How much does eating locally-produced food help the climate problem? What are the other potential environmental and social benefits of eating locally-grown/produced food? Do you have a food garden in your school or at home? If not, do you want one?
Home Grown >
Gardening in School
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.