One of the most inspiring experiments to occur in the last few years is the “100 Mile Diet” first proposed by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon in 2005. Building upon the concept of buying foods locally within a one hundred mile radius of your home. By reducing the need for foods transported from different countries and across the nation, consumers also reduce their associated fossil fuel consumption. By simply eating food locally, Smith and MacKinnon proposed that you as an individual consumer could become environmentally friendly. Inspiring thousands of people, this environmentally friendly shopping has been instrumental in reviving the family farm while encouraging people to eat locally.

Considered the new organic consumer, an individual who buys food locally has an immediate effect on the local community by supporting the local economy, lowering fossil fuel dependence, and reconnecting with eating foods in tune with the seasons. Being environmentally friendly is not limited to a particular region alone either. Green friendly ideas abound in places as remote as northern Canada or as wide as Australia.
Here are some green friendly tips to help you get started. Begin with just one meal and then extend it to the day and then a whole week. It is easier to do it with someone else. Your 100 Mile diet really has very few rules. You are not restricted to organic earth friendly products available only at the farmer’s market. It can be hard initially to get every ingredient that you put into a meal locally. For example, while you might be a vegetarian, your tofu and bean products could come from non-local regions. So you will have to be flexible and incorporate some foods that come from other regions. Organic earth friendly products are always preferable to not being environmentally friendly.
Find your local farmer’s market and begin to eat locally. You can find more information at the tourism office or in the newspaper or online. In addition, you may want to join a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture program where you support a local farm by paying money at the beginning of every growing season. You then receive green earth friendly products all year round. Many of them offer delivery and produce will vary by season. Most CSA farms also offer organic produce.
You can also start your own garden even if you live in the city. Grow your own vine beans, herbs, flowers, and tomatoes. You can join a community garden and have your own plot. If you have a greenhouse, you can have a winter garden and enjoy garlic, kale, cabbage, Swiss chard, lettuce, and other vegetables throughout the cold winter months. If you are limited in space, you can purchase an Aerogarden and grow your own herbs, tomatoes, flowers, or lettuce right at home.
Finally, buying in bulk also saves you money and you can often freeze vegetables and can fruits, tomatoes, jams, and pickles. Joining the 100 Mile movement is not as hard as you think. It just requires some planning!

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