To celebrate Earth Day, we’re taking stock of our impact on the planet and thinking about ways we can all make a positive difference. One way to do that is through the practice of growing your own food. GIY is a movement that encourages people to grow their own food, whether it’s in a backyard garden, on a balcony, or in a community plot.
Here are a few reasons to get stuck into growing your own food:
Reducing food miles
When we buy food from the grocery store, it often has to travel long distances to get to us. This transportation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems. By growing our own food, we can eliminate those food miles and reduce our carbon footprint. Plus, we can enjoy fresher, healthier food – hooray!
Supporting biodiversity
Commercial agriculture tends to favour a few select crops that can be grown on a large scale and shipped long distances without spoiling. This leads to a loss of biodiversity as traditional, regional crops are abandoned in favour of more uniform, industrial varieties. By growing our own food, we can help preserve biodiversity by planting a wider variety of crops and varieties.
Reducing waste
When we grow our own food, we can harvest just what we need, when we need it. This reduces the likelihood of food waste, since we’re not buying more than we can eat or letting excess produce spoil. Plus, we can compost our food scraps and other organic waste to create nutrient-rich soil for our next crop.
Building community
Whether we’re sharing seeds and knowledge with our neighbours or participating in a community garden, growing your own food is a great social activity. By working together, we can learn from each other, share resources, and build stronger connections with our local environment.
Connecting with nature
Finally, it’s a way to connect with the natural world and appreciate the cycles of growth and renewal. By tending to our plants and observing their changes over time, we can gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all living things and our place in the larger ecosystem.
By growing our own food, we can reduce our carbon footprint, support biodiversity, reduce waste, build community, and connect with nature. So what do you say? Are you ready for a new challenge that will make you think a little more about your environmental impact on the earth and let you enjoy tasty veggies at the same time? Take a look at our range of GROWBoxes suitable for all abilities, and get started today.