieties of food (where farmers save seed that grow well locally) yields a wide supply of available strains that do well under very different condition: this is our future insurance in a changing climate.

There comes many benefits when growing food in your own home both internally and worldwide. You get the pleasure in watching the vegetation you planted grow. Knowing where your food came from, it is much easier eating from your garden than buying something at the local grocery store. Many mass farming production companies use harmful GMO's and pesticides to enhance their produce which causes many to be hesitant and question what they are eating.  To get something from your garden is not saves money but is so much more nutritious and healthy than getting food from far distances. Having your own garden is also very sustainable, benefiting the cause of ending the Earth's climate problems. Vegetables and fruits coming from long distances hurt the atmosphere through the heavy amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases being emitted into the sky. This can prove to be very non-ecological due to it taking up so much energy through growing, packaging, and sending.

I like how you included that companies temper with our food by adding GMOs. There's so many benifits from growing locally or at home! I totally agree with you and I believe that as a society growing our own food will be a great first step to not hurting our Earths atmosphere. People will be saving money, eating delicious food, and saving our planet at the same time

I like what you said about the healthy benefits of having a garden. Not only should people by motivated by a desire to help our environment, but people can use gardens as a way to add to a healthy lifestyle. I think that everyone eliminating some of the food they buy from far away by having a garden could have a significant effect on our total CO2 emissions.

I agree with Nick on the many benefits of having your own garden. The ecological impact is far less devastating and it is a very self-sufficient way of growing your own food. However, when you stated that it "saves money", that may not always be the case. The initial setup cost can be very expensive since it requires equipment and supplies. According to Livestrong, home gardening may not be ideal due to the large amount of crop loss from pests. And when inexperienced home-gardeners turn to chemical pesticides, that even may be worse in the long run. Furthermore, companies don't "use harmful GMOS". GMOS are the product of "genetic tweaking" and the stigma surrounding them are not fair considering the benefit they have brought. Again, this topic raises the question of "Which is more sustainable? Small, self sufficient and local farmers or large-scale production of genetically modified foods?" We are an ever growing population, with 795 million people, (1/9 people on Earth) who are in chronic undernourishment (according WHES) and we need to find a way to feed the world. Bel ow are some links that will give some insight on the topic:

http://www.worldhunger.org/about-whes-hunger-notes/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/68617 … owing-own/

http://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-m … -americans

we have this raised garden bed at home and my parents are super enthusiastic about organic food and homegrown food/veggies. They're completely against pesticides as is some of the stores in our community and I think its better for everyone. i know some people may not agree with me but its better for the environment and for yourself

The amount of pollution released from the transport of home/locally grown produce is much less than transporting internationally or between states. According to the National Resources Defense Council, the pollution caused by importing produce like oranges into California is five times that of transporting locally/regionally produced food. My family grows oranges, limes, lemons, tomatoes, and many herbs and vegetables in our backyard, which cuts down greatly on our carbon footprint. When they're in season, we will have tons of fruit, so we'll squeeze orange juice/lemonade/limeade and bake key lime pies, all of which (in my opinion) taste way better than anything store bought. There's also a health benefit, as we can limit the amount of added sugar. Once it gets going, growing some of your own food is much more convenient, eco-friendly, and healthy than buying it all.

So you are saying everyone should grow their own veggies? Lots of people do not have the time nor room nor money to plant them how do you suggest that they get their food?

Not everyone needs to grow their own fruit and veggies, it is a time commitment, especially if you're just getting started. If it's possible with your own time and money restrictions, home growing produce can be a fun, healthy way to help reduce your carbon footprint. If not, it is good to try to go to farmer's markets or see what locally grown food is available in your area.

However locally grown fruit does happen to be a lot more expensive than fruit at like safeway or something. I totally see where your coming from and how that kind of food is so much better for you however do think there could be a solution for people who can't afford to eat like that?

