What is happening?

Let’s talk about our carbon footprint. You might be wondering, “What is a carbon footprint and what does it have to do with me?” Put simply, a carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, that are released into the atmosphere by our daily actions. These gases trap heat in our atmosphere and contribute to our changing climate. 

Oftentimes, people think about cars or using electricity when they think of their carbon footprint, but the food we buy, eat, and throw away plays a surprisingly big role. Each step of the food system— growing, processing, packaging, transporting, refrigerating, cooking, and disposing — uses energy and emits greenhouse gases. Everyone has a unique carbon footprint based on their habits, which you can explore on The Nature Conservancy website. If you want to calculate your own, check out the interactive tool from the Global Footprint Network. 

Our food system is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with some estimates around 25-30% of all emissions worldwide. Food is often grown far from where it’s eaten and thus has to be transported, sometimes over thousands of miles, using fossil fuels. Packaging, especially single-use plastics, requires energy and creates waste. And when we waste food, it often ends up in landfills, and tends to produce methane, a greenhouse gas around 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. 

The way we grow food also affects ecosystems. Intensive industrial farming can degrade soil, reduce biodiversity, and contribute to deforestation. By rethinking how we buy, grow, and dispose of food, we can all play a role in shrinking our collective carbon footprint and building healthier, more sustainable communities. 

Why it matters 

When we waste food, we’re not just wasting the food itself, but we’re wasting all the energy, water, labor, and resources that went into producing it. Food waste accounts for about 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions alone. Meanwhile, shipping food across long distances increases pollution and weakens local food security. 

But there’s good news: food is a place where individual choices do matter. Unlike electricity grids or transportation infrastructure which are often city mandated, food decisions are things we can change today. And these choices ripple outward, supporting more sustainable food systems and healthier communities.  

What you can do. 

Cutting your carbon footprint, particularly in regard to food, is simple. Starting on your next grocery trip or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can try a few, or all, of these actions: 

• Shop at farmers markets: when you buy from local farmers markets, the food is often grown nearby – meaning the food travels less distance from farm to table. This small action supports regional agriculture, keeps money in your community, and often means fresher, more seasonal produce. Reduce your emissions from transportation and storage in this way. 

• Grow your own food: although this might seem difficult, it can be as simple as growing basil and parsley on your windowsill. Growing your own produce, even a small amount, reduces dependence on food shipped from great distances. It is also a fun way to connect with the land, learn the seasons of food, and plan new meals! Get started by learning to grow your own tomatoes here.  

• Join a community garden: if you cannot grow produce on your lawn, you can always join a community garden. These areas often provide shared resources (tools and compost), help to build social connections, and provide access to fresh, local food! And just as importantly, they create greenspaces within cities that support pollinators. 

• Compost food scraps: this method is a bit more complex, so check out this link for how to compost at home and this video to learn a little more about composting! Many communities offer curbside or have composting facilities, so check out those places for Florida. 

• Cut down on food waste: one of the easiest ways to reduce your food-related carbon footprint is to waste less. This can be accomplished by planning your meals, making grocery lists, storing food properly, freezing leftovers, or just being creative with your leftovers to make a new dish.  

 

Information from GoodFood, The Nature Conservancy, Global Footprint Network, Carbon Brief, EPA, and United Nations.