It’s a week before Thanksgiving, and I, like most people, am wrapping up our grocery list for our turkey day feast. It wasn’t until this weekend after talking to an old friend about a particular farmer’s market in the adjacent town that I realized I could further enhance my Thanksgiving green efforts by skipping Whole Foods altogether and head to the farmer’s market to make our meal as local as possible.

Need a little convincing or motivation to break the big box grocery store habit? Consider these points from various sources:

1. According to Alabama Farmers Market Authority, “Today’s farmer receives less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. When farmers sell directly to the consumer, the middleman is cut out, producing a higher profit for the farmer. The farmer then circulates his profits throughout the community with local merchants, creating a cycle that helps to build a strong local economy.”
2. According to the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension, “Buying locally grown foods decreases dependence on petroleum. One-fifth of all petroleum used in the United States is used in agriculture. Some statistics show that the average distance food travels in distribution is 1,500 miles. By learning to eat foods that are locally available and in season, families can do their part to save energy.”
3. According to Earth Talk, “Local food is often safer, too.  Even when it’s not organic, small farms tend to be less aggressive than large factory farms about dousing their produce with chemicals. Small farms are also more likely to grow more variety, protecting biodiversity and preserving a wider agricultural gene pool, an important factor in long-term food security.”