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It seems like everyone is trying to live a greener lifestyle these days. One of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint is through locally-sourced food. Not only does this reduce the amount of energy needed to preserve, package, and ship food long distances, but it also supports your local economy. Community-supported agriculture, or CSA, programs are one of the most convenient ways to purchase local produce.
There are several different types of CSA programs, but the most common involves an upfront fee for the consumer in exchange for a weekly share of produce for the duration of the growing season. The upfront fee helps fund the farmer when he needs it most, allowing him to purchase all the seeds, fertilizer, and other preparations necessary to plant the season's crops. Then, each week during the growing season, the CSA participants receive a collection of produce that was successfully harvested. The variety of produce received is dictated by the harvesting schedules for each crop planted, so you're sure to never get bored.
In addition to supporting your local economy and reducing your carbon footprint, CSAs are a great way to get yourself to eat healthy on a regular basis. And they're typically quite comparable, if not cheaper, in price than purchasing all the same produce from your local supermarket. If you're interested in a CSA program near you, but don't know where to start, check out http://www.localharvest.org for lots of information about locally harvested produce.
