Why buying local is a big F$@* you to wasteful packaging and global commerce as a first option

Many folks that buy local will cite reasons like supporting the local economy, smaller environmental impact, a closer connection to the producer, higher quality production, and superior freshness.

All valid reasons to buy local for sure.  And there is nothing wrong with global commerce though we would suggest that the global marketplace not be your first option.  It should be local.

But the number one reason why buying local has rocketed to the top of the Modern Steader list is the reduction of waste.

Let’s start with the facts, shall we:

• Americans represent just 5% of the World’s population but we create more than 30% of its garbage.  There’s a stat to be proud of don’t you think.
• More than 75% of waste is recyclable yet we only recycle about 30%.  Booooo!
• In 2012, the average American produced 4.38 lbs of waste each day.  Of that, just 1.51 lbs was recycled or composted.  But here’s the catch, 58% of the waste we create is organic material, most of which could be composted.  We can do better.
• Food waste currently takes up more space in landfills than paper or plastic, and that produces methane gas which we already know is harmful to the atmosphere.
• On average, 17% of the food we consume is imported.  That means packaging, shipping, and more waste.

The 30,000 ft view

At this point you may be thinking “Great stats, Tim, but what does food waste have to do with buying local?” and that’s a valid question.

So to switch things up a bit, I will give you the punchline, the ah-ha moment before I make the case for it.

 

Buying local reduces transportation costs which are a big waste of resources.  Buying local requires less packaging which is also a waste given that much of the packaging is single-use and often redundant.  Buying local affords you the opportunity to buy less more often reducing the spoilage in the refrigerator or on the counter.

And all of these savings amount to less waste in the landfills.

Why do we need packaging?

Paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, aluminum, and plastic are the most widely used resources in the creation of packaging.  Their uses and applications vary by product taking on a different role in the food services industry than they might in protecting electronics.

Some packaging will extend the shelf life of food and protect it during transport from central Mexico to your grocery store shelves.

In the shipping process, packaging is used to consolidate products so they can be safely shipped from China to the US.  Think of the pallet cubes created by stacking units of product neatly and wrapping it in plastic wrap.  Or the box delivered by the UPS guy that contains multiple products inside that are already in boxes.  You get the idea.  It’s a redundant process.

This redundancy is intentional, of course.  The outer packaging is for protection and the inner one, the product package itself, is the domain of the marketing team.  The color graphics, sales message, and sparse government warning labels are there to sell you on the product.

But you know what doesn’t have that packaging?  The delicious winter banana squash or organic vine ripened Yellow Taxi tomatoes or the farm fresh eggs I get from my local farmers.

Isn’t it better to avoid waste in the first place?

You see, there’s nothing wrong with global commerce.  There are things I like, need even, that I just can’t get locally and I will look elsewhere for those.

But what I can’t justify is buying tomatoes from Mexico or eggs from California when I get a superior product with no single-use packaging right in my hometown.  My first thought is local not global and that promotes waste avoidance rather than reduction.  No packaging, shipping, more packaging, or waste along the way.

Composting more than we do now is another piece in the waste reduction puzzle.  Even if you have no use for it yourself I’m sure your local farmer would be more than happy to work your compost into their system.  It sure beats the landfill.

So the process is simple: avoid creating waste in the first place by shopping local, buy only what you will consume in the next few days, and then do a better job of composting and recycling when the need for reaching beyond your local community is required.

The Homework Assignment

We discussed how to break the trash habit in a previous lesson.  Your homework then was to do an analysis of the trash you tossed each week.  By now, I’m sure you have a good idea of what makes it to your curb each week and you’ve implemented a plan to better manage that.

Now, I want you to pick the five food items you buy most often and look for local suppliers.

To help you get started, here are the foods I now source locally (since my move from Las Vegas to Wyoming):

• Eggs
• Milk
• Cereal
• Beer
• Honey
• Chicken
• Pork
• Beef

Start by Googling “local farms” or searching EatLocalGrown.com for farmers in your area.  Then call them to set a time to visit their operations.  It will be easy to make your purchase decisions from there.

About the “Foundation Series” lessons

Our Foundation Series course is part of your free membership and allows you to explore the fundamental beliefs and core concepts of homesteading in the modern world.  You get two new lessons delivered to your inbox each week for a total of 21 lessons.  Just like this lesson, each one contains the links to the previous lessons.

Be sure to keep an eye out for new lessons in your inbox each week!

Start with our Foundation Series overview: Introduction to the 7 Core Values of the Modern Steader

Here’s the list of previous lessons for your reference:

1. 7 habits of highly successful modern steaders
2. Becoming Comfortable with Discomfort
3. The physical and mental challenges of the modern steader lifestyle and why it’s all worth it
4. Why Connected Self-Reliance?
5. 25 evaluation benchmarks for establishing your Self-Reliance Baseline
6. Learning Self-Reliance: 3 ways to change your world view
7. Drawing the line between Want and Need
8. Pursuing a Different Kind of Knowledge
9. The Knowledge Vault for Modern Steaders
10. Lost Inheritance: How we are running the risk of losing some craft skills forever
11. 7 sustainable practices your Grandma never taught you
12. Hobbies to Homesteading: Why craft skills are essential for a steader
13. Rediscovering the Natural World
14. Celebrate the harvest and eat the Seasons
15. Abundance and Scarcity in Nature
16. Effective time management for modern steaders
17. Breaking the trash habit: 6 things to consider before you dispose of anything
18. 7 renewable resources to make your life better