What is another way local food affects the environment? Local food can also be a bad thing. This is if people use greenhouses to grow food and not an average farm. When using a hothouse, a lot of electricity is needed to power the lights that are a substitute for warm weather and the sun during winter. Using excessive electric power can decrease our natural resources that we need for other purposes. So it wastes money, energy, resources and the food grown might not be good as in health wise.