Focus on sustainability by learning to shop and eat locally

BY MOLLY SMITH FOR GREENING OF OIL

The intent of most Americans upon entering a grocery store is usually to get what is on the shopping list at minimal expense and leave as quickly as possible.

Well, when I go to the grocery store, it is a different story.

I spend an average of 15 minutes alone selecting fruit. The process is quite involved and complicated, because regardless of what I'm in the mood for, I first look for fruit that came from within the state. I then proceed to look for fruit that came from within a 50-mile radius of the grocery store, and finally I look for fruit that came from within a 50 mile radius of the store and was organically produced.

If none of the fruit in the store fits the criteria, I may go without fruit for the week and start the process all over again in the vegetable section.
Welcome to my life, that of a self-proclaimed locavore.

A locavore says what?

A locavore is roughly defined as an individual who only eats foods that were produced, grown, or cultivated within a 50 to 100 mile radius. In other words, locavores are people who pay attention to where their food comes from and commit to eating local food as much as possible. These goods are often bought from local farmer’s markets or directly from the farmer, without the added expense of a middleman or processing plant. Some people, with the luxury of a backyard, can even grow their own vegetables during the summer months.

During the winter, eating locally can be difficult, especially in the north when fresh produce is scarce and farmer’s markets are often closed for the season. It is also difficult for a locavore to maintain a balanced diet, because they must eat what is in season and simply do without what is not.
Truly dedicated locavores must also sacrifice things they love if they cannot be purchased locally or even within the country (think certain cheeses, coffee, chocolate, sugar, salt and exotic fruits). However, as many locavores will also tell you, eating locally is also a rewarding experience and one of the best life decisions they ever made, as was the
case for me.

How the process began

I embarked upon my own locavorian lifestyle in a roundabout way. A 10th grade health course in high school persuaded me than my current eating habits were not ideal for optimum health and I needed to make some lifestyle changes. With the goal of a healthier body in mind, I started eating more whole grains, less processed goods, and more fruits and vegetables. I also became more interested in fun and healthy ways of cooking the new foods I was now putting on my plate and started to read extensively from cooking magazines and wellness cook books.

One magazine often featured articles on the benefits, both bodily and environmentally, of eating locally. The magazine described how eating locally could be considered synonymous with eating organically, because farmers who grow food for local consumption often do not have to comply with government regulations concerning the use of pesticides and growth hormones in products destined for large-scale markets.

As one who grew up on a farm and would rather have an organic, spotty apple over a dyed red and waxed one anyway, I decided I would try to eat as exclusively locally/organically as I could. It sounded like the ethically right thing to do; eat well and help protect the environment and planet at the same time. Soon, I was eating mostly local foods, and introducing my parents to an entirely new, but really ancient, way to eat.

My mother, pleased with my interest in eating local and organic foods, purchased a book for me that changed my life. The Ethical Gourmet: How to Enjoy Great Food That Is Humanely Raised, Sustainable, Non-endangered, and That Replenishes the Earth, by Jay Weinstein truly altered how I viewed purchasing and consuming food and reiterated my belief that eating local, organic foods benefits more than just the body, but the whole community and world. It touched on subjects from what kinds of fish are best to eat if one is concerned about overfishing and mercury content, to how to read barcodes to determine whether a produce item really is organic or actually a GMO.

It is not often a book changes my life, but this one did; by educating me on both local and global benefits, it strengthened my resolve to commit to a locavorian lifestyle.

How and why it's so important

Eating locally is a smart choice on several levels. To begin with, buying locally stimulates the local economy. By buying goods produced within the community, the money spent on the goods goes straight to the farmer/provider, thus eliminating costs that would usually go to middlemen, transportation, and packaging companies. Consumers are paying only for what they will use themselves, and in so doing, are saving money that can then be spent on other items.

Farmers save money selling locally by not having to pay shipping fees or discount goods for distributors and supermarkets.

Also, if the money spent on local goods is going directly back to the farmer, they are more likely to turn around and reinvest it in the community, stimulating the local economy even more. Another benefit of locally produced foods is they do not have to be shipped very far to reach the consumer. Incredibly, the average conventionally grown, supermarket carrot travels 1, 838 miles to reach your dinner plate. Multiply that by the rice, beef, salad and roll materials and you have got a meal which has traveled several thousand miles to get to your plate, requiring the burning of fossil fuels to get there.

Local foods need travel only a tiny fraction of the distance to get to the consumer, thus cutting down on fuel consumption and transportation costs, making them cheaper. When people buy locally, they are also cutting down on the amount of food they waste.

Supermarkets often sell produce packaged in large quantities or after the goods have been harvested for some time. Often after the consumer gets the item home, it spoils or goes bad before it can even be consumed. At farmer’s markets, you can usually purchase exactly the amount you want, and it is guaranteed fresh off the farm.

The economic and environmental impact of buying food locally is significant, and was an important factor when I was considering becoming locavore.

Not without it's challenges

Although I have only been a locavore for a few months, I have already experienced many pitfalls.

It was very, very hard to pass up the sale on Hawaiian pineapple at the store and instead settle for local, unripe nectarines. It was also a battle of will to practically live off steamed squash and green beans for several weeks because I found a source that would give them to me for free and they were perfectly in season.

However, there were really good moments, like when I found a sale on Tilapia, an ecologically friendly fish, and made dinner for all my friends using fresh, local summer vegetables. I also discovered that I could buy Fair Trade coffee from my local grocery store as a monthly treat.

The quest to be a locavore does not have to be a battle.

While in college and living in the dorm environment, it is virtually
impossible to eat locally. They key is simple: awareness.

By keeping your eyes open, opportunities to eat locally are all around. From the New York apples sold in one, select, vending machine on campus, to the locally grown bibb lettuce sold at the one café, it is possible to maintain an at least partially local diet in any and all circumstances. Locavorism is all about making the right choice when it is available and being aware of the benefits that choice will make for you and the planet.

Awareness is key

But I freely admit that I am not the perfect locavore.
Quite apart from the fact there are no local flour mills or sugary refineries, I often find myself running from class to class with barely five minutes to each lunch and end up grabbing some prepackaged, processed snack item from a café and chowing down without even looking at the label and country of origin.

Even during the summer when not under the allure of dining hall food, I do occasionally buy tea from China and chocolate from Ghana, real Swiss cheese and cereal from Sweden. However whenever there is opportunity and availability, I do make the locavore choice. I read labels.

I am “that customer” who asks the waiter where the entrée came from and whether it is local. I do search every bag of apples at Wegmans for the ones that bare the label “Product of USA” or even better “Product of New York”. I have walked the five miles to the farmers market just for a pint of deliciously crisp sweet peas and a punnet of sun-sweetened strawberries.
In the long run, I am not a locavore just for myself. I do it as an example to others, as a way of supporting local agriculture and farmers and as a way of showing the earth how I care.

About Molly Smith

Molly Smith hails from a small rare-breeds farm in Woolrich, Pennsylvania. Growing up she was an active participant in 4-H, Project Grass, Envirothon and Dairy Promotion. After her graduation from the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School in 2007, Smith moved to New York to begin undergraduate work at Cornell University. As a Natural Resources major in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Science, Smith has found ample opportunities to develop her interests in sustainable agriculture, conservation ecology and wildlife biology. On campus, she is an active participant in Forword Women’s Literary Magazine, Society for Natural Resources and Conservation and the Developmental Fencing Club. When not working, Molly enjoys rock climbing, yoga, playing scrabble and discovering new music.

Contact Molly Smith at mls379@cornell.edu.