I believe that Maya J is just saying that growing your own food is a good alternative to store bought. She's not saying you *have* to do this, she's just saying it is a good way to reduce your carbon footprint. Starting a garden may be expensive at first, but in the long run, it will definitely pay off. About $500 worth of produce can be produced from a well-maintained food garden, which will greatly reduce the cost of your grocery shopping, which will in turn reduce your carbon footprint. I grow lemons, limes, and bananas in my backyard, which takes very little effort to maintain, with great payoff. Those who cannot afford to buy food from the farmer's market may look into this option and decide if it works for them. I agree that it is not for everyone, as it can take up a lot of time and space, but it should be an option that is considered.

Source:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nut … sp?id=1738

I completely agree with everything you are saying. Your carbon footprint is decreased greatly when you grow your fruits in your own garden, rather than buying them at a store in which they were imported. Also, you know everything is fresh and no preservatives were added. According to http://www.greeneatz.com/foods-carbon-footprint.html, foods that are home grown are much better for you because you can get all of the nutrients from the soil. In addition to this, food from your own garden tastes so much better than food you buy at the store.

Going back to Makenna's comments above, locally grown foods are actually much cheaper than grocery-store bought items because the farmers do not pay for pesticides and genetic modifications as opposed to large-scale corporations around the world. Neighbors could also all grow different items in their individual backyards and then all who contribute could "trade" persay with each other. In turn, by doing this, you are helping out other people that are much closer to you in your life by purchasing or trading healthy goods amongst each other.
link with key information:
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natu … rs-market/

In addition to a lower cost for locally or home grown foods versus imported foods, many people find that the local foods taste fresher and better, I think the idea of growing different items and trading or buying from each other is a really creative and neat idea. I have to wonder though, for people living in apartments and large cities like New York, would this even be a possibility? Most of New York City is building after building. For those people, it's extremely hard if  not impossible to get locally grown foods.

I agree with Maya J. Growing your own food in a backyard garden will reduce the amount of transportation needed, both in your driving to the grocery store or farmer's market to buy the food and also the transportation involved in getting the foods from where they were grown to where they are bought. Unfortunately, some people are unable to have a backyard garden due to the regulations in their community. However, if everyone that is able to have a garden took advantage of that, the emission of greenhouse gasses would be greatly reduced. Luckily, the amount of people growing gardens has risen 63% according to Michael Metallo, the president of National Gardening Association.

Ashleigh, there are actually many ways to grow fruits and veggies in cities! You can grow a "garden" on a balcony/fire escape, but there is actually also a cool technique called hydroponic gardening. Hydroponics is basically gardening without soil, and it has many benefits. The growth rate on a hydroponic plant is 30-50% faster than a soil plant, and the plants actually tend to turn out better. Environmentally, it uses less water and no pesticides. It can also bring the opportunity for locally grown veggies into urban environments. In New York City, there is a barge with two greenhouses that are hydroponically growing tomatoes, vines, and lettuce. Similarly, there is a rooftop hydroponic garden in the Bronx that grows many leafy greens that are later locally sold. In fact, it is perfect for gardening in an urban environment, as modern rooftops can handle the weight of hydroponics, but not the weight of traditional soil gardening. There are a ton of pros to hydroponics, and it really is a neat system. 

Sources:
https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/hydro … dening_for _beginners.php
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_a … _city.html
http://modernfarmer.com/2013/08/a-hydro … the-bronx/

Growing your food is very good for the environment overall. I completely agree with all the things about how much pollution is produced for food to be transported to such far places.

I think that many people discuss the implications of food as they relate to genetic modification but when I look at these questions I primarily think of the environmental impacts of transportation. Locally-produced food helps the climate problem because it limits the emission of greenhouses due to transportation. Non-local food usually requires processing and chemical use and also requires shipment most commonly by truck or train. I'm sure you have seen produce trucks many times on the freeway. Just imagine the number of these trucks you have seen and compare that to how many travel daily within the U.S. This clearly has a large impact on climate change and environmental degradation considering the wide amount of travel and demand for non-local produce. Eating locally grown food can thus help the environment by reducing transportation emissions. In addition, it can lead to small business growth by stimulating local economies instead of putting money back into companies that have monopolized the agricultural industry. We have a school garden in our school's living lab. I  actually built an edible garden last year within the living lab and have been able to take home vegetables that I have grown, including chives which I used to make fried rice!

