Why it is important to grow or buy - and eat - locally grown food!

Why it is important to grow or buy - and eat - locally grown food!

I couldn't find labels on all of my produce, but let's take a look at what I did find. Here's a list of fresh (and I use that term loosely) produce I ate for breakfast and lunch, where it originated from, and the number of miles it traveled to get to me. It should be noted that the mileage I list is direct from point A to point B. In all likelihood, my produce traveled considerably farther before gracing my table.

Bananas – Ecuador – 2,886 miles
Blueberries – Chile – 5,177 miles
Apples – Washington – 2,024 miles
Oranges – Florida – 817 miles
Avocado – Florida – 817 miles
Kale – California – 2,088 miles
Collards – California – 2,088 miles
Cucumbers – Mexico – 1,917 miles
Tomatoes – Florida – 817 miles
Peppers – Mexico – 1,917 miles
Onion – Washington – 2,024 miles

So by the time I had finished lunch, my food had traveled 22,572 miles. That's almost one full trip around the globe! Anyone else see the absurdity in this?

Excellent article: It takes a community to sustain a small farm

It takes a community to sustain a small farm
by Steph Larsen
5 Jan 2010
Link to full article below

These days it seems the most popular person to be in the food system is the “local farmer.” Farmers markets are popping up everywhere, and their size and popularity grow all the time. Local food is trendy—even the First Family is in on it.

But as anyone who has ever raised grain or livestock can tell you, the farmer is not the only person in the chain of players from her farm to your fork. In addition to producers, your food chain includes processors, distributors or transporters, and retailers.

In other words, to have a truly local food system, we also need local butchers, bakers and millers, local truck drivers, local grocers, and a community that supports them in all their efforts.

Please read the full article: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-01-05-it-takes-a-community-to-sustain-a-small-farm

Seasonal Produce - Eat According To Earth's Local Harvests

Winter	Spring	Summer	Autumn/Fall
Beetroot	Purple Sprouting Broccoli	Asparagus	Wild mushrooms
Cabbage	Carrots	Courgettes (Zucchini)	Sweetcorn
Leeks	Spring onions (Scallions)	Mange Tout	Beetroot
Onions	New potatoes	Globe Artichokes	Sweetcorn
Brussels Sprouts	Spring greens	Garden Peas	Cauliflowers
Shallots	Lettuces	Green beans	Carrots
Parsnips	Asparagus	Cucumber	Marrows
Swede	Broad beans	Lettuces	Broccoli
Spinach	Spinach	Radishes	Butternut squash
Curly Kale	Rhubarb	Watercress	Turnips
Artichokes		Peppers	Cabbages
Pumpkin		Tomatoes	Parsnips
Apples		Sweetcorn	Celery
Pears		Summer berries	Leeks
Nuts		Cherries	Apples
		Currants	Pears
		Plums	Almonds
		Melons	Chestnuts
		Apricots	Elderberries
			Grapes
			Figs

Local Stores Buy Local, Build Support

Local Stores Buy Local, Build Support
December 24, 2009
Link to full article below

Let’s turn to the next chapter in the saga of malls vs. local merchants, and foreign-owned chain supermarkets vs. independent grocers. The underdogs with deep hometown roots are fighting back, and carving ways to convert the favorable local sentiment they enjoy into some cold, hard cash.

The burgeoning ‘buy local’ movement in food is one trend that smaller, independent food stores can turn in their favor. On one hand, they are likely to be more nimble, more familiar with the local supply chain (say, of produce growers), and more important to these suppliers. Also, consumers wanting to buy fresh and healthy enjoy the notion of foods brimming with nutrition because they’re right out of the ground. If these sources grow foods naturally or organically, that’s better still.

In Hardwick, Vermont, a remote town of 3,000, “businesspeople have focused on supplying more of the region’s local food needs by creating new markets for area farmers,” wrote The Christian Science Monitor, in a report on Michael Shuman’s book, The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Local Competition. “Entrepreneurs have built infrastructure to turn local soybeans into tofu, for instance, and to age cheese for area cheesemakers. Such enterprises, along with growing businesses in related trades, account for as many as 100 new jobs” in this area.

The effort is admirable also because it keeps revenues local, and refortifies the Main Street economy.

To read the full article: http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/941

The 100-Mile Diet for Electricity? The Institute for Local Self-Reliance Argues for Decentralization

The 100-Mile Diet for Electricity? The Institute for Local Self-Reliance Argues for Decentralization
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada
11. 2.09 Link to full article below

Well, Not Literally 100 Miles...
The Insitute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) has released a second version of its study titled Energy Self-Reliant States. In it they look at various ways that U.S. states could generate clean electricity locally (rooftop solar PV, onshore wind, offshore wind, etc). Just from the name of the institute, it's pretty obvious that they aren't in favor of centralized solutions to our energy problems, but at least they aren't all ideology: They back up their claims with a lot of data.

Among other things, the report claims:

All 36 states with either renewable energy goals or renewable energy mandates could meet them by relying on in-state renewable fuels. Sixty-four percent could be self-sufficient in electricity from in-state renewables; another 14 percent could generate 75 percent of their electricity from homegrown fuels. [...]

To read the full article: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/ilsr-local-decentralized-energy-generation-in-usa.php

Play Locally

Play Locally
Cut down on carbon emissions and rediscover the joys of your own community, instead of jet setting. By Brian Clark Howard Link to full article below

Cut down on carbon emissions and rediscover the joys of your own community, instead of jet-setting off into the distance at the first sign of a holiday.

More than 38 million Americans planned to travel 50 miles or more on a recent three-day holiday weekend, and 84 percent planned to travel by car, according to AAA's annual survey. More planned to travel this year than last, even though the cost to travelers rose — reaching a household average of nearly $600.

Don't be average. Play local.

Many towns are chock-full of things to do: local flea markets, craft fairs, kid expos and other community events close to home. Local fairs can be a great way to find local artists, crafters and farmers to add to your personal directory of local producers.

Time off is also a great time to get outside.

To read the full article: http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/1819?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist

******************************************************
If you enjoyed this, would you please make a donation?
Even $1 or $5 helps us to serve you.