Laura Spierdijk began the experiment a year ago: she decided only to eat produce that came from her direct surroundings.
Spierdijk, who is a professor of econometrics, decided to start the experiment when she discovered that the potatoes in her supermarket came from Germany even though they're grown everywhere in the northern province of Groningen, where she lives.
Spierdijk wanted to reduce the number of food kilometres she consumed. The carbon dioxide emissions caused by transporting fruit and vegetables are high, particularly if cherries are imported from Chile or snap peas from Guatemala.
Last winter, Spierdijk was afraid that she might get scurvy but, to her surprise, many vegetables were still available. "The real problem," says Spierdijk, "was in late March, early April. There wasn't any more cabbage or kale. There were no more carrots or Brussel sprouts. The only things left were leeks."
She's since decided to continue eating only locally-produced vegetables and fruit, even though she has to brave the elements to get her produce.
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decided to start the experiment when she discovered that the potatoes in her supermarket came from Germany
Nothing beats fresh fruit and veggies. Even if you're shopping at the supermarket, you can make a huge difference in the distances your food has to travel if you're flexible on price and type.
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