Transportation represents one of our largest contributions to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. It is not only our families that we transport however. The average item of food travels 1,500 miles before it gets to your plate, and twenty percent of our fossil-fuel consumption goes to agriculture – largely due to distribution. For example, in 2005, the import of fruits, nuts, and vegetables into California by airplane released more than 70,000 tons of CO2. This is equivalent to more than 12,000 cars on the road. These trends in our food economy have created direct links in between the food we choose to eat and our involvement in international petroleum markets.

Celebrate the arrival of Spring by joining one of the many local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) options. There are a wide variety of vegetable, cheese and meat options to choose from. In addition to supporting our local economy, you will enjoy a fresher product with a dramatically smaller climate impact. Here are a few great local choices:

Freedom & Unity Farm
Richmond, 434-4000
freedomandunityfarm@gmail.com

Jericho Settlers Farm
Jericho, 899-4000
jsfarmvt@gmail.com
http://www.jerichosettlersfarm.com

Maple Wind Farm/Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC)
Huntington, 434-7257
http://www.maplewindfarm.com
http://www.vycc.com

Additional Chittenden County CSAs are listed at: http://nofavt.org/find-organic-food/csa-listing#chittenden

Americans consume over 100 billion shopping bags each year. The production of these bags uses energy, most likely provided by fossil fuels, and puts significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The plastic bags never completely break down, creating problems for our landfills and oceans. But don’t think the paper bags are the answer… they take 4 times as much energy to make, and the paper production process releases almost twice the air pollution and 50 times as much water pollution as the production of plastic. Not to mention trees are cut down to produce them and we need trees to convert all that extra CO2.

Costco and some other stores have stopped offering bags altogether. They will gladly put your items into a clean, used cardboard box, and you can recycle it when you get home. Kudos to Costco for getting rid of bags. Hopefully other stores will follow their lead. There are currently two bills in the state legislature to curtail use of disposable bags – one that would charge people to use them, and another that bans them completely.

Every plastic bag you don’t use will keep about .1 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere and every paper bag you don’t use saves .3 pounds. On average, if you stop using disposable bags, you’ll keep about 6 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere every month! Now think how much we could save, if all or even just half the residents of Richmond would stop using disposable bags! Many stores will actually pay you to use your own bags, so it helps your wallet too. It’s clearly time to cut our addiction to disposable bags. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Reuse any plastic or paper bags you already have. You can also purchase sturdy reusable bags at most grocery stores, for very cheap (usually about $1). We’re told that the new Richmond Commons / Film Buzz (at the main intersection in Richmond) has some reusable shopping bags they’re giving away for free, so stop in there and grab a few before they’re gone!

It’s hard to remember to bring them with you, so why not put a bunch of bags into your car right now?

2) Go bagless. If you forget your bags, tell the cashier you don’t need one. You’d be surprised how much you can carry out in your hands (and don’t forget you have pockets too!)

3) If you bought a lot of stuff and forgot your reusable bags, take as few as possible. Tell them you don’t want “double bagging.” And you don’t need to put that gallon of milk into its own bag.

4) Recycle your bags. NEVER throw away a bag! The plastic ones can be recycled at most grocery stores. The paper ones can go in your blue recycling bin.