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Sustainability throughout Supermarkets and Growing Your Own
Bananas in bags and grapes in plastic containers? If you really want to help protect the environment it is best to steer away from all the packaged fruit and vegetables, no matter how good they look!
Where it is possible you should purchase products that do not contain any packaging and use recycled bags or paper for loose produce. You should take the extra time to choose fruit and vegetables that are in singles.
It is not just the packaging that is damaging, but we need to consider how the goods are transported from other countries.
When choosing for example, a carton of grapes that originated from Spain, you must consider the effects of the carbon emissions from that journey.
All freight transport including planes, ships, trucks etc. contributes to global warming. There are more greenhouse gases per food mile emitted by air freight than any other transport.
According to new research by Bord Bia sustainable packaging and plastics were seen as a key issue for commercial food buyers. According to the survey when asked what sustainability problems would start to be more important to their business in the next three years, packaging was the most quoted topic. Only three in ten consumers who took part in the survey said that sustainable packaging influences their choice when shopping.
Another way to reduce purchasing produce with packaging from Supermarkets is to grow your own. This is great for the environment as by growing your own food, you can reduce the amount of damaging chemicals that pollute our environment.
Environmental Advantages of Growing Your Own
1. Food that is organically grown does not need the use of pesticides and herbicides, which reduces water and air pollution to the environment.
2. There is no need for transport for food that is home grown, this reduces air pollution regarding trucks, cars, ships, planes etc.
3. There is no packaging used on your own grown food.
4. There is less likely to be food thrown out if you are producing it yourself.
5 Steps to Grow Your Own at Home
1. Begin with a garden that can be managed easily and has access to plenty of sun and water. Then you will need to get basic supplies such as a watering can, shovel, gloves, and trowel.
2. Make sure to plant what you want to eat. You also need to know how large and how far your vegetables will expand.
3. You must read the seed packet as there is essential information on them such as:
The seed type, days to harvest/maturity, when and where to start the seeds, number of seeds in the packet, seed spacing and depth, the packaging date and the plant type and variety.
4. When planting, divide the garden into 1-foot squares. This will mean that each square can be planted with a different fruit or vegetable.
5. Make sure to plan and know when the frost dates are and the harvest date for your fruit and vegetables.
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