By Seher Talukdar
While most people don’t realize it, causes of environmental harm go beyond the typical factors people consider such as plastics and carbon dioxide. One aspect of everyday life that has a lot more influence over the environment is grocery shopping, and in more ways that you think.
The impact of grocery shopping starts with the actual farming of produce, meat and other products. During this process, cultivators will utilize a variety of methods that can end up harming the environment. Some of these methods include use of fertilizers, pesticides, improper irrigation systems, and more, all of which have negative effects on the soil plants are grown on and the fruits & vegetables themselves. This problem continues on to the transportation of these products, as shipping and processing all leave huge carbon footprints and usually burn fossil fuels in the process or release carbon dioxide. Typically the more exotic the food or the farther it was imported from means a larger carbon footprint. And finally comes the actual plastic packaging, and usually waste, of food as it is sold. Clearly each step of the process to get produce into stores has a negative environmental impact in one way or another. So what would be an effective way to fight this?
Here is where gardening can play a much bigger role than you think. Gardening not only cuts the carbon footprint almost entirely out of the picture, it also benefits the soil plants are being grown on as well. To begin, home-grown plants are always available fresh and there are no unlisted chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides involved. This already alleviates the soil of harmful, inorganic components that could have entered during the cultivation process. Secondly, the entire shipping step is skipped, which eliminates any carbon emissions that result from transportation that imported foods require. Also related, there is no need to go out and buy the food, so less carbon emissions on your part as well. Thirdly is the elimination of cheap plastic packaging, usually done to keep food clean and only meant for single use, meaning a lot of it ends up in landfills quickly. And last but not least, the fruits or vegetables can be turned into compost rather than being trashed like the majority of food ends up. By composting, this returns vital nutrients to the soil that was just used to garden earlier, allowing for a healthy environment and ecosystem in your backyard. Not to mention, the plants themselves help clear the air, reduce soil erosion, and hold the soil together using their roots.
Even if gardening isn’t possible for you, there are still ways to actively reduce your carbon footprint in terms of grocery shopping. Rather than going to huge commercial stores, shop locally and only buy foods that are in season. Local farmers and shops have a much less carbon emissions as there is less transportation involved, and they likely do not use as many chemicals as they are not producing crops on a mass scale. In addition, your own carbon emissions reduce as your trip wouldn’t be that far, and by buying foods in season, you have a higher chance of getting fresh fruits opposed to fruits harvested while they were under-ripe and grown farther away.
All in all, there is no reason not to garden as it has been proven to benefit the environment, it helps reduce your own carbon footprint as well as the carbon footprint of major grocery stores, and it is one of the more relaxing and productive activities to do during this quarantine. Even if you are unable, there are still plenty of ways to support a better, healthier environment by incorporating small changes in everyday life. Happy gardening!
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