Localizing to reduce carbon footprint

[russianthistle]

Over the past few years, I have been working to localize my lifestyle...meaning that I shop, only, at local stores (no matter the cost), use as many local products as possible, and buy as much local food as I can.

I live in a place where it is cold for a LONG time...too cold to easily produce many staple products...too cold to grow veggies in the winter...etc. This really throws a stick in my spokes.

At this point, I am still purchasing: produce that is shipped from afar, grains that are grown and shipped (often) from afar, and many spices shipped from afar, and yogurt (shipped, again, from afar). I know that I can easily eat locally for much of the summer...

I am wondering: what kind of efforts other people have done to localize their lives?

[dillonandmarasmom]

Is there a CSA nearby? (Crop Share Association). We pay $17 a week for all organic veggies and occasionally fruits and berries.

Farmer's market?

Do you have room in your house for a greenhouse window?

[russianthistle]

There is a CSA, but I have a garden, too...

I'm not yet able to do a green house, nor do I have good winter sun exposure...I am going to research hydroponics, however.

However, produce, dairy, and eggs are really not the big issue, for me, as are things like rice and other grains...beans...nuts...things that just don't come natural to the climate in which I live as easily.

What I wonder is how people deal with that end of localization.

[BusyBee]

I always thought CSA stood for "community supported agriculture".

I guess if you are living in the upper penninsula of michigan, there aren't as many opportunities for local foods than, let's say, California. I guess you just do the best you can, and in your case "local" may be farther away than for others. California rice is still closer than Thailand for instance. Coconut milk comes from far away no matter how you look at it. Eat seasonally. You have lots of apples where you live, but in summer they ship them from new zealand 'cause they aren't in season. Can tomatoes in the fall don't eat them in winter. You can grow sprouts in winter. Freeze a heck of a lot of berries in the summer. I'm surprised that there isn't local yogurt though. What, no cows or goats in Michigan?

[russianthistle]

I feel like the original point of the discussion is being missed, here.

What I'm curious to know is: how are other people trying to localize to reduce their own carbon footprint?

[lilylove]

I often buy large amounts of fruit from local farmers and the preserve it for the winter, either by drying, freezing or canning. I do this with veggies I grow too. Keeps some of our produce local through the winter and cuts down our food bills too.

[beanma]

I buy locally, too. I am in an area where there are a lot of people interested in this. We have a great co-op HFS where local produce is often available year round (collards, kale, and sweet potatoes in the winter; greater variety in summer). Our farmers' mkt has gone year round although I admit I haven't been too much over the winter. I've just gotten over being sick 3/4 of the last 4/5 weeks and I just couldn't drag myself out there. We belong to a CSA that runs in the spring/summer usu starting in April.

I don't buy much in the way of clothing, but try to hit the thrift store first.

Our cars run on locally produced biodiesel.

I do buy quite a bit of non-local products, but I try to buy locally first when I can. In the local HFS I recently discovered soap produced from the glycerin left over from our biodiesel co-op's production of fuel. There are a lot of other local soap producers, too.

I would imagine that wheat isn't too far from the UP. Don't they grow a lot of wheat in the plains states and Canada?

You might be inspired to read Barbara Kingsolver's, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which is her account of eating locally for a year. Lots of canning and freezing advice. Yogurt is easy to make and she goes into detail about making her own cheese. It sounds fun, but I've never tried it.

ETA: Michigan wheat - http://www.greenleaffarms.net/red_winter_wheat/

[russianthistle]

Yay! this is what I'm looking for...
A friend of mine is reading the Kingsolver book, and I will read it once I finish the pile I'm in the midst of.

Thanks for the link! I haven't checked it out...being where I am, I do understand that there are certain things that I will have to "bend" the rules for...like get as locally as possible, even if that means it comes from another state over...either that or it's off to grind acorns and cattails.

[barose]

I'm fortunate to live in an area where local (almost everything) is easy.

Food
We buy local organic produce, meats and nuts from the farmers markets or local produce stores. If we have to go to Whole Foods, we make sure what we buy is local (produce).

The only things we cant get local is tea, coffee, chocolate, coconuts, some wines (if its not from California) and certain spices. If we do get coffee, its usually organic and produced by a local roaster like http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/ I dont know if that is considered local since coffee isnt grown in California, but at least its produced locally. DP has cut his coffee consumption to once a week and I drink even less than that now.

Unfortunately, I cant grow anything other than lettuce and lemons. I suck at growing anything.


Clothes and other household
If we don't buy online, we tend to stick to the local area for those things. We have a lot of great stores and boutiques. We rarely go to places like Target (I think the last time we went was two years ago) and conventional grocery stores. Whole Foods Pharmaca, and Elephant Pharmacy is the only chain stores we frequent (not sure if Elephant and Pharmaca is considered a chain though).

Of course there are thrift and consignment stores, yard sales, Craigslist, Freecycle, UC Berkeley Parents Newsletter and other ways to buy used items.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for...

