You are right about pollution - price doesn't tell you anything about that.
Price mainly tells you about energy usage (carbon emissions). And resource usage (like mining).
But you were talking about local, not about feedlots. And the reason people buy local is energy. And for that, price is an excellent way of detecting which product used less energy in it's making.
So if frozen blueberries from Brazil cost less than the blueberries from the farm up the road, then, despite not being local, they used less energy in the growing.
Personally I think that pollution is important, not just CO2, so I buy organic when I can, and I don't care in the slightest about local.
These are good points, and I don't disagree. My localism is driven by more than simply C02 math, however--it's about community and supporting people I can know.
Comments
You are right about pollution - price doesn't tell you anything about that.
Price mainly tells you about energy usage (carbon emissions). And resource usage (like mining).
But you were talking about local, not about feedlots. And the reason people buy local is energy. And for that, price is an excellent way of detecting which product used less energy in it's making.
So if frozen blueberries from Brazil cost less than the blueberries from the farm up the road, then, despite not being local, they used less energy in the growing.
Personally I think that pollution is important, not just CO2, so I buy organic when I can, and I don't care in the slightest about local.
These are good points, and I don't disagree. My localism is driven by more than simply C02 math, however--it's about community and supporting people I can know.