A slight detour - and some very long journeys

Wandering briefly off the topic of cleaning but still on concern for our planet........................

I was in an English supermarket last weekend and saw some rather appetising-looking strawberries. The label said that they were from New Zealand! Now I have absolutely nothing against that country but what do you suppose is the carbon cost of flying each punnet of strawberries from the other side of the planet? Do we really need to buy out-of-season produce if the environmental cost is so high?

Perhaps even more disturbing is the amount of lamb which is imported by the UK from New Zealand, whilst we are exporting many tons of home-grown lamb to Europe and elsewhere. Remember also that much of the transportation is under refrigeration, which in itself greatly increases the carbon cost of the exercise.

Just two examples of unnecessary and wasteful 'food miles'. It is in the hands of the consumer to bring sanity to this insane situation - but do enough consumers care? At least if those who do already care help educate the populace as a whole as to what is occurring and the potential consequences, maybe there is hope that a significant number will examine their lifestyles from an ecological standpoint and perhaps mend their ways.

"Seeking a better way" - World of Clean