100 Mile Lunch!!!!

That's right, 700 grade six students are going to experience and learn about the social advantages of the 100 mile diet. The lunch portion of the Days of Action being held on April 22nd will serve all these kids a yummy lunch supplied by local growers. Strengthening the relationship between local food growers and local consumers benefits the environment directly through the reduction of harmful emissions. As community relationships with their food providers change it will discourage the use of chemical fertilizers and encourage the production of better tasting and more nutritious foods instead of those with long shelf lives. Furthermore, the adoption of local food production will shift consumer awareness toward regional land use and local sustainability, not to mention that more money will stay in the local economy. A move to support local economy requires a proactive community and will subsequently strengthen the core community.

Food miles (kilometers) are a metaphor or concept that refers to fact that the majority of urban and regional foods in the western world are being transported long distances to reach those consuming them. All of this transport consumes fossil fuels and emits green house gases and other pollutants into the world ecosystem and is resultant from the current application of “end of pipe” thinking. This short sighted mentality treats the natural environment as a limitless sink to dilute our wastes. The aim of a local food network is not to restrict consumption only to those products produced locally, instead it encourages communities to meet there natural potential. Food miles provide a way for the average consumer to visualize the costs of transporting food and encourages a community to exercise alternative, community based approaches to market economy.