Thursday, October 15, 2009

Article I'm working on...

Does buying local products lower an individual’s carbon footprint? In recent years the idea of tracking food miles has been a way to understand the damages that come from importing and exporting foods from far away places. There are many reasons why eating local is important for a community from helping people stay connected with other locals, food is fresher, and it reduces fossil fuel intake. However, is reducing the miles that food travels really good for the environment? New evidence shows the carbon dioxide found in watering, fertilizing, pesticides, and growing crops and meat can be higher in some areas locally than if the products were shipped. Some studies suggest that it can be up to ten times more energy efficient to buy imported fruits, meats, and dairies than local products. In the following months, Wal-Mart plans to include on the label a tracking code of how many miles their food products have traveled before they get into their stores. This article is an investigation into whether buying local is beneficial for the environment or not. I plan to talk to someone in the publicity department at Wal-Mart to help understand why they want to track the carbon footprint on their products. I will also talk to those that oppose the idea of buying local as well as those who only buy local. I will talk with environmentalists who are researching the pros and cons of tracking food miles.