Comments on: Does The 100 Mile Diet Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?

By: Odum

Odum — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:51:51 +0000

But would people really limit what they eat with what they can find at only one or maybe two markets? Not to mention what they would do in the winter when there are very little markets around (if any at all).

This is an interesting topic which I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on and post more about in the near future.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:01:47 +0000

I think it would depend on how you shop locally. Driving to one market or mennonite stand and planning your menu around what you were able to find there is probably better than driving all over the countryside looking for specific items. Plus, you’re supporting local businesses/families.

By: Jen

Jen — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:15:02 +0000

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a much more sustainable view on eating local. Maybe not atainable….but certainly sustainable and with a smaller carbon footprint

By: Odum

Odum — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:21:37 +0000

Hey Loren,

Nice article, thanks for the link. Certainly provides more insight into the debate.

I’ve never been on the 100 mile diet and can’t see me ever starting, but I’m like you and I like buying local knowing how my food has been grown and what has been put into it.

By: Loren B.

Loren B. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:52:34 +0000

Hi Odum – This is one article I’ve seen recently arguing that the local diet is in fact not environmentally friendly:
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/07/22/consumer-local-food.html?ref=rss

Nonetheless, I really enjoy buying local food at the farmer’s market and freezing or canning it for the winter, partly because it’s local and partly because I know how it’s been preserved. That said, I also like to drink a coffee or tea once in a while (or put salt on my food, for that matter!).

By: Odum

Odum — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:36:28 +0000

I agree Kelly that the 100 mile diet can really be difficult or even next to impossible depending on your geographical location. I like your idea of trying to do what you can based on what is around you.

You also raise another interesting point – why do local foods cost so much? The cost of transporting their goods has to be less so why the excess cost? Maybe I’ll get food shipped to me from Scotland and you get some from Canada than we’ll both get good deals

By: ACarLessFamily

ACarLessFamily — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:29:31 +0000

I think there is something to that.
If you drove (I presume) 20 miles to buy 3 punnets of berries and x your emmissions by however many other people do that against one large container being deliverd to a shop…. I’m no maths wiz but it could be a very grey area.
Where I live if I stuck by the 100 mile rule I would have no tomatos, no bananas (nooooo!!) no sweet potatos, no rice or pasta, Id probably struggle to get wheat, I’d be on very limited on fruit and even that would only be for a tiny proportion of the year.
And of course, Scotland is not famous for its vinyards so no wine
The other thing is basic costs.
We are officialy on the “poverty line” here (although we don’t feel it and could never enterain the idea at schopping only at overpriced farmers markets.
This magazine http://www.permaculture-magazine.co.uk/back%20issues/back_issues.html ran a feature on someone who lived a year on a 100 mile diet, but it was expensive and limited.
I think the best you can do is use common sense, eat local in season, try to limit out of season and exotics, but don’t beat yourself over the head with your fair trade organic bananas