I believe you are right. I think that when food is made in factories, there are  many chemicals and fuels being released into the atmosphere from all of the food processors and machinery. Also, it has a large impact on anyone who works there or lives near there. Not only does it make the food less nutritious and more filled with chemicals, but it causes a lot of carbon dioxide. Transportation emissions are so high and it can be caused because of the thousands  of trucks shipping food all across the US.
A simple solution would be for each community to start buying their locally produce. This would lower much of the carbon dioxide released by factories and trucks delivering food. Also, school’s could start their own garden and share it with those who wish to contribute in return of some of the produce. It could become a class and could involve environmental science and ecosystem conservation. The key is to make your community change their lifestyle and start purchasing local produce which is healthier and more environmentally friendly.

nadinecorsano, I liked your idea about school gardens. It would teach students about the applications of ecology and biology in real life, and especially impact the younger ones. I predict that if young children are taught about gardening early on, then they will be more likely to grow food locally in the future. This could drastically reduce the carbon footprint of many. Fortunately, according to www.bridgingthegapresearch.org , the amount of school gardens have grown over the past several years!

You are correct. In addition to your idea, the use of locally grown and organic produce also reduce the contamination of soil and water with fertilizers and pesticides due to run-off.  For these same reasons, the use of local and organic produce increases public health.  This is because the produce do not have to be manipulated to withstand transportation and storage.  They do not need to be manipulated to maintain freshness.  Therefore, we could benefit from the quality of locally grown and organic food.  So better quality, more local business, healthier people, less contamination, and less transportation required sound like a good way to reduce the carbon footprint.
SOURCES:
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6064
http://www.heathernicholds.com/nutrition/local-food

I agree with your idea because I believe that transportation is one if not the greatest factor that contributes to damaging one's carbon footprint. I also frequently travel on the state highways that elongate California and I'm extremely appalled by the amount of trucks that are used to transport produce. One way people can become encouraged to start growing their own local produce is by educating people about the importance of the impact on not only the community but the world. Eventually if locally grown produce became consistent and successful throughout our nation we would increasingly lower our carbon footprint.

I would agree with you in the sense that when you think about it the farther away food is grown the farther it has to be transported, but does that truly have a quantitatively long-term effect? I feel like one true benefit to buying local would be that the farmers who farm locally take better care of the land they’re working on. Also local farmers use balance and don’t overproduce like larger farms that are further away. My friends family who owns a rice farm has in the past overproduced their crops to the point of having to throw away some of the yield.

(http://www.environmentforbeginners.com/ … iew/110/1/)

Locally produced food requires much less of a carbon footprint to make it to the table than food from other parts of the country. For example, if you choose to buy strawberries grown in Mexico. These strawberries have been driven in a truck to the packaging facility to the airport or in a trunk to the United States where they are then driven in trucks or flown in planes throughout the country to your local supermarket where they are then bought by you and most likely driven home. This process calls for lots of gas and therefore, adds to air pollution as a result. I believe we should make an effort to stop eating foods if they cannot be produced locally during that season. I try to buy local food from the farmers market as much as possible as it helps the local growers prosper and creates community. I also make an effort to grow lots of my own food at home which requires no carbon emissions to make it to my table aside from when my family and I went to the store to buy the seeds. We have a plethora of different fruits and vegetables including: tomatoes, strawberries, zucc hinis, asparagus, beans, lettuce, rhubarb, apples, kale, apricots, plums, lemons, blueberries and celery. We also have an herb garden where we grow mint, thyme, oregano, parsley, and cilantro. The food from my garden has better flavor than anything I find in the store. It is awesome to be able to just run into my backyard and pick strawberries when I need them and eat them right from the plant. Having a garden also creates community for my family because we share our surplus with friends and family. Having my own garden also educated me on what is in season and what is not so, I do not buy things that are not local or have modified.  I believe it would help climate change and make people more conscious of what they are eating if we built more community gardens or gardens in our backyards. A report from the National Gardening Association states community gardens have gone up by 200% since 2008 and 38% of Americans have home gardens producing food. The future looks promising if the United States continues to move in this direction.

