Jay M. wrote:Basically, the conclusion on the food miles issue was "the jury is still out".
Jay M. wrote:You must listen to a piece by Stephanie Sanders at WFPL on this topic that was aired last evening and this morning. I'm trying to find a link to it.
She "did the math" on fuel used for 108 farmers driving 100 miles roundtrip to B'town Road farmers market each with 100 heads of lettuce vs the same number of lettuce heads (truck filled to capacity) coming from California on a semi-trailer truck. The truck used 42% of the fuel that the farmers would use.
I haven't checked the arithmetic, but if it's true, it's a compelling argument that the feel-good food miles issue is questionable in terms of fuel use and, if you like, the "carbon footprint". The WFPL piece was well-balanced in that it acknowledged that other factors might go into the equation. Basically, the conclusion on the food miles issue was "the jury is still out".
Ron Johnson wrote:From a statistical analysis perspective, the comparison that she chose to make in order to make her point is so fundamentally flawed that it is meaningless. I'm not saying she is wrong, but she used a very flawed and self-serving methodology.
Jay M. wrote:Ron Johnson wrote:From a statistical analysis perspective, the comparison that she chose to make in order to make her point is so fundamentally flawed that it is meaningless. I'm not saying she is wrong, but she used a very flawed and self-serving methodology.
You'll have to listen to the piece if I can find it. It was not at all self-serving. In fact I thought it was balanced and, as I said, concluded that more evidence is needed. Perhaps I gave the impression it was one-sided based on the part I chose to focus on.
I'm no statistician but I don't see her "lettuce" example as fundamentally flawed at all. Her assumptions and the way she analyzed the numbers seemed very logical. She acknowledged there might be more to it and further research is needed. But I always appreciate someone backing up claims with a little logic. One other item to consider in her analysis is the additional fuel to get the lettuce from the a central point where the semi drops it to retail outlets.
And, I fully understand the benefits of buying local, including freshness, supporting your neighbor and others Robin cites, but as Leah said, the report made me think about the "carbon footprint" thing.
Bedford Crenshaw wrote:When I first saw something about "food miles", my immediate thought was to find a way to squeeze bananas and kangaroo to my T-day feast.
It's just another way to take away others enjoyment for a holiday so that someone else can artificially feel good.
Bedford Crenshaw wrote:It's just another way to take away others enjoyment for a holiday so that someone else can artificially feel good.
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