“Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." - Anna Lappe
While not every farmer has got on board with the most environmentally friendly way of growing crops, some have, and “There's a lot of voting with your fork that you can do", said Lindsay Record, the program director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance , during a panel at the sustainability and green-living festival at Chicago's Navy Pier. According to food-policy activists at the Green Festival in Chicago Saturday, consumers need to realise the power they have to steer the food industry in the sustainable direction.
Lindsey Record and other panelists suggested 5 extremely important ways consumers can ensure that the food they buy has the minimum carbon footprint:
1. “Try to incorporate a greater diversity of small grains that are produced locally or regionally," she said.
There has been gained access to locally grown fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses, but grains still seems to be a loss cause. They are mass produced by large farming operations, and transported across large distances, making the carbon footprint behind grains immense.
“ Grains is the thing that local farmers are producing less often," Record said. But “when they have a grain crop in addition, crop rotations can protect soil from carbon loss. It will help sequester atmospheric carbon, which is really important. At the same time it will help to support those small farmers by increasing their bottom line, because they can diversify the products that they have available."
2. “Eating in season is really a big thing." Record states.
Buy in-season produce and avoid anything air freighted from overseas.
“You might think the idea of eating a strawberry in December or January sounds delicious, but they really don't taste as good, and they're shipped from far away. And so by eating fruit in season, you're reducing your transportation carbon footprint. Regional distribution systems are the most efficient. And that is the best, most efficient way to reduce your carbon footprint."
3. “Organic does matter," Record said
“The synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are made using fossil fuels and fossil fuel derived energy," she said, “so looking for organic products is one of the things that you can do."
Organic products can often be more expensive, however according to panelist Alisa Gravitz, president and CEO of Green America , an economic advocacy group, “You can pay the farmer or pay the hospital," Gravitz said, “and it's a lot less expensive to pay the farmer now than to pay the hospital later."
I think that is pretty spot on!
4. “On dairy, meat, and eggs, look for the pasture-raised" certification, Record said, rather than organic or cage-free.
“When a farmer is using grass or pasture to raise their animals or livestock, if its managed correctly it can serve as a carbon sink and work to sequester carbon."
According to Nicole McCann, Green America's director for food campaigns, “Even an organic egg, if it's not pasture raised, comes from a factory farm. And 'cage free' really means nothing."
5. “Look for companies that have a commitment to sourcing sustainable ingredients," Record said. “Or if they make it a policy to give back to sustainable organisations."
The panelists agreed that consumers have great power to influence food companies, as they control the demand-side of the industry. Gravitz suggested emailing food companies, commenting on their Facebook, and calling them.
Jim Slama, founder of FamilyFarmed.org , said “the key is go to the store and ask for better than they've got."
“It's really an opportunity to bring more sustainability and responsibility into systems by creating that demand," Slama said.
You have a lot of power through the consumer decisions that you make.
All quotes sourced from Forbes.