1. Grow Your Own

Growing your own food is the obvious way in which you can reduce your environmental impact. Done in an organic way, raising crops for the table can actually put goodness back into the earth, not only reducing the food mileage to nothing, but also making a positive environmental impact. Meanwhile, the thrill of growing vegetables and fruit for the kitchen can be extremely exciting and rewarding, and there is nothing better than eating food grown with your own fair hand.

For many, growing vegetables and food at home can be a timely process that people don’t have the time or space for. However, even the smallest of contributions in this area can have a fantastic effect. Growing herbs on pots in the windowsill will offer healthy, fresh food without having to buy them at a supermarket. Tomatoes can be grown in hanging baskets, and even potatoes can be planted into custom designed sacks which will provide a great, home grown harvest.

2. Buy Locally Grown

One of the problems with buying vast amounts of foodstuffs from supermarkets and huge food outlets is that products have often been flown halfway around the way. This results in a high food mileage for products, with their environmental impact being high whatever the organic conditions they may have been grown in.

Sourcing food from a local market or farmer is ideal. Not only will these products often be better tasting due to being fresher, but their carbon miles will be negligible. In addition, buying products from local growers helps the economy by putting important funds back into some of the areas where they may be needed most.

3. Reduce Your Packaging

However environmentally friendly a food item may be, if it is wrapped in a huge amount of plastic or cardboard it’s impact upon the planet rockets. For this reason, when buying products try to avoid unnecessary packaging. Opt for single fruit and vegetable products instead of items in packets. If there is item in a plastic tub, and one in a cardboard box, buy the cardboard one so that the packaging can be easily recycled.

4. Avoid Plastic Bags

Similar to the impact that food packaging has, using new plastic bags every time you shop has a negative effect on the earth. Not only will the constant use of plastic bags increase the demand for such products, but such bags are difficult to recycle and will remain in rubbish tips for decades. Many supermarkets and outlets offer strong, plastic reusable bags which can be used. Even better, utilize a rucksack, cloth hold-all, or mesh bag from home, and do away with plastic altogether.

5. Walk to the Market

Whilst it may not seem an obvious step to take in reducing your carbon footprint, simply walking to the supermarket instead of driving will save valuable food miles. Whilst items may have travelled halfway around the world, that extra distance from market to home will also increase any foodstuff’s negative environmental impact. Walking will not only reduce food mileage on items, but will be welcome exercise and save money on petrol.

There are many ways in which you can reduce your carbon footprint and the negative environmental impact that you make on the earth. Food is a daily necessity, and as such is the source of a large amount of carbon emissions. However, by taking a few steps and implementing new processes in the home, these emissions can be reduced. Whether growing everything on an allotment or simply deciding to walk to the shops with a cloth bag, even the tiniest of efforts can make a large difference to a food’s environmental impact.

Geoff Wakeling is a London gardener, blogger, and a guest writer for Brookside Patio Furniture, which specializes in wicker patio furniture. Browse for an outdoor chaise lounge or an outdoor loveseat at www.brooksidepatiofurniture.com