Did you know that, in the United States, the typical carrot travels 1,838 miles before it reaches your dinner table? And that that carrot is typically treated with 13+ pesticide components? So, between the fossil fuels required to gas up the transport vehicle, the emissions released during that 1,838-mile trek, and the pesticides that wash into surface waters during rain events, even the simple carrot has a marked impact on environmental sustainability.

So...what can we do?

Contrary to the beliefs of many children, not eating those carrots (or any other vegetables) is not the answer! One key to maintaining agricultural sustainability is to eat locally. By definition, eating locally means that the food you put in your mouth was either grown in the state you live in, or travelled no more than 400 miles to make it from its farm to your plate. Local foods tend to be grown or produced in a smaller scope, which limits the impact that harvesting, tilling, and pesticide use has on the land. The sale of local foods, either in farmer's markets or through local restaurants, promotes economic growth within the region by keeping farmer profits higher. Eating locally also means eating seasonally; stocking up on those carrots in the summer months when the farmer's markets and local gardens are overflowing, and transitioning to snap peas deep in the heart of winter.

It is important to note that there are some meats and produce that cannot be grown in Kansas (for example, citrus fruits); while it is more sustainable to buy locally, sometimes you just have to have a pomelo. Just look at the produce sticker and try to pick one that has travelled the shortest distance from tree to grocer!