Nowadays, it seems that people are heavily encouraged to purchase locally-produced food. However, I believe the reason why we are encouraged to buy local is not necessarily to reduce our carbon footprint, but to support local business and economy.

This does not mean that buying locally doesn't have a beneficial effect on the climate problem, because it does. As we saw in the carbon footprint survey, transportation leads to significant carbon emissions, something that we look to avoid. By buying food produced locally, we cut out a large portion of the transportation, and thus cut down on carbon emissions.

My school, Bishop O'Dowd, does have a food garden in our "Living Lab." In fact, there is an upcoming harvest festival where students will be able to enjoy the fruits and vegetables that we have grown. As for my house, I have a meager garden, consisting of a lemon tree and a few herb plants.

I agree completely with your ideas. I also find that we are only pushed to buy locally to support our local community which is great but people should know the other benefits. We should educate others of the CO2 emissions we save by buying local foods and of other ways to reduce the emissions we release. Your school garden sounds like a great way to educate people and keep everyone involved in reducing our CO2 emissions.

I agree that people are more willing to purchase locally grown food more because its supporting local businesses and the economy. Reducing their carbon footprint is just a great added bonus. I really like the idea of your school having a "living lab". Its a great way to get students involved not only at school but planting the seed (no pun intended) to get them involved at home too!

Many people buy locally to support local businesses and the economy. This happens with any local business, however; people are looking to buy for a specific reason, but there are certainly added bonuses. For example, if you purchase locally-grown produce, you not only get fresher food, but help the economy and environment.
I'd like to notice the fact that your school and family participate in growing foods. This is actually an example of when you are eating locally-grown food WITHOUT supporting the local economy (not that that is a bad thing, but simply a counterexample to your original argument). It definitely helps the environment, and gives many benefits to overall health and happiness. Of course, it wouldn't matter what your motive is for eating locally-grown foods, as you will help reduce carbon emissions.

I agree, Fernando, that we should buy our produce locally because it funds the local economy, minimizes transportation effects on the environment, and knowing where your food originated is important. Cutting down on the distance from farm to table minimizes CO2 emissions and conserves our planet’s natural gas resources.  Investing in local produce sustains the local environment, which is why I suggest visiting your local farmers’ market at least once a week to support their efforts. After all, the fresher our food, the healthier we are.