jillclardy's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

For those of you who have been taking part in No Impact Week, you’ll know that yesterday’s focus was on food, one of my favorite topics.   (For those of you who haven’t been participating you still can!)  I must admit that maintaining a strict local food diet was a bit of a challenge, even though I shop at the farmer’s market weekly and cook the majority of my meals, I found myself sneaking out of the sustainability bounds.

When you pay close attention to how your daily habits affect the planet, it becomes abundantly clear that so many conveniences we take for granted, especially when eating out, can be extremely wasteful and reducing your impact can require some serious planning. 

Tracking down a newly relocated farmer’s market yesterday took a big chunk of time from my day and was a bit frustrating, yet stocking up on fresh fruits and veggies and connecting with a community of growers was tremendously rewarding.  With a bit of forethought and by prioritizing healthy eating and supporting local farmers, we can gradually make sustainable meals a part of our weekly routine.

(And for the record, from my farmer’s market findings I made a delicious butternut squash and ginger soup accompanied by a green salad with goat cheese. Yum!)

What’s been your experience eating locally?  Use the comments section below to share stories or recipes from your No Impact efforts.