Going Veg

Though my food choices are limited by a vegetarian diet I don't necessarily consider the impact they have environmentally nor do I make decisions about what to eat based on environmental considerations. However, I often feel that I'm under less pressure to do so since my carbon footprint is lessened significantly by being vegetarian. That said, I do try to buy local and organic but don't pay as much attention to it as I'm sure I should. In being environmentally conscious regarding food choices I try not to buy things out of season that are imported and do peruse nearby farmers markets for produce, but even the "locally grown" stuff at DC farmers markets is from Pennsylvania (which, by the way, isn't local). I suppose the item I consume that has the greatest environmental impact would be fruit because it's usually not in season around this area so has to be shipped in from across the country or continent. Additionally, restaurant dining must also have a large environmental impact which would increase my carbon footprint for food but since my budget doesn't allow for a whole lot of outings it's probably not too terrible. Thankfully, since I don't eat meat I don't have the animal raising, slaughterhouse, refrigeration, transport etc. environmental impact that most Americans do. Ultimately, I do believe my choice to be vegetarian has lessened my environmental impact in a big way.