I entirely agree. My family doesn't usually eat food locally grown. Because of this, food was the main impact on my carbon footprint. We are going to try to start shopping for food that is locally grown, so that we can improve our carbon footprint. I also think your idea of building community gardens is a great one. It is a great way for us to reduce our carbon footprints. Green Light New Orleans website states that the average American uses "50,000 gallons of gasoline per year [from] eating food that is not locally sourced, which creates an output of 16,600 lbs of CO2 per person, per year." If we all had our own gardens we could reduce carbon emissions by a lot.

Source:
"Green Light New Orleans - Backyard Vegetable Garden Program - Carbon Reduction." Green Light New Orleans - Backyard Vegetable Garden Program - Carbon Reduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016. <http://www.greenlightneworleans.org/bac … reduction>

Hello there, my name is Elisa and today I'll speak about food.  As you can see from the title I did some research on the benefits of growing some food in a vegetable garden. According to the website http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nut … 275&page=2 there are 8 benefits of backyard garden:
1.Improve your family's health: "eating  more fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the most important things you and your family can do to stay healthy. When they’re growing in your backyard, you won’t be able to resist them, and their vitamin content will be at their highest levels as you bite into them straight from the garden."
2.Save money on groceries: "a packet of seeds can cost less than a dollar, and if you buy heirloom, non-hybrid species, you can save the seeds from the best producers, dry them, and use them next year. If you learn to dry, can, or otherwise preserve your summer or fall harvest, you’ll be able to feed yourself even when the growing season is over."
3.Reduce your environmental impact: "if you grow your food organically, without pesticide s and herbicides, you’ll spare the earth the burden of unnecessary air and water pollution, for example. You’ll also reduce the use of fossil fuels and the resulting pollution that comes from the transport of fresh produce from all over the world (in planes and refrigerated trucks) to your supermarket."
4.Get outdoor exercise: "planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting add purposeful physical activity to your day. If you have kids, they can join in, too. Be sure to lift heavy objects properly, and to stretch your tight muscles before and after strenuous activity. Gardening is also a way to relax, de-stress, center your mind, and get fresh air and sunshine."
5.Enjoy better-tasting food: "fresh food is the best food! How long has the food on your supermarket shelf been there? How long did it travel from the farm to your table? If the food that you had planted tastes better, you’ll be more likely to eat the healthy, fresh produce that you know your body needs".
6.Build a sense of pride: "watching a seed blossom under your care to become food on your and your family’s plates is gratifying. "
7. Stop worrying about food safety; "when you responsibly grow your own food, you don't have to worry about contamination that may occur at the farm, manufacturing plant, or transportation process."
8.Reduce food waste: "When it's "yours," you will be less likely to take it for granted and more likely to eat it (or preserve it) before it goes to waste."
LET ME KNOW IF YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THESE 8 BENEFITS! :-)

I agree with the 8 benefits you listed of growing your own garden. It makes me wish  I had a garden at home. Unfortunately my home isn't a very plant friendly place as any plant my mom tries to take care of ends up dying. I'm sure there are people who struggle to grow gardens or lack the ability and/or space to do so. Those such people, including my own family, can buy local produce to reduce their carbon footprint. They can visit farmer's markets and be sure to only buy fruit in season so it's not imported. Here is a link to site that lists advantages of eating locally grown foods http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/7_benefits … ocal_foods.

