For instance I cringe every time I hear the phrase “eat local” because it is supposedly environmentally friendlier than eating produce from further away because it supposedly uses less energy. During the winter in the SF Bay area, this makes a lot of sense. We have a relatively benign climate for growing produce during our rainy season. I know that I can grow my backyard produce here in the Eastbay for the most part without ever using a water hose.

But during the dry season, every drop of water that I use to grow my vegetables comes out of a hose. And this is true for just about every gardener and farmer in California. Every drop of water comes out of a stream, reservoir or well. And every drop of water needs to be pumped. Water pumping is a very large part of our state’s energy usage.

There are other parts of country where there is summer rainfall and where gardeners and farmers are far less dependent on “developed” water.

It isn’t clear to me that eating foods from further away necessarily uses more energy or is more environmentally destructive than eating food from close by during the summer.

Environmental awareness has to become more sophisticated than simple minded catch phrases. I’m always sceptical of slogans because they tend to be a matter of marketing and not deeper thought.