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05 February 2009
Posted in
counter culture
Shopping locally isn't necessarily the most carbon-efficient, suggests British study.
Having a box of organic vegetables delivered to your door might seem just too convenient to be environmentally friendly – one of those services pitched at urban professionals more concerned about personal health than carbon emissions than personal health. Not so, according to new research from Britain indicating home delivery can be less carbon-intensive than visiting a local growers market.
The study, conducted under the auspices of the Centre for Energy and the Environment at the University of Exeter and published in the journal Food Policy, found that delivery of a vegetable box produced lower carbon emissions than those associated with a car trip to a local farm shop. In calculating total emissions, it took into account those produced by cold storage, packing and the transportation of goods to a regional “hub”. ScienceDaily.com reports:
The study found that if the average car journey made to a farm shop is a round-trip of more than 6.7 kilometres, then home delivery was a better option even if the competing farm shop used no lighting, heating or chilling. While a delivery van will travel up to 360 kilometres to deliver an organic vegetable box, this trip will cover a large number of addresses so the carbon emissions per customer will be surprisingly low.
According to the report's lead author, David Coley, while the concept of “food miles” – the energy embodied in an item's transport from farm gate to plate – has been useful in getting people to think about the issues around carbon emissions and food transport, a more sophisticated approach is needed than just considering distance from farm to plate to effectively minimise carbon footprint:
We need to look more thoroughly at the many factors that lie behind putting food on our tables before we can say what is better or worse for the environment.
Given all that, don't take this study as an automatic reason to switch to box delivery. What might be true in Britain isn't necessarily true elswhere; and while the results point to grounds for revisiting some assumptions localism, the study also acknowldges a range other legitimate sustainability principles apart from just carbon emissions (such as investing in your local economy through support for local growers) to consider.
And if you're walking, taking a bicycle, or using public transport, you've got little to worry about. Enjoy the excursion!
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Comments (3)
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Kellie Tune
said:
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An interesting topic for Australian research! I'd be very interested to hear how this translates to an Australian context! Farming practices seem quite different here in the UK & the distance between farms & cities are not as vast... in fact I live in central Oxford & I'm within cycling distance of at least 2 pick you own farms (when they are open in the summer). I'd also be keen to hear how energy efficient it is to access your local farmers market, rather than the farm door/delivery basket option. |
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Jane Fielding
said:
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... I guess a big determination is where the organic delivery businesses source their produce from. But that goes for organic supermarkets, where most organic consumers in Australia probably buy their food. Pick-your-own farms sound like a lot of fun. |
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Mark
said:
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It's the food's miles that count most, not yours My guess is that the distance the food travels to reach the store is a more significant contributor to food miles than your trip to the store. So you'd be best off going to any supplier with a policy of sourcing food locally. In Australia, even Australian produce may have travelled huge distances. Direct-from-your-local-organic-farm food box schemes get my vote as best eco-option. |
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