Taking a Local-Food Pledge

Just as some people make a moral choice to become vegans or vegetarians, I am making a moral choice to commit to eating as much locally produced food as possible. My personal local-food pledge goes something like this:

I pledge to eliminate as much antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides from my diet as possible, to eat food that is fresh and has flavor, to avoid meat originating in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOSs), to support my local economy rather than some big centralized conglomerate more interested in catchy slogans and profit margins, and, most of all, to develop a food culture that centers on clear enjoyment and appreciation for quality food.

So how far will I go with this? Well, I am not going to refuse eating in a restaurant with a friend or turn away a snack at work because the food doesn't meet these standards. I will, however, make an effort to buy and eat local foods and meats as much as I can. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver points out that if every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week comprised of locally and organically produced food, oil consumption in the U.S. would be reduced by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week. That is an amazing statistic.

Here, for example, is what I did today to adhere to my local-food pledge: I ate left over chicken and noodles for lunch (the noodles were homemade, the chicken free-range, both items purchased at our local farmers' market); for supper I ate a great salad (all vegetables from the farmers' market) and a slice of homemade organic honey wheat bread (again purchased just today from the farmers' market); I made a loaf of banana bread from scratch.

Sure beats Lean Cuisine on the run any day.

Comments

Trisha said…
I already posted on the other blog...but: Be at the University Park train at 10:30 tomorrow to catch the 10:57 train! See you then.

Popular Posts