One of the simpler ways to lower your carbon footprint is to eat organic or locally-grown/produced food. It is estimated that approximately thirteen percent of American greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation and production of food. Eating locally-produced food eliminates the need for distant food transportation and consuming organic food prevents many fossil-fuel based fertilizers from getting in the air. Eating organic food does come with a cost though: generally, organic food is more expensive than non-organic food. This is because producing organic food is more laborious and expensive. But, in my opinion, organic and locally-grown food is worth the price because it is better for the environment and the consumer of the food.

Wow, I did not realize that eating local food removes the need for distant transportation, leading to a healthier environment. Upon further research, I found an article called "The Benefits of Eating Locally Grown Foods" (https://www.washington.edu/wholeu/2016/ … own-foods/) and found out that local foods are fresher as well as are better for the environment. This is good news for me as I love the taste of fresher food. Also, I never thought about the fact that organic food also helps the environment. I learned from "The Effects of Synthetic Fertilizer" (http://homeguides.sfgate.com/effects-sy … 45466.html) that artificial fertilizer is used for non-organic food, and that is why it costs less. Artificial fertilizer harms the soil by killing the beneficial microorganisms that convert dead plant remains into nutrient-rich organic matter. The fertilizers might also be able to seep into bodies of water, which will d isrupt ecosystems. Anyway, these are the small things that the average person would not think about, and I will now pay more attention when I go to my local grocery store.

This is very interesting because when I saw my carbon footprint for food, I thought it was so high because of what produced the food, like if I eat beef, it would come from cows, and cows produce a lot of CO2. I never really thought that the transportation of the food was a big factor in the CO2 contribution. I agree that if we start eating more organic food even though it might me more expensive, it would ultimately be worth it because it would help lower the amount of CO2 released in the environment.