Visiting my local grocery store, I always make a beeline for the organic produce department. There I spend time sorting and smelling and generally finding the best produce for the week’s recipes. The one thing I don’t pay attention to is where all of the produce is coming from.

According to the National Resources Defense Council, most produce grown in the United States travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets sold.** Shipping food around the country definitely takes a toll on the environment. The NRDC’s website conveys a great example:

Every year, nearly 270 million pounds of grapes arrive in California, most of them shipped from Chile to the Port of Los Angeles. Their 5,900 mile journey in cargo ships and trucks releases 7,000 tons of global warming pollution each year, and enough air pollution to cause dozens of asthma attacks and hundreds of missed school days in California.

What can we do as consumers to reduce some of the environmental burden? Well for starters, we can find out what is being produced locally. That way, we can buy products that aren’t being shipped across the country or even from outside the country. The NRDC has an extremely helpful tool to find out just exactly what is being produced at specific times in your area. (Twice a month, to be exact!)

For instance, in Southern California during late January, these products are being produced locally.** Pretty cool, right? I highly suggest checking this tool** out before making your rounds at the grocery store – all of the states are included. Good luck and good eating!

**You are leaving the FilterForGood Web site. The Brita Products® Company is not responsible for the content or data collection of that independent site.