Personally, when my mother goes to either Costco, Safeway, or Target, she will come back home with most likely artificial and processed food. That is just the reality of most snacks that you will find in big corporation grocery stores. Recently, I recommended my mother to check out Whole Foods and Trader Joes and compare the differences in the food that is being sold at these stores. Even more, my aunt has inspired my to grow my own fruits and vegetables in my backyard. After being inspired, I did some research on the impact it would have on our environment. Home grown produce is very successful towards creating a more sustainable world because it helps protect our air, water consumption, soil quality, and even better it is organic. Food systems are what help create the produce around our country and it is explained in greater detail in this link. (http://www.sustainabletable.org/254/loc … od-systems).

Eating locally-produced food is very important in preventing climate change. Not only does it limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from transporting foods to the house, but it also has many benefits on the environment. For example, organic and home grown foods do not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, which use fossil fuels. Instead, locally produced foods are natural and do not require the use of any fossil fuels, which negatively impact the environment. In addition, local gardens are extremely useful in preventing global warming because of their ability to sequester carbon in the soil. Instead of emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, these gardens store carbon in their soil and keep it out of the air. Lastly, home grown foods do not include genetically modified organisms, which can potentially harm the environment. By focusing on the natural production of food in gardens, we can promote a natural and clean lifestyle, which would ultimately benefit the environment and prevent further climate change. My school has a very large garden, which  we call the Living Lab. We grow many varieties of fruits and vegetables in addition to other types of plants. Although I do not have a garden at my house, I think that it is very important to start one because of the many positive affects it can have on the environment.

I agree 100% with your analysis!! At my house we grow a variety of foods, ranging from tomatoes and blueberries to kumquats and strawberries. I identify with all of the points you mention, not only is having your own garden extremely beneficial to the environment in that no pesticides or fossil fuels are used, but growing your own food is also more fun, tasty, AND cost-effective. In his article (cited at the bottom), Neal Templin of the Wall Street Journal talks about how vegetable gardens have become super popular because it reduces the grocery bill and promotes healthy eating, they're so popular that even Michelle Obama herself is participating in the trend! He gives the example of planting green beans. He estimates that for every $1 you spend on seeds, you make around $75 dollars worth of crops, which is more green beans then you know what to do with! Overall, I think more people should consider growing their own foods because it's an environmentally friendly,  cost-effective and fun way to reduce climate change and eat yummy food at the same time!
Website source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123983924976823051

Organic food all the way!!!

Organic food isn't necessarily homegrown, and homegrown food isn't necessarily organic. Whether or not the food is grown from a seed that came from an organic fruit/vegetable/whatever determines if the food grown will be organic. Growing a plant from an organic seed produces the same results as growing a plant from a regular seed, so why bother?

My school owns and cultivates an extensive gardening program on campus. Student groups tend to the garden, and then produce is used in the cafeteria lunches. Scraps from these meals are composted and returned to the garden. After school programs like this allow students to take home useful skills that could help encourage students to participate more science and ecology in their own communities.
Consuming local produce drastically reduces our consumption. By shortening the gap between the sources for our food and our homes, we reduce our consumption of resources drastically based on transportation alone. By choosing to take a short trip to a local farmer's market or school garden sale over buying imported fruits and vegetables from far away, you not only support  local businesses and local ecological community, but also benefit your own health by limiting your ingestion of pesticides or other hormones. Brian Halweil discusses the many consumer benefits of buying local produce in his book, Home Grown: the Case for Local Food in a Global Market.
Teaching hands-on gardenin g education is not only important for producing healthier produce, but as a means of getting students more interested in science. An article in a recent issue of HortTechnology found that gardening programs in schools improve scientific achievement in elementary students. By getting students active in working ecosystems, school gardening programs stimulate understanding and interest in science, agriculture, and ecology.
Sources:
Halweil, Brian. Home grown: The case for local food in a global market. Vol. 163. Worldwatch Institute, 2002.

Klemmer, Cynthia Davis, Tina M. Waliczek, and Jayne M. Zajicek. "Growing minds: The effect of a school gardening program on the science achievement of elementary students." HortTechnology 15.3 (2005): 448-452.

This is such a cool idea! If all schools used this program, then it would cut back on the use of frozen foods in cafeterias and make the students healthier. Also it's a great way to meet new friends while learning about the environment.

