It's interesting to think about my daily consumption patterns. The difference in sustainability between locally bought food and produce grown far away is astonishing. Also, to think about the normal things we buy in life, and the impact they have on planet earth is shocking.
For example, a pair of shoes. The material is put together and made into a shoe in China or some other far away country. Then, the shoe is stuffed with paper and put into a cardboard box, both made from trees from another far away country. The shoes are then shipped on a boat or plane to a distribution center or warehouse in the US. They are taken from the boat to a truck, both fueled by large amounts of diesel fuel, and taken to a distribution center. The shoes are then eventually trucked again across our country to local stores to be purchased. Who knew all of that went into buying a pair of shoes?
It is very interesting to think about what all goes into making one little thing. It is more than just one single item; It is and item made from many. That is why buying locally is good. Cuts down on transportation and energy that is used.
ReplyDeleteyes, that's a good example, especially since we used to buy shoes that were made in the USA. China has cheap labor and lax environmental laws. I don't know how we can bring shoe factories back to the states.
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