Walking through the produce section in my grocery store this afternoon, I was confronted by a veritable cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. At first glance, this variety seemed great - I could snack on a banana grown in India, an avocado grown in California. But then I took a second look at my cart. That banana, a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia was never meant to sit next to that avocado, a fruit native to South America. Zucchini, which is harvested in the summer, shouldn't be bagged up and taken outside into the chilly fall weather. The surreal nature of the produce aisle struck me - an over-plentiful, sterile garden, where food is picked shelves instead of from the ground. No seasons. No geography. Everything you want, when you want.

But where does your produce come from? The answer to this question is actually pretty simple. In most cases in the U.S. "not from around here" is accurate, regardless of your location. So how do fruits and veggies get to you, at D'ag, in New York City, in October? Again, this is an easy one - gas. Your produce gets there by being transported thousands of miles using gas, whether it is used to fuel a plane, truck, or ship. What did my banana cost? To the environment, a whole lot more than 99 cents; for a banana to get from India to New York, it has to travel about 8250 miles. Assuming plane travel at about 575 mph, this means the banana would be en route for around 14.5 hours. How much fuel is that? Just a little over 48380 gallons. The use of this fuel, which is similar to diesel, results in a total of approximately 1074100 pounds of CO2 emissions (British Airways, EPA). 

Over the course of the next few months, I will be researching where our produce comes from and trying to raise awareness about the environmental implications of our nation's produce aisles. During this time, I will only buy produce from my local farmer's market. By doing so, I will reduce the pounds of CO2 emissions from transporting my food from millions to hundreds. The more people who take steps toward buying local produce, the bigger the advantage for our environment. After I got home from the grocery store, I unpeeled a banana. I ate it slowly, savoring it; it'll be my last one for a long time.