GOING GREEN AT CHP THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF LOCAL

Typically, “local food” refers to any food that is produced nearby the consumer (Grace Communication Foundation). Because there is no set definition for the distance food can travel to be considered “local,” it is up to the consumer to determine what they consider to be local food. For some people local can mean anything traveling from 100 miles or less whereas to others it can mean being produced within their own state. No matter the definition, Community Harvest Project should definitely pride itself in being an organization that provides local food to people in Worcester County, traveling less than 100 miles to reach consumers.

What is Local Food?

The BenefitsRecently, the local foods movement has gained popularity. This is largely due to the environmental benefits of purchasing locally grown or raised foods. These benefits are attributed to the minimal amount of fossil fuels necessary to transport food, producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Studies in recent years have shown that non-local and imported food has a higher emission impact than locally grown food. For example, a 2005 study from the National Resource Council found that nearly 250,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions were connected to imported food products, which is equivalent to more than 40,000 vehicles being on the road (Climate Guest Contributor). Such numbers reveal how much of an impact food transportation can have on the environment. In the next few pages you will

WHAT’S INSIDE

Environmental Benefits 1Donation Locations 2-3Food from the Supermarket 4-5Let’s Compare 6Works Cited 7

learn about where some common fruits and vegetables come from when purchased from a nearby supermarket and how much of an impact this transportation has on the environment. You will see for yourself the small impact Community Harvest Project has on the environment being an organization that donates all its produce locally. Although CHP’s mission is to assist those in need, by producing local food, it is helping protect the environment and reduce its impact on the planet.

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Worcester County Food Bank Agency Locations

Average Miles Traveled

Average Gallons of Gas

Metric Tons of CO2

Athol 58.75 5.875 0.052

Auburn 18.2 1.82 0.016

Baldwinville 11.6 1.16 0.01

Barre 32.5 3.25 0.029

Blackstone 32.5 2.78 0.025

Brookfield 37.8 3.78 0.034

Charlton 23 2.3 0.02

Clinton 18.65 1.865 0.017

Douglas 23.1 2.31

Dudley 17.63333333 2.98 0.016

Fitchburg 36.38888889 3.275 0.032

Gardner 46.1 4.61 0.041

Gilbertville 37.3 3.73 0.033

Holden 16.5 1.65 0.015

Lancaster 21.93333333 2.193333333 0.019

Leicester 21.6 2.16 0.019

Leominster 28.97 2.897 0.026

Mendon 29.1 2.91 0.032

Milford 24.6 2.46 0.022

Millbury 12.9 1.29 0.011

North Brookfield 31.7 3.17 0.028

Key Program 9.5 0.95 0.008

Northborough 10.93333333 1.093333333 0.01

Oxford 25 2.5 0.022

Rutland 21.5 2.15 0.019

Shrewsbury 14.63333333 1.463333333 0.013

South Grafton 13.7 1.37 0.012

South Lancaster 19.3 1.93 0.017

Southborough 15.7 1.57 0.014

Southbridge 27.85 2.785 0.025

Spencer 29.8 2.98 0.026

Uxbridge 21.6 2.16 0.019Worcester County Food Bank

Agency LocationsAverage Miles

TraveledAverage

Gallons of GasMetric Tons of

CO2

Fortunately, CHP’s food does not need to travel too far to reach those in need. Because of this, CHP’s environmental impact is quite small. Check out some of the distances CHP’s food travels and how much carbon dioxide is produced from these trips:Key: Highest CO2 Emissions Lowest CO2 Emissions

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Warren 39.9 3.99 0.035

Webster 29.1 2.91 0.026

West Boylston 20.65 1.34 0.012

West Brookfield 35.2 3.52 0.031

Westborough 13.475 1.3475 0.012

Whitinsville 17.3 1.73 0.015

Winchendon 54.3 5.43 0.048

Worcester 14.13243243 1.413243243 0.013

Community Servings LocationsApproximate

Miles TraveledAverage

Gallons of GasMetric Tons

of CO2

Fitchburg 92.6 9.747368421 0.087Lowell 81.5 8.578947368 0.076Lawrence 77.7 8.178947368 0.073Leominster 88.5 9.315789474 0.083Worcester 88.2 9.284210526 0.083Lynn 58.8 6.189473684 0.055Malden 54.2 5.705263158 0.051Medford 53.7 5.652631579 0.05Revere 54.4 5.726315789 0.051Everett 53.8 5.663157895 0.05Winthrop 53.6 5.642105263 0.05Chelsea 52.2 5.494736842 0.049Somerville 52.6 5.536842105 0.049Cambridge 49.9 5.252631579 0.047Quincy 52.2 5.494736842 0.049Braintree 54.8 5.768421053 0.051Randolph 55.7 5.863157895 0.052Weymouth 58.2 6.126315789 0.054Brockton 64.1 6.747368421 0.06

