If you look in the store you will find food that has come from all over the globe.

It may be an amazing distribution system that allows us to eat foods that come from so many places, however there is a hidden environmental cost to transporting food such distances. People who are aware and trying to help are participating in the local foods movement.

Most "fresh" food in the U.S. has traveled over a thousand, or even two thousand miles from a huge corporate owned farm. And more often, the food we are eating is coming from other countries. According to Natural Resurce Defense Council (NRDC), the typical American meal has ingredients from at least five other countries. This imported food is brought in by planes, ships, and trucks creating almost 250,000 tons of global warming pollution in a year for California alone. Importing food not only creates pollution, but also puts local farmers and farmland at risk. Incentive to protect this valuable land is taken away and according to studies, the U.S. is losing two acres of prime farmland a minute to development.

What can we do? There are some simple things that can make a big impact. Look for farmers markets and food co-ops in your area. Join a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, and have local, in season produce delivered to you. At the store, look at where the food you buy comes from, and avoid foods that have traveled over a hundred miles, they will be fresher also! And if you want a real fun adventure, go visit local farmers and see where your food comes from, and how much different and better it is when it comes from a local source.

Every purchase is a choice, and every meal is a choice. You can do as much as you feel capable and driven to do, and each positive choice will have a beneficial impact on you, your community, and the earth.

-Typhoon