Why eat local? Reducing our food miles.

simpleshow. “The Carbon Footprint explained in a nutshell.” Wikipedia, 2013.

As we celebrate Earth Day, it’s important to look at what we can do individually to adopt more sustainable living practices. For the Boston Local Food Program, it may come as no surprise that we want to focus on food miles. Before diving a little deeper, we have to ask ourselves what exactly are food miles?

Food miles take into consideration the distance food has traveled before it reaches your home and how that specific journey has affected the environment on its way to you. That can account for the fuel used to ship the food and the pollution that was emitted as a result. Moreover, the food’s packaging process throughout the journey can play a big role as well. This is part of why it’s so important to eat locally.

So what can we do? Here are a few tips to reduce your food miles: 

• Limit plastic use, around 50 million plastic bags end up in Earth’s waterways per year. 

• Recycle your food scraps and grow your own food, contributing to a healthy body and a healthy planet.

• Opt for food grown locally - whenever possible! Need help identifying where you can access healthy, local food? Check out the Eat Local MA Mobile App to find local food and farms near you.