The Problem: high carbon footprint, air freight, greenhouses
The Solution: local, seasonal food
- Buy seasonal food, grown locally. Eat berries in summer and apples in winter. Check out our table to see which common fruits and vegetables grow when or Hubbub has a great monthly guide of seasonal produce in the UK, if you want a more extensive list.
- Reduce your intake of air-freighted food, for example soft fruits and vegetables such as avocados and asparagus.
- Generally, if a fruit is more solid, it will be shipped so has a lower carbon footprint, such as bananas and melons. (How Bad Are Bananas by Mike Berners-Lee)
- Support small independent shops and farmers’ markets. Supermarket stock is usually sent from farm to a central depot before local stores, so often has a higher carbon footprint.
- Look for local veg box deliveries, which almost always tick all the boxes.
Initial cost
0.5/5
Lifetime savings
0.6/5
Environmental benefits
4.7/5
Health benefits
2.5/5
