Boiled Eggs and Fresh Bread:
The eggs were boiled on the boiling water on the stove for about fifteen minutes. The stove runs on LPG gas, as the source of the energy.
Ingredient: 2 eggs and 1 whole wheat bread bun
Production: I usually try to purchase the eggs that come with the organic and carefree labels. I got the Rabbit River Farms eggs which is a local company located in Richmond BC. According to the company website, the hens are fed three times a day with their special food that is also processed. The humidity and temperature of the farm must be monitored regularly. The maintenance process of egg farms requires burning a lot of fossil fuels. The eggs also need to be kept in a low temperature before arriving the super markets. Organic egg production involves less fossil fuel since the chickens are able to run and roam freely and fewer machines are used in the farms. The most important step in egg production is candling in which the eggs pass over a high intensity light that would reveal imperfections of the eggs. This process also requires a lot of power.
Packaging: The eggs are placed on recycled cardboard packaging, which saves burning a lot of fossil fuels over time.
Delivery: The eggs are shipped from Richmond BC where there is a local egg farm. According to the google maps, the distance from the farm to Vancouver is approximately 15km. Comparing to the eggs that are not produced locally, local egg farms can help saving fossil fuels for during this stage. However, the truck has to remain cold in order to keep the eggs fresh.
Below is a link where BC egg producers talk about their farms:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQnQT8GLs3Q
Whole wheat bread:
Ingredients: Wheat flour, yeast, olive oil, water, salt
Production: I buy the homemade bread buns from the bakery section at Urban Fare supermarket. Their oven runs on the electricity, and it is used for about an hour to bake 30 buns.
Packaging: The buns come in paper bags that are made in the factories and brought to the store. Although the amount of required energy for making the bags is not too high, we should still consider the consumed fossil fuels for production and transportation from the factory to the store.
Delivery: The bread is baked in the store so I usually walk to the store to buy the bread. The store and local suppliers provide the bakery with ingredients.
Sources:
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/aboutind/products/livestck/eggs.htm
http://rabbitriverfarms.com/about/quality_assurance.html
http://www.gourmetfury.com/2011/01/cook-perfect-soft-boiled-eggs-in-an-electric-kettle/