There’s no doubt that gardening is the perfect quarantine activity and that harvesting your own peppers is super rewarding (and delicious). But what if I told you that growing pepper plants did more than just fill up your free time and your stomach? What if it was something that had a positive impact on the whole world?
Well, as it turns out, growing hot pepper plants, or any type of leafy green plant for that matter, does impact the entire Earth – in a much bigger way than you might think. Here are three specific ways how growing your own pepper plants and fresh produce can help combat carbon emissions.
Curbing New Carbon Emissions
Picking up peppers and other produce at the local grocery store might be more convenient, but it’s not without consequence. Just like everything else in that store, a fossil-fuel burning truck brought it there. In fact, food travels an average 1,500+ miles before it’s actually in your hands ready to be eaten. That’s quite the contrast compared to simply walking out to your backyard garden or grow tent and picking it fresh.
In short, buying peppers and produce from the grocery store not only affects the freshness of your peppers, but it also requires a huge amount of fuel to be burned in order to get those less-than-fresh peppers into your hands.
Reducing Food Packaging Waste
Along the same lines, when you reduce your reliance on grocery store produce by growing your own supply of fruits and vegetables, you’re helping to minimize waste from food packaging materials such as plastics and cardboard. All those man-made materials require a burning of energy to make them and to dispose of them.
Even the clear produce bags and those little annoying stickers found on grocery store produce have an impact. Plus, if you’re buying the peppers that come wrapped in plastic, you already know they aren’t fresh!
Pulling Carbon from the Atmosphere
Lastly, populating your own pepper plants and fresh produce not only prevents new greenhouse gas emissions, but it can actually pull existing emissions out of thin air. That’s right, the C02 that’s been building up in Earth’s atmosphere is the same stuff that plants inhale and thrive off of.
Carbon, as it turns out, isn’t really harmful in itself. In fact, your body is made up of about 18.5 percent carbon and each year you emit approximately two tons of carbon dioxide. The harm comes when more C02 is emitted than what Earth’s plants and ecosystem can absorb. Given the fact that global emissions of energy-related carbon dioxide reached 32.5 billion metric tons in 2017, and deforestation continuing at a dangerous pace, the need for additional carbon sequestering green plant life is greater than ever before.
Ready, Set, Grow!
Now that you know the large-scale impact that growing your own pepper plants and produce can have, make a commitment to plant and grow as much carbon-capturing greenery as possible. It might seem insignificant, but every plant makes a difference, and you can be an example for others. Whether you start with a seed or a seedling, your home garden will directly contribute to curbing new carbon emissions, reducing waste, and reversing harmful C02 buildup.
Plus, you’ll be enjoying the freshest peppers possible! Happy planting 😊 🌱
