Some fruits and veggies are more eco-friendly than others and an article in the Washington Post offers some advice on picking the produce with the smallest carbon footprint. The rule of thumb they give is the cheaper the produce; the better it is for the environment.
First, they analyze the use of fertilizers. Bananas use the most by a large margin, followed by sugar beets and citrus crops. Beans and peas, on the other hand, do not require nearly as much fertilizer.
For pesticides, raspberries used the most and carrots and strawberries are also guilty of using a lot. The produce that use the least pesticides are broccoli, leafy greens, beans and grains
To determine how efficient particular fruits and vegetables are for land use, the Washington Post compared pesticide and fertilizer use with nutritional information for 12 conventionally grown crops. White rice had the least impact on the environment with 2 million calories per pound of pesticide and 82,000 calories per pound of fertilizer. Onions and sweet corn were also low-impact when it came to pesticides, but not for fertilizer. Apples and oranges weren’t eco-friendly when it came to pesticides, but used little fertilizers. Strawberries were bad for the environment on both accounts.
In addition, the article the compares organic and conventionally grown produce, which isn’t as clear-cut.