When I purchase food I try to be environmentally conscious, but sometimes my budget just won't let me. I purchase organic as much as possible, and try limit the amount of meat in my diet. Still, as the case if with a poor college student, I can't afford to pay more simply for organic. So I have to make the choice to purchase less environmentally friendly foods more often than i would like. I would also like to purchase more local foods, but until spring comes around, that option is greatly limited.

In the last few days, the corn oil i use to cook has probably had the greatest environmental impact. Corn products in general are overproduced in this country, draining fossil water and degrading soil. Also the process of converting corn to oil uses a great deal of energy and creates further waste.