Much of the food consumed in the United States is imported. Not only does this cost millions per year, but it also is not doing much for our environment. Shipping excessive food requires excessive transportation to ship it. The CO2 emissions released is a major problem. Instead of buying and shipping tomatoes from Mexico, where millions are starving and in poverty, why can't we just grow our own food? Of course we do grow SOME (not a lot) of the food we eat. But let's face it, the corn and soy we may grow here doesn't compare to the food we COULD grow OR the money we could save...or even make

While shipping food does cost a lot and require lots of work, there are many countries who rely on us for food sources. If we stopped shipping our crops to certain countries they wouldn't have a source for the food they need for the people of their country. It would take a long time to figure out a solution for the other countries we send our food to in order to solve this issue. These other countries would need to find other sources for their food or begin growing it themselves if that was a possibility. This process could take a long time and may not end in a positive way for both sides.

That is very true. Most people living in the United States are only interested in getting more food to eat, and never stop to think about how they are affecting the environment. Shipping food from other countries usually requires a boat or plane, which both put lots of CO2 into the environment, and then a truck has to pick up the food and take it to grocery stores. These trips could span over thousands of miles, and the vehicles used are generally the kind that emit the most CO2.

Another problem is that most of the food that people buy these days comes in packages, which also add to the CO2 levels because the garbage trucks that come buy to pick up waste products tend to emit a lot of CO2. What people need to realize is that growing food in your own gardens or even just going to a farmer's market instead of a grocery store can be better for the environment and your body. Eating locally grown foods is much healthier, and since they are grown so close by, the trip  is shorter and less CO2 is put into the environment. If the government would start promoting home gardens and farmer's markets, we may be able to slow the global warming process.

I think diversifying the crops the US produces is a great idea! I find it sad that we import food from countries where people are hungry. We should allow those countries to keep their food local to feed their population. It may be hard to make the transition of only eating foods grown locally, or at least in the United States, but I think it is very beneficial to both the issue of hunger and Carbon Dioxide emissions.