Eating Less Fossil Fuels

[PeakOiler]

kpeavey and I were posting some examples in the Gardening - General thread relating the use of fossil-fuel use for food production and how we must address the use of fossil fuels for food processing and/or production.

Please post your examples and comments relating how you are eating less fossil fuels.

See

Eating Fossil Fuels

if you haven't already.

I realize a lot of good posts have already been made with regards to this topic, but perhaps it's time for a refresher, especially for newbies.

[diemos]

Electron microscope photo of an ant's head.

[Golgo13]

Trying to grow some of my own food.

Not doing too well.

[hillsidedigger]

I found a used shovel discarded at a construction site 4 years ago. Since then, I purchased a rake, a hoe and 2 metal buckets.

I started using it and now garden 20,000 square feet and still use the same shovel.

It would take awhile to explain the development of the compost pile. No fossil fuels involved.

[kpeavey]

Petroleum and fossil fuels are used in almost every aspect of the food system.
Field machinery is built and operated with diesel and gasoline
Fertilizers are produced with petroleum
Pesticides are produced with petroleum
Herbicides are produced with petroleum
Irrigation water is pumped with diesel or electricity (coal, natural gas)
Grain crops are dried most often with natural gas and with some electricity
Processing uses diesel, natural gas and electric
Distribution is primarily diesel (trains, trucks) and bunker fuel (shipping)
Refrigeration is primarily electric (coal, natural gas)
Packaging is often single use containers and diverse: plastic (petroleum), cardboard, wood, cans, glass, wax (petroleum), foil, paper. Production of packaging is energy intensive.
Retailing uses electricity (coal, natural gas) for lighting, advertising, refrigeration, air conditioning
Shopping is primarily gasoline in personal vehicles
Home food storage is electricity (coal, natural gas) for refrigeration
Meal preparation uses electric (coal, natural gas, propane) or natural gas stoves
The dishes are washed with hot water (electric, natural gas) and put away
Finally, the trash is taken out in bags (petroleum) and hauled (diesel) to the dump.

I've read estimates that 19% of US petroleum consumption is in agriculture. Another 40% is used in transportation. I'm sure there is some overlap in these figures, but massive amounts of energy are used to produce food and get it to the stores. Giampetro and Pimental (see above link) have calculated 10 calories of exosomatic (produced outside the body) energy is consumed for each calorie of food energy that reaches the store. Most of this energy comes from fossil fuels. In light of declining availability of petroleum, a radical transformation of the global food system will be essential for our survival and will have to be fully implemented over the next 50 years.

Efficiency of scale shows us that the big farms with the big machines, the big processing plants handling big volumes, use the least energy for the most result. The last line of big food handling is the big box store supermaket. Food arrives in semi-trailers but leaves it by the grocery bag. 30k pounds in, 30 pounds out. When the food arrives at home it is handled in small portions. A couple of potatoes, a can of vegetables, a pound of beef.

That pound of beef with 1500 calories probably has 15k calories involved in getting it to the store. Getting it from the store to the fridge to the stove to your plate can consume as much energy again. While every aspect of the food system needs to be looked at, the greatest energy consumption is from the store to your plate.

[nocar]

What we (hubby and me) do to reduce our food fossil fuel:
Weekly shopping by bicycle cart. (We do not own a car, grocery store is 500 m away - this we have done for 30 yrs, also when we had kids).
We buy organic food whenever possible
Since about 10 yrs I grow as much veggies as I can, using compost as fertiliser - no bought fertiliser (although I realize that the banana peels and coffee grinds that go into the compost are far from fossil free)
Since last year we buy no lettuce and fresh tomatoes - like when we were kids (we grew up in Sweden and Denmark in 1940s-50s) these are again summer and fall treats, now actually home grown.
Since last year we have one veggie dinner a week (big step esp. for hubby)
Since last summer l we have a few backyard chickens providing eggs without fossil fuel transportation. Well- the feed of course - we brought home two 25kg feed bags by bus, and they will last a year it seems. Half their food comes from tables scraps (like potatoe peels) and garden produce (earth worms and snails and grass and what else mysterious things the hens find in the back yard)

We do not miss the things we have given up and enjoy the things we have added.

[Plantagenet]

In the last few years I've eaten moose, caribou, bear, salmon, halibut, grouse, ducks, geese, and whale.

[coyote]

Jesus, do you actually use all of that?

[Ludi]

I started using it and now garden 20,000 square feet and still use the same shovel.

How much of your diet would you say you're growing? That is, what percentage of your calories and nutrition do you get from the garden versus the store?

Thanks.

[Javaman]

In the last few years I've eaten moose, caribou, bear, salmon, halibut, grouse, ducks, geese, and whale.

IOW, bush meat. Unfortunately, there are not enough wild animals to go around.

[hillsidedigger]

I started using it and now garden 20,000 square feet and still use the same shovel.

How much of your diet would you say you're growing? That is, what percentage of your calories and nutrition do you get from the garden versus the store?

Thanks.

Still learning and expanding although I fully expect in just another season or 2 to be acquiring 2/3rds. of our food from the gardens, orchards, vineyards and chickens and also donate much to family and neighbors.

I've just started attempting to grow, harvest and preserve grains.

While I say little or no fossil fuels are used in the growing of the food some (like an electric range) is used for preparing the food. I also use some kerosene to burn out ground dwelling bees nest. Much of my seed comes from mail-order but that involves motor vehicles for the delivery. Currently some of the chicken feed is still being purchased but by next winter I hope to have enough saved up from my own growing .

