Learning to Eat Locally
Resources for a More Eco-Friendly Way to Dine
Resources about the benefits and how-tos of locally-based eating.
You've probably encountered a growing number of news stories about the concept of eating locally, choosing fresh, seasonal foods grown in the region in which you live over foods shipped from other states, provinces or countries. What's the big deal?
Well, the deal is that researchers have found that the "fresh" produce you buy at the store has travelled, in the U.S., about 1,500 miles on average from farm to supermarket. In the U.K., many fruits and vegetables have taken even longer trips: around 5,000 miles, according to one study. All that distance travelled requires lots of fossil fuels, generates lots of greenhouse gas emissions and takes many days to complete, which means the food isn't necessarily all that fresh by the time it lands in your grocery store's produce aisle.
So if you're looking for a better alternative, where do you start? Check out some of these Websites to learn more about the benefits of eating locally and how you can adopt a local diet yourself:
100 Mile Diet: This site was created by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, residents of Vancouver, British Columbia, who decided in 2005 to launch an experiment: a full year of eating and drinking only what came from 100 miles or less from their apartment. They have since written a book on the subject: "The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating" (the Canadian version) or "Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally" (the U.S. version). Their Website includes a guide for getting started on a 100-mile diet, as well as a mapping tool to identify your local "foodshed."
BigBarn: The U.K.-focused BigBarn lets users type in their postal code or town name to find food producers within a 15-mile radius of their homes. Users can also search for specific types of foods grown or raised closest to where they live, find recipes for seasonal produce and sign up for a fortnightly newsletter on all things related to local eating.
Eat Local Challenge: EatLocalChallenge.com is a blog written by a group of people from across the U.S. who discuss the benefits, challenges and discoveries of a locally-based diet. The site includes a feature on "10 Reasons to Eat Local Food," tips and an online shop if you're interested in hats, shirts or other gear to advertise your status as a locavore..
FoodRoutes: FoodRoutes features news and feature articles about local eating, an interactive map for finding farmers, markets and community-supported agriculture programs across the U.S., tools and fact sheets for food and farming advocacy, an email newsletter, links and more.
PickYourOwn.org: How do you really know if your food is fresh and locally grown? If you picked it yourself right off of the vine, bush or tree. This terrific Website provides information about pick-your-own farms throughout the U.S. as well as in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.K. You'll also find information on food-related festivals, what's in season when, home canning tips, recipes and lots of links.
