Eating local and seasonal foods supports local farmers and the production of crops that are appropriate to our local environment. This alleviates the modern reliance on the long-distance transport and refrigeration of foods that are grown thousands of kilometres away.

In addition, foods grown in sync with the seasons are more in tune with our intuitive nutritional needs - after all, who wants a cucumber sandwich in the middle of winter?

How to do it now

Buy and eat local and seasonal food - Farmers markets are the best place to buy locally produced food. Details can be found in these listings:

• Australian Farmers' Markets Association
• Organic Food & Farmers Markets Picnics
• Markets in Sydney

Foods in season throughout the year:

Grow your own food - The best way to get local and seasonal is to use your own backyard! You can have a veggie garden all year round with seasonal vegetables (See the Grow your own food section).

Why this action is important

Changing our eating habits is a simple way to reduce our impact on the environment, address climate change (via reduced transport and industrial energy) and support local communities and farmers. You'll benefit from an interesting and diverse diet year round and support organisations like the Australian Farmers' Markets Association, which advocate low-impact farming and produce diversity.

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