It would be possible by learning to save seed from year to year, by learning to press oil from sunflowers, learning to make vinegar, to make tofu also, to cook and can only on our wood-stove, etc. to eat fully off the farm with zero fossil fuel input.

On some message boards, even gardening boards, some posters are so opposed to manual labor and are obsessed with their fuel powered machines (they call manual labor 'drudgework') but heck it's very effective, technically appropriate, fun and highly rewarding. If it weren't for my need to earn money I would do 'drudgework' all the time. The truth is I expect to be earning some money from the gardening soon.

[Ludi]

I fully expect in just another season or 2 to be acquiring 2/3rds. of our food from the gardens, orchards, vineyards and chickens and also donate much to family and neighbors.

Ok, I was hoping you would give a current estimate, not what you expect to do at some point in the future. But thank you.

[PeakOiler]

Electron microscope photo of an ant's head.

Correct. But not anymore...

But you didn't tell us if you're eating less fossil fuels.

[PeakOiler]

Trying to grow some of my own food.

Not doing too well.

Don't give up. Try again, perhaps something different. I'm not growing much yet either. The weather hasn't helped much the last two Springs around here. But the peaches did fine. Set my all-time record harvest of over 60 lb (22.5 lb processed) this last June. Guess what kind of pies I'm making for the holidays?

[PeakOiler]

Petroleum and fossil fuels are used in almost every aspect of the food system.
Field machinery is built and operated with diesel and gasoline
Fertilizers are produced with petroleum I'm doing some composting for my garden, so I've lessened that amount.
Pesticides are produced with petroleum I'm still using Amdro for fire ant control. That may be a product I will miss. How are others controlling fire ants without using fossil fuel products?]
Herbicides are produced with petroleum Don't use them. I weed by hand and shovel.
Irrigation water is pumped with diesel or electricity (coal, natural gas) I use gravity-fed rainwater as much as possible for my garden and trees.
Grain crops are dried most often with natural gas and with some electricity
Processing uses diesel, natural gas and electric
Distribution is primarily diesel (trains, trucks) and bunker fuel (shipping)
Refrigeration is primarily electric (coal, natural gas) I bought a solar-powered freezer. It's been working fine for about two years now.
Packaging is often single use containers and diverse: plastic (petroleum), cardboard, wood, cans, glass, wax (petroleum), foil, paper. Production of packaging is energy intensive. I recycle aluminum cans and use the cloth shopping bags. I don't buy too much stuff in glass, except perhaps more canning jars. Yep, there's a list of stuff to stock up on...
Retailing uses electricity (coal, natural gas) for lighting, advertising, refrigeration, air conditioning
Shopping is primarily gasoline in personal vehicles I combine my shopping trips with my commute.
Home food storage is electricity (coal, natural gas) for refrigeration I've been putting gallon containers of ice made in the solar-powered freezer into the fridge so it won't run as much for about two years now.
Meal preparation uses electric (coal, natural gas, propane) or natural gas stoves Solar ovens can help and I love mesquite/oak bbq.
The dishes are washed with hot water (electric, natural gas) and put away The passive solar water heater has been working fine. I estimate less than two years from now and it will have paid itself off in energy savings.
Finally, the trash is taken out in bags (petroleum) and hauled (diesel) to the dump.

<<snip>>

[hillsidedigger]

I fully expect in just another season or 2 to be acquiring 2/3rds. of our food from the gardens, orchards, vineyards and chickens and also donate much to family and neighbors.

Ok, I was hoping you would give a current estimate, not what you expect to do at some point in the future. But thank you.

1/3rd. but only with about 2 hours a day.

[diemos]

But you didn't tell us if you're eating less fossil fuels.

My motto: Enjoy the good times while they're here. The bad times will be here soon enough whether you enjoy the good times or not.

[kpeavey]

Looking at the list I put up, there is no control over purchased food until it arrives at your home. Any food not grown at home is going to have fossil fuels involved Home food production, in whatever quantity that can be managed, is a first step in the right direction. As a bonus, food produced at home is fresher, can be raised specifically for flavor and nutrition, can be grown without potentially hazardous chemicals, has no packaging, and can serve as a family activity away from the TV.

I'm a tightwad and, in my opinion, an excellent cook. I don't regularly buy highly processed foods such as TV dinners or prepackaged frozen stir fry meals. I like fresh ingredients so I can do my thing. There are exceptions, but for the most part I prepare my meals from scratch. Heavy processing is energy intensive and costs more.

I have a garden, grown in the finest tradition of organic culture that I can muster. I'd like to grow more than I do, but the job takes me out of town frequently. My neighbor probably gets more out of the garden than I do. She takes care of the chickens when I'm gone so she can help herself. When I have more than me and my neighbor can eat, it goes into jars. While home canning does use fossil fuels, I'm able to reuse the jars. I now have a 10 cuft fridge, the same model Ludi has, which runs on 1.7 amps. Waste and scraps are composted. Hot water for handwashing the dishes is heated in the driveway. I do pretty well, could surely do better.

[Ludi]

1/3rd. but only with about 2 hours a day.

Thanks. What calorie crops are you growing, if you don't mind giving some more details?

[PeakOiler]

How much of your diet would you say you're growing? That is, what percentage of your calories and nutrition do you get from the garden versus the store?

Thanks.

How 'bout you Ludi? I know it's been tough growing veggies around here during the drought the last couple of years. Can you give us an estimate how many food calories you grew/produced? How are those turkeys and chickens and your other livestock doing? Are your livestock eating less fossil fuels? I know you have related details before, but readers might appreciate a quick update. Thanks!