Think Globally, Eat Locally

One of the big social concerns right now in the Western Hemisphere is how to reduce our oil and gas use. One of the other big social concerns is how to reduce the size of our butts. Oddly enough, in many ways the answers to both of these questions are related. No, I haven't developed a car that runs on human fat (yet).

In many places in the U.S. there exists something called a 'food desert'. According to the website Market Makeovers a food desert "is a term that describes geographic areas where mainstream grocery stores are either totally absent or inaccessible to low-income shoppers. Though these may be located in the vicinity, they remain unavailable to low-income residents because of high prices and inadequate public transit. While the phenomenon is typically associated with large, urban communities, it can also occur in rural neighborhoods."

The Local Food Movement is a handy label for a group of people who think that food deserts and general lack of healthy edibles also help contribute to the dependence on fossil fuels. Mother Earth News has an article that sums this idea up very neatly by saying "With the fast-growing local foods movement, diets are becoming more locally shaped and more seasonal. In a typical supermarket in an industrial country today, it is often difficult to tell which season it is, because the store tries to make everything available on a year-round basis. As oil prices rise, this will become less common. In essence, a reduction in the use of oil to transport food over long distances — whether by plane, truck or ship — will also localize the food economy."

So what does this mean for you, me, and the loud guy in the apartment down the hall? Well it's getting easier to find local farmers markets. They're even staying open later for those of us who stay out to late on Friday nights. It's also getting easier to find a neighbor in the area who has chickens, or somebody growing tomatoes and peas on the roof or in a corner of the yard. Lots of people (including the First Lady) are putting in vegetable gardens or subscribing to a produce delivery service like Greenling. Finding local green food is getting easier and that means healthier people and hopefully less use of gas.

If you happen to be able to strap a cooler to your bike and ride over to the local farmer's market, you'll be arriving in style. If you're like me and have to drive to get there, make sure to take a cooler with wheels, a few ice packs, and some comfy walking shoes. Lots of places give out samples but you'll probably want to bring along a full water bottle of your own just in case.

Personally, I'm going to take a crack at eating better closer to home by going to visit Boggy Creek Farm as soon as I can. I need to go make friends with some chickens. I'm also planning to get a few dwarf fruit trees for my lot to go with the tomato and pepper plants I already have. I might even go crazy and get a row of corn in before the summer gets too hot.

What brought this all up today? I had to mow the lawn. More garden means less to mow and if I'm going to be watering all of that anyway I'd rather be able to eat it.