Globally
There are so many reasons to eat local, but one that many seem to oversee, is that it saves our planet! When we purchase produce at the grocery store, most of the produce is in packaging, shipped from states or countries away!
When you think about all that goes into getting a bunch of bananas from Costa Rica, you must remember that they have to get here somehow, either by boat, truck, or train. Each of these modes of transportation uses fossil fuels to motorize and is a big carbon footprint on our environment and natural resources that sustain a healthy planet. The emissions also pay a tax on our atmosphere, diminishing the amount of healthy air for our plants to continue growing healthily, without chemicals and additives.
A banana tree that has to be fed chemicals just to sustain the atmospheric chemicals that are threatening it's health, makes a cycle of destruction in our ecosystem.
Did you know bananas can grow in the Central and Southern parts of California and in some other southern states as well! We can also grow an abundant of vegetables and fruits in this area all year round. YAY!
Community
Eating locally, by visiting farm stands, local farmer's markets, and growing in your own backyard, is a great way to support our community. When you support local farmers, you are supporting a cycle of regeneration in our ecosystem and environment around us. By keeping business in the community we are able to build a much greater network of resources. You may trade your plumber weeks of fresh produce for replacing your bathtub.
This way of support allows for a growing local economy. We can grow a small business and sustain it by visiting often and sharing your experiences with your community. When we outsource our goods, household items, and foods, we are giving our money to a much larger group of people.
The money used for a purchase of a grocery basket is distributed to the person at the check out, the store location, the driver who brought the produce to the store, the business growing the produce, and then the gas company who supplied the gas, and the electric companies who supply lighting for the stores. This may be an extreme way of looking at it, but if you dig into discovering all that is affected by outsourcing food, it is a rabbit hole of many forgotten factors.
By supporting our farm, you are supporting our local Lompoc community and the central California coast.
Health
Above all, eating local, organic produce and eggs will provide you a healthy life which can sustain you through trials and tribulations, as well as support your vitality to be available to your community.
When we eat healthy, we are giving our bodies the nutrients it needs to make clear decisions, be successful in our chosen field of work, and also support our futures!
Organic produce does not contain any added chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers with additives, or any added hormones. These can cause long term damage to our bodies.
To eat organic is the best way to get the most nutrients out of your produce, meaning you don't need to eat as much! The energy and life force from our sun gets entangled in the cells of fresh produce that grow out in the garden. When you consume these crops, your body has access to all of these amazing benefits to make you feel good and live happy!
Also, by eating local, you are consuming the fruits of your local land, which will contain different elemental components than food grown in other regions of the world. You can get better connected with your local environment!
Written by: Kelsie Crane