Graphic by Sage Widder
Jillie McLeod
Opinions Reporter
For the past few years, the news has covered the idea that our nation must actively aim to prevent the lasting effects of climate change. For example, there are many proposed ways to curb the increasing carbon in our atmosphere in everyday life. One of these proposed solutions making headway is the concept of sustainable eating.
Sustainable eating is the practice of choosing foods that are healthy for you, your body, and your growth. In addition, sustainable eating requires consuming foods that are good for the environment, meaning they use few excess resources and do not add to carbon emissions.
In America, many people’s diets consist of large amounts of red meat and other products that are excessively processed and transported all over the world. According to a study published by The Nutrition Journal, the dietary guidelines given by the US government have the highest carbon footprint out of any major country in the world—this makes sense. Our beef comes from commercial cattle farms, which are huge contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, when you walk into the average American grocery store, almost every product is wrapped in a layer of plastic and has traveled thousands of miles from farm to shelf.
The food we eat as a nation could be better for the environment if we wanted it to be. Buying locally sourced meat, dairy, and produce eliminates the transportation of said products across the country. Most products can be grown and produced in Massachusetts, yet we get them delivered to our grocery stores from across the country or world.
In addition to being better for the environment, local food is also better for your health. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are fresher when they arrive in your fridge and are less likely to be impacted by the commercial growing practices that contain harmful chemicals such as pesticides.
The benefits of sustainable eating are clear, but it is unrealistic to expect that a change in eating habits will sweep across our nation.
Produce purchased directly from farms—or even just food that is labeled as locally grown—is always more expensive. In a grocery store, there are always two options: the organic, more expensive one, or the “regular,” cheaper one. Sustainable food products are also harder to obtain. The choices on shelves are slimmer, and not everyone has access to a convenient local farm.
Sustainable eating, while good for our bodies and the environment, is not something that needs to be enforced on the entire US population. It is a small change that people can make if they want to reduce their carbon footprint, but it is not the solution to our globe’s grim climate change trajectory.