Over the years, my mom has always had a small home garden in our backyard. From eggplant to basil, she grows it all. Not only is home growing a fun experience, it is more beneficial to our environment than we know. When we buy food from a grocery store, it normally isn't locally grown. Studies from The Eco Guide (www.theecoguide.org/whats-environmental-impact-growing-your-own-food) show that the average produce travels around 1,500 miles before it is bought and consumed. Most food that travels like this is transported on a semi-truck. The average semi-truck gets 5.6 miles per 1 gallon of diesel, or around 9 kilometers per 3.78 liters. Each gallon of diesel that's burned releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the air- 22.38 pounds or around 10 kilograms. These trucks transporting our food are polluting the air. A solution to these problems is to grow food at home. Because plants store carbon dioxide, less is released into the air. Growing food at your house is a fix to some of our air pollution problems. Not only does starting a home garden reduce the carbon dioxide releas ed into the air, nothing feels better than sitting down to a cooked meal made with produce you grew in your own backyard.

I agree, my mom also has a small garden where she has been growing many kinds of vegetables and plants. Compared to products from the grocery store, her vegetables and fruits taste a whole lot better and are perfectly fresh. Home gardens are definitely a better alternative for everyone, as it provides fresh foods, a fun experience, and has no carbon emissions.

I have recently been seeing many articles on how home or organically grown foods are better for the environment and your personal health. The truth about industrially produced foods is that pesticides are sprayed on all crops to prevent having unusable or eaten plants. This action results in the loss of biodiversity and the loss of key species. Water pollution, soil contamination and adverse health effects for the workers and consumers also are effects of pesticide use. Farmers also severely genetically engineered crops to meet the public's standards of "perfect produce." The modification that these farmers are doing is also extremely harmful to people's health. A truly perfect fruit or vegetable is one that has not been altered in any way, either through the actual plant or things that are added to it.
link to key information:
http://www.sustainabletable.org/804/ind … production
As a solution to this problem, we could all begin to start our own gardens in our own backyards. My family currently has 3 large grapevines and strawberry and orange plants. An alterna tive if you don't have space is to buy from a farmer's market where all produce is 100% natural and unmodified in any way.
link to key information:
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natu … rs-market/

Hi Yara. I love what you wrote here. I completely agree with what you are saying. I too have heard lots about the problems from big farms mass producing food, especially with pesticides. Also the issues of GMOs has become huge, because companies are believing they can find ways to make their food better than what it already is by adding in things that they think help us, however just hurt out systems, and the environment. I have tons of friends and family members who have their own gardens, and they cannot stop saying good things about it. We grow our own lemons in our yard, but sadly that is all we have room for. We do go up to the famers market every weekend when we have the chance to.
Here is a link to a non GMO organization
http://www.nongmoproject.org/

Although industrial farms produce food in mass amounts, it is not the best choice for our environment. In his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan shares, "When George Naylor's father spread his first load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, the ecology of his farm underwent a quiet revolution. Until then, the farm's nitrogen had been recyced in a natural loop. Legumes used the sun's energy to fix nitrogen in the soil. Other plants used the nitrogen to grow. Animals ate the plants and the farmer recycled the nitrogen by spreading the animals' manure on the soil" (42). When industrial farms use ammonium nitrate while farming, it disrupts the natural nitrogen cycle. Pollan expands, "But now the Naylors didn't need to produce their own nitrogen-- they went out and bought it. The nitrogen for the fields would no longer be made with the sun's energy but with fossil fuels. Farming was no longer an ecological loop-- it was more like a factory" (42). Since there is already an abundance of Nitrogen produced naturally, its manufactured form creates an excess supply. This is da ngerous because Nitrogen is a greenhouse gas. Although greenhouse gases are essential to life on Earth, excess amounts can cause climate change. Eating home-grown food helps the climate problem because you control the way its grown. You can grow food naturally instead of using ammonium nitrate or other dangerous chemicals that contribute to the rising amount of greenhouse gases which is a leading cause climate change. Eating home-grown food is also healthier because of the decrease in added chemicals and fertilizers. In my garden, my family has small plants including pepper plants, basil, rosemary, and a kumquat tree. This is an easy way to start out without devoting yourself to home-grown food.  If home-grown food is too much of a hassle, there are also many farmers markets. There is a farmers market near me that has a wide variety of locally grown options. These options are grown by local farmers using no dangerous chemicals, otherwise used by industrial farmers. By just a small change in our food source, we can really change the world. Works Cited: Chevat, Richie, and Michael Pollan. The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets behind What You Eat. Print.

