Living In A Local Zone

Has anyone else noticed this? More and more, I’m seeing articles in the mainstream press and in books about local living: local producers, local farmers, local markets, food storage, resources, the growth of the types of farms, farmers markets, and interviews with people who use them.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle in May of 2007 was one of the first books that I saw become well-known.

It makes me really happy to see how it has expanded just in the past year, even making a full-length article in the March 2007 Time Magazine called “Eating Better Than Organic” (though I don’t really like the idea of local being considered “better” than other choices people make – its just a good choice for me, IMO).  Hopefully it can take root rather than fade as a fad – to whatever extent a person might take his/her decision and for whatever reason, awareness is a good thing.

Interestingly, in the past couple months with Thanksgiving, and now Christmas being holidays for many people, there has been quite a bit about making “local festive meals.”  I saw an article called “Holiday Fixings, Locally Grown” about a month ago in the New York Times, discussing how to have a local Thanksgiving in the Connecticut area.  Even the farmers themselves never expected to have such strong interest in the local products, but now are flooded with new customers and people wanting to get involved.  This quote from John Holbrook of Holbrook Farm seemed to say it well: “I figured: ‘Oh, man, I’m going to be eating brussels sprouts. They’ll be coming out my nose,’ ” he said. But Mr. Holbrook was wrong. “They’re gone,” he said. “There are no more for Thanksgiving. I’m out.””

What really struck me was how the people who buy local products, whether for holidays or otherwise, get such satisfaction out of knowing where the food comes from, *who* it comes from, supporting the local economy, and having fun.  The article printed a quote from a local customer: “You just sort of feel like you know where it’s coming from, and you get to know the people,” she said. “It takes a little more time, but it’s also a little more fun.”  I couldn’t agree more   And I think that when people start, maybe with just a couple trips to a local farmers market to browse or have an outing one Saturday, many keep coming back because of the experience as much as for the food.  Well, the taste of a just-picked carrot never hurts either, hee hee.

Its also interesting to see the different “reasons” people have for eating and using local products.  Some articles talk about local living as a way to support the local economy and small producers (whether food or otherwise) in an era of large-scale companies.  This one, “Man Forks Out Ideas to Fortify Economy” by Kristofer Karol at the Daily Press & Argus notes “If each of Michigan’s households spent just $10 per week of its current grocery budget on locally grown food, they would pump $37 million each week into the state’s economy.”  A good point, especially in light of the many small farms and other local businesses that are getting pushed out in tough financial times as the larger chains sometimes are seen as more affordable.  The Rutland Herald Online also discusses this in an article called “Going Local” from Vermont, taking localvore eating and expanding the concept into local living overall and how “local ownership helps keep communities vibrant” in both the financial and emotional senses.  Others mention reducing the “carbon footprint” like Eat.Drink.Better’s series on having a holiday meal created by professional chef’s ideas usinglocal ingredients – the first two parts are for the midwest and the west/east coasts.

One of the good things about having local living discussed in more mainstream media outlets is the conversation it inspires and the discussion between people with different priorities, reasoning, and motives behind their actions.  To take an example from 2007, the Boston Globe published an article called “The Localvore’s Dilemma” discussing why buying local food might not be as effective in preventing climate change/destruction as might otherwise be thought – or at least that the question is more complex than it seems at first glance if local food is grown in greenhouses.  A response to the article was made on eatlocalchallenge, by Jen Meiser, showing other motives for eating locally, going beyond the climate change issues to include community, local economy, and a sense of freshness and seasonality when eaten as the food is naturally available.

Have you seen local living (eating or otherwise) making more appearances in the news and in books? What do you think? Is it nuanced, general, positive, surprising… anddoes this vary from region to region (and in different countries)?

To finish this post, I have to add this one from the New York Times on food storage called “The Return of the Root Cellar” – I’m impressed!

Edit: I know I said “to finish this post” but I just saw a post at Farm to Philly that fit right in.  It is a thoughtful insight into school lunches sourced more close to home and the potential for the new administration in the United States to make inroads into the sustainability goals.  Check it out here, the post just before it is also about the spread of the local thinking in football teams!