The word sustainable is widely used in natural food circles. Unlike USDA organic, it isn’t government defined or third party certified. It signifies a lot: healthy farming practices that don’t harm the environment, humane animal treatment, support of farming communities, fair wages and treatment for laborers. But in order to know what is truly meant by sustainable, and if you can trust it, you need to know your producers. Since sustainable meat is local meat, it’s pretty easy to ask questions of your farmer. Good subjects to raise include farming practices (i.e. if they’re using pesticides and fertilizers for the animal’s feed), drug use (i.e. are they administering hormones and non-therapeutic antibiotics to their animals), and general questions about how the animals spend their days. Just because something is local doesn’t mean it is automatically sustainable.
There are many benefits to meat from sustainably raised local animals: it’s usually safer and better for you and the environment, and its transportation footprint can be considerably less than its factory-farmed and mass distributed counterparts.
via Buy meat that is raised using sustainable farming methods.
]]>By eating locally grown produce, you reduce the transportation related impact of your food choices. (That does not necessarily mean the overall environmental impact is better, due to economies of scale and where and how the food was grown, but that’s another discussion!) You’re also supporting local farms, and getting tasty food that was harvested and transported closer to peak ripeness. The nutritional content is also likely to be higher.
During growing season (spring/summer/fall) there are plenty of opportunities to buy local produce at farmers’ markets. CSA (community supported agriculture) farm shares are another great way to snag local goods, and so are winter farmers’ markets if you have one near you.
It’s getting easier to find local produce at your grocery store, too, and not only at natural food markets. Many post signs announcing if a lettuce is locally grown or not, with details on where it was grown. FYI: there is no standard distance for local. Many “locavores” eat a 100 mile diet, or go up to 150 or 200 miles. Others use the “one day drive” rule–less than 400 miles.
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