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Food from the SupermarketApples

BeetsBeans

Blueberries

Broccoli

Corn

Apples from a nearby supermarket can come from as far away as New Zealand! The transportation to get them here produces about 399 metrics tons or 880,536 pounds of carbon dioxide! This amount is equivalent to sending 143 tons of waste to a landfill annually and burning 429,066 pounds of coal.

Want blueberries? Blueberries can travel nearly 3,000 miles all the way room California to reach a supermarket near you. A truck traveling this distance can produce approximately 4.7 metrics tons or 10,290 pounds of CO2. 120 tree seedlings would need to be planted for the next 10 years to sequester this amount of carbon.

A nearby supermarket receives all five of these

vegetables from Maryland. This produce travels roughly

366 miles to reach the Worcester county region,

producing nearly 1 ton or 1,294 pounds of CO2.

Onions

Carrots

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Peppers

EggplantsButternut Squash

Sweet Potatoes

PotatoesCucumbers

Tomatoes

Sweet potatoes have a similar journey to their relative potato. Supermarket sweet

potatoes may come from the west, traveling nearly 1,180 miles and

emitting 2 tons or 3,845 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Roughly 1,023 miles would be driven by the

average passenger

vehicle to get peppers to a supermarket.

Supermarket butternut squash may come from

Mexico, traveling 3,537 miles and

producing 11,554 pounds

of CO2 to get

The distance traveled to get supermarket potatoes from Colorado is equivalent to

burning 3,345 pounds of coal.

16.9 tree seedlings

would need to be grown for 10

years to sequester the

carbon produced from the travel

This produce may come from Ontario and the distance to get there is roughly

6,565 miles. A truck traveling from here can produce about 1 ton of

CO2.

This amount is equal to

approximately half a ton of waste being sent to a

landfill or 25 tree seedlings grown

for 10 years to sequester the

carbon.

Cubanelle PeppersWant cubanelles? Get them from North Carolina, where

the trip produces 1 ton of CO2 to reach the local area.

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Fruit/Vegetable CO2 Emissions from Distribution Location

(Metric Tons)

CO2 Emissions from CHP (Metric Tons)

Apples 399 0.087Beets 0.587 0.087Beans 0.587 0.087

Blueberries 4.7 0.087Butternut Squash 0.587 0.087

Carrots 0.587 0.087Corn 0.587 0.087

Cubanelle Peppers 0.947 0.087Cucumbers 0.972 0.087Eggplant 0.658 0.087Onions 0.587 0.087Peppers 0.43 0.087Potatoes 3.1 0.087

Sweet Potatoes 1.7 0.087Tomatoes 0.972 0.087

When most people enter a supermarket, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t usually about where the food they’re buying comes from. We often forget or do not even realize that our food can come from thousands of miles away to reach the nearest grocery store. As mentioned earlier, shipping foods from all over the globe to our nearest supermarket requires massive amounts of fossil fuels, generating large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the local foods movement is growing and fortunately because of organizations such as Community Harvest Project, people are having access to local produce that has a tremendously smaller environmental impact due to the short distance the food has travelled. See below the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to get some common fruits and vegetables to a nearby supermarket compared to the about of CO2 emitted for CHP’s produce to reach its farthest destination.

Let’s Compare

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Works Cited

Climate Guest Contributor. "Local Versus Non-Local Food: Is The Kind of Food You EatMore Important Than Where It Comes From?"ThinkProgress. N.p., 06 Dec. 2011.Web.

Grace Communication Foundation. "Local & Regional Food Systems."GRACECommunications Foundation. Grace Communication Foundation, n.d. Web.

Additional References

"Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.Web.