SBA Green Team Tip of the Week (6/8/09)

Eating Local to be Green

In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table.
What Can You Do?

Buying local not only saves energy used to ship produce, but also preserves flavor and nutrients. Here are three avenues for picking fresh, local produce.

* Visit the local farmers' market. Visit www.localharvest.org or ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm to find one in your area.
* Get involved with a community garden or start one on your own. See www.communitygarden.org to see what's growing in your neighborhood and for tips on planting your own crops.
* Join a Community Supported Agriculture group (CSA). CSA members prepay a fixed seasonal fee to a local farmer in exchange for a weekly share of the harvest, delivered to a location near your home. Don't wait, though. CSAs are popular and can fill up. For information on joining a CSA group near you, go to nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa, sare.org/csa or justfood.org.

Taken from www.greenguide.com.


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