[EmsMom]

We buy most of our produce from a local CSA for the last 9 years or so. We also use the local farmer's market for eggs, cheese, produce, bread, etc. There is a farmer where I get my eggs just a couple of miles from here. During the winter I still need produce so I do eat supermarket stuff. I am starting to forage greens as well. We try to do all shopping locally (clothes, shoes). Rarely use big box stores. I make my own bread but there is no local wheat production that I am aware of so I buy organic grains from a co-op (they buy locally). Most of the kids clothes are bought used at yard sales or a resale shop. Household appliances, toys, etc. are also bought used. We use the local library very extensively for books, cds, movies. We basically entertain ourselves by playing, making music (I highly recommend picking up an instrument of your choice and taking lessons locally for the ultimate local/handmade entertainment). We have solar panels but they do not produce our full power need at this time -- the rest of our electric we buy from a wind power source. We use cloth instead of paper for things like rags, bags, etc. I make nearly all of our food from scratch including bread and baked goods. I do use canned tomatoes, though, and frozen berries (although we forage raspberries in the summer we can't really save them because they are so delicious.). A more extensive food/herb/medicine garden is coming to our property soon! I am also thinking of trying to start a community garden. Keeping my fingers crossed that next week I will have a new job 3-1/2 miles from my house! I interviewed last week! We are also planning to put in a geo-thermal heating system at some point.

[Belleweather]

RussianThistle, I feel your pain. I'm in Madison, WI and we can go almost totally local during the growing season, but if we haven't been on the stick as far as preserving, root cellaring, and freezing during the summer we are SOL once winter comes -- we have a winter farmer's market, but it's like 5 guys standing around the Senior Center basement selling jam and meat. Not enough to make meals out of by a long shot!

We're working toward being more local. This summer we're growing an embarassingly huge garden and hoping to be able to can, freeze, and dry a big part of our food needs for the winter. We already buy beef and chicken and pork locally and in bulk (although I can get those in the winter too), and we're looking in to delivery for milk and eggs since we usually buy them at the farmer's market. We make wine and beer ourselves, which helps.

Honestly, though, I think there will always be products that I buy that aren't local. I'm trying to stick to things that are dry, light, and easy to ship without pesticides or preservatives. Mainly things with low amounts of water. So coffee, tea, spices (because there is no local turmeric and I think I'd die without it. Seriously.), dried legumes and grains, etc. When I do need those things, I try my best to buy in large amounts so that I'm reducing the amount of travel and processing we do.

As far as gardening here in the great white north, I'd strongly recommend a cold-frame up against the south side of your house or apartment building. It extends your season so you can grow greens basically from late february to december if you're growing cold-tolerant varieties like Spinach and Kale. They're stupidly easy to put together with a rented saw and a couple of recycled old windows and are all about solar gain. I LOVE mine.

[lilylove]

Originally Posted by Belleweather

As far as gardening here in the great white north, I'd strongly recommend a cold-frame up against the south side of your house or apartment building. It extends your season so you can grow greens basically from late february to december if you're growing cold-tolerant varieties like Spinach and Kale. They're stupidly easy to put together with a rented saw and a couple of recycled old windows and are all about solar gain. I LOVE mine.

You can even build a quick temp one out of straw bales and an old window!

[russianthistle]

Belleweather,
We are on the same page. And, I understand about turmeric! I would die w/o a lot of spices that I just can't get/grow, here. My friend and I were discussing the very thing you speak of...ordering bulk amounts to make the traveling carbon footprint that much smaller.

That's it...I'm building the coldframe this week...I have access to everything I need already.

[EmsMom]

I hear you all about the spices and tea and coffee. I don't drink coffee but I really like a cup of tea and while I use lots of local herbs for teas/infusions, I would really miss the cups of green or black tea! And, well, life without cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cardomom etc would be tough! Also, frankly, how could I live with avocadoes? (Not too many of THEM growing here in teh Northeast!)

[russianthistle]

There definitely has to be some flexibility...otherwise, we'd be forcing ourselves to live archaically...to some extent. I know that I can do without a lot...and there are other things I just don't want to do without.

I'm serious looking for a deisel as we speak! DP drives 60 miles to and from work each day...and gas, here, is around 3.50/gal....can you believe that?!!?

[barose]

Originally Posted by russianthistle

I'm serious looking for a deisel as we speak! DP drives 60 miles to and from work each day...and gas, here, is around 3.50/gal....can you believe that?!!?

Deisel over here is a little over $4/gal (gas is $3.92) so I take it its cheaper where you are?

[russianthistle]

I would turn to bio-diesel...I have a friend who can hook me up!

Diesel here is like 4.50 a gal.

[barose]

Originally Posted by russianthistle

I would turn to bio-diesel...I have a friend who can hook me up!

Diesel here is like 4.50 a gal.

Yes, I think it was closer to $4.50+. I would never get a diesel.

[russianthistle]

You can convert a diesel engine so that it can use vegetable oil...I'm sure you've probably heard of that...here, it costs about $600 to convert a reg. diesel engine so that it can use recycled veg. oil. The engine has to start and warm with the use of traditional diesel...

In our local newspaper, the guy who does these diesel engine conversions said that it cost .him $9 to drive to Milwaukee (which is roughly 5 hours from where I'm at)...I think, in a truck...pretty cheap. I think it costs about $50 for me to get to Milwaukee with my Subaru.

Plus! The veg oil can be collected and refined locally. I'm totally seeking a deisel...just for the commute issue.

[Qerratsmom]

HI russianthistle! I am excited about trying a coldframe against the south side of the house for kale and spinach. We've been talking with some friends about buying a cow jointly and keeping it a friend's farm to make butter, cheese and yogurt.
I think I am going to start planning now for August, Sept and October. They are going to have to be BUSY months to store enough berries, fruit and veggies for even half the winter, but I am up to the challenge ! (Although Erin, you may not be at that point, 8-9 months pregnant!)
I will probably try to buy rice, oats, salt and flour in bulk to last about 6 months. Maybe use honey and syrup instead of sugar.
Now the tough things, beer, wine (although my dh is dreaming of a northern vinyard), coffee, tea and rice milk...probably nut butters, those may have to be my "cheats".
Oh and olive oil, I could try to go all butter though, but it may make me a little sad.