Buy Local. Save America.

THE TREND: The growing recognition of the advantages of the locally-grown-locally-consumed food model over current agricultural model.

A uniquely designed “…wooden plate visualizes and physically expresses transport and distance: local food is served in generous portions and food, while ingredients from far away are served in progressively smaller portions.” From www.eatmedaily.com.

While it’s certainly not a new trend, I’m posting about locally grown food because I think it’s an important movement that the mainstream market and general public still doesn’t appreciate enough. The way I see it, consuming locally grown products solves at least three problems with the same solution. The first being rampant obesity in our country, the second being the overall deterioration of the health of our citizens, and thirdly the negative impact processing and transporting food has on our environment.

www.despair.com

All of these issues are huge problems that most people are fully aware of, yet few realize that the solution is as simple as consuming more locally produced food. And while the argument that better quality food costs more seems valid, the same argument is actually a key element in the locally produced-locally consumed food model. That is-

Spend the same amount of money on better quality and thus healthier products, but less of them, which in turn forces us to eat “less” which is actually more like the proper amount.

And in doing so we would also reduce the enormous amount of fossil fuels that are currently needed to transport food products all over the world. “But why pay more for the same ?” you might ask. Simply put- appearances deceive and not all food is created equal. If you have any doubt of that, just read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and In Defense of Food and you’ll never wonder if it’s worth paying more for grass-fed-grass-finished beef again.

3 birds. 1 stone. ‘nuff said.

Maya Donelson tends the rooftop garden of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. Photo from www.nytimes.com article, Urban Farming, A Bit Closer to the Sun.

The article following the photo above says that Wasington D.C. provides businesses with tax subsidies if business owners cover their rooftops with plants. New York City’s PS.6 has received $950K from city funds to do the same. Parents and alumni have donated almost a half a million dollars more.

Another rooftop garden, this time in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint. From www.psfk.com.

“Using the synergies between fish, plants, vegetables and algae, the Biosphere home farm has been designed to stand up right, not only to minimize the amount of floor space required (great for small apartments or tiny kitchens) but to also enable the stacking of the various mini eco-systems to ease the flow of nutrients from one level to the next. Not only will this mini-at-home-farming system produce natural foods such as lettuce, cucumbers, spices and shellfish, the ability for it to operate without electricity using only water, organic waste and the sun’s energy to power up should also bring much appeal.” Photo from www.vidafine.com.

A parting shot...

The Chanel runway for its Spring/Summer 2010 Collection echoing farm life
From www.rdujour.com