As Pollan points out, even organic farming can be industrial.  It's good to know the farmers and how the food is produced - something that everyone used to know, but we got disconnected.  Through farmer's markets, community gardens, etc, the pendulum is starting to swing back.

I think we should get back to another old idea that we lost: the idea of a "victory garden." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

But instead of a victory in war, this modern version would be a victory in the face of climate change.  Gardens are patriotic!

I agree with Emma. There should be more opportunities to buy locally grown food. As mentioned above, there is a transportation issue when food is being delivered from places farther away. Emissions from fossil fuels can be harmful to the environment. In the article I read, the consumption of organic food deceases the amount of synthetic pesticides used. However, when it comes to the more populated cities in countries, relying on farmers' markets solely is not practical. This does not mean that an effort should not be made to promote locally grown food. In fact, there has been an increase in the sales from organic foods. As of 2008, nearly 6% of produce sold is considered organic and was expected to rise. This is a good start that can be continued.
works cited:
http://observer.com/2008/05/the-environ … ocal-food/

By having your own garden, you can ensure that you know what is going into it. When buying food from big-time farmers and companies, you don't know what chemicals they put in. For example, according to Pollan in "The Omnivore's Dilemna", he notes that “I asked the feedlot manager why they didn't just spray the liquefied manure on neighboring farms. The farmers don't want it, he explained. The nitrogen and phosphorus levels are so high that spraying the crops would kill them" ("The Omnivore's Dilemma") This shows how much chemicals we use on our plants alone; even though some of these chemicals are necessary for our existence, too much of them can have deadly results, such as killing crops. If you have your own garden, you can ensure that everything grown has a regulated amount of everything it needs to grow. When I was little, I was set on owning my own garden; I tried planting some seeds, but sadly, nothing grew. However, now that I understand how growing things works, my grandma and I can start a garden! My grandma loves to garden, and she has her own set of plants in  the backyard.
Source: Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

In relation to growing/ purchasing organic vegetables, consuming humanely raised meat and poultry is much better for the environment. Factory Farms that produce meat have devastating impacts on the environment. Sadly, about 99% of farm animals in the United States are raised in factory farms. The conditions in these farms are absolutely deplorable. The animals experience overcrowding, neglect, sickness, and a generally unsanitary environment. Farms that are not properly maintained are breeding grounds for diseases such as salmonella and e. coli that can be passed on to humans through the consumption of these animals. Furthermore, the excessive waste produced by these factory farms is polluting our water, air, and land. For these reasons, we should eat organic, free range, humanely produced meat, poultry, and dairy products.

Home grown food is a great way to eat heathy balanced means while producing things that will help the earth in the long run. When we purchase things from the store they are often made in factories and contain heavy packaging. When people are able to grow things at home, we are able to produce clean products that will help the earth even more in the long run. Here at O'Dowd High School we have a garden where we raise animals and grow food that we use in the cafeteria and once a week a soup made from only crops grown.

I believe you should eat home grown food. If you don't have the space for growing foods, you can resort in buying foods from local places such as farmer's markets. Driving to produce markets produces lots of CO2 harmful for our environment.

You are 100% correct, factories are one of the biggest problems throughout the world. But another problem is, not everyone does not have space to make a garden so they can have organic food.

These are all valid ways to reduce your carbon footprint. That's a good point about growing food close to you so you don't need to drive to somewhere further to get the food. Avoiding factory made foods will insure a reduce in your carbon footprint.