Signs stating "Go Tech, Go Green" and "Buy Locally" flooded the Doc Bryan Courtyard as students went to different booths to learn about ways to help our good friend Mother Earth Friday during the campus celebration of Earth Day.

One message is never displayed nearly enough: Buy locally.

What exactly does that mean? Buying locally means buy anything from someone who produced it locally (in Russellville or whatever town you live in). This can be anything from fruits and veggies to honey, doggie treats, or even something as simple as a bracelet.

Why buy local? There are endless reasons but a very simple one is the environment and local sustainability. Last time you purchased fruit from a grocery store did you notice where the fruit came from? Texas? Florida? California? Let's say you purchased an apple and it was from California. Can you imagine how much air pollution is spewed out from the truck delivering the apple to Arkansas?

According to dosomething.org, the average distance our food travels is 1,500 miles. The transportation is generally by air or truck. Therefore, an easy way to help reduce environment impact is to buy locally.

Buying locally has many other benefits too. You are essentially helping your town keep jobs.

Many local farmers make a living by selling their produce. By supporting local farmers you are helping sustain your local economy.

Now, how can buying local help you? By buying local, you are getting the freshest possible handpicked produce just for you. And generally the service is much better.

By purchasing food from local farmers you can get to know the people who actually handle your food.

How can you purchase food locally? One of the easiest ways is by attending local farmers markets. Russellville has the Pope County Farmers Market during the spring, summer, and Christmas seasons. Every Saturday until the end of the summer the Farmers Market will be held from 8 am until noon at the West Side Church of Christ Parking Lot, 2200 W. Main St.

This farmers market has been around for 40 years.

A few of the local farmers include the Holland Honey Farm, Drewry Farm and Orchards, and Cass-Capen Housley’s Four Dog’s Bakery. For more information on this farmers market visit www. popecountyfarmersmarket.com or like the Pope County Farmers Market on Facebook.

For more information on buying locally in Arkansas visit www.localharvest.org or www.arkansasgrown.org.