We Are Where We Eat

When I initially was moved to communicate with my family members about peak oil, it was the issue of food that shook me up. Heinberg's article was a "thunk" on my head as he described in painful detail how dependent we are on the availability of cheap fuel (oil) to get the food on our table. If the average piece of food travels 1500 miles to get to us, and if the price of oil impacts the transportation industry, then how are we going to get food when the price of oil gets too high? (Just the other morning, I heard on the news that two commercial airlines are cancelling a number of their regular flights due to the price of fuel.)

That seemed to me to be the biggie-- the one place where darn it we better do something or at least pay attention. But Heinberg (who I see as one of the least of the doom-and-gloomers) was too doom and gloom for my niece. So if she won't listen to Heinberg, who might she listen to?

One of my favorite presenters at the conference was Oklahoma-based Robert Waldrop who created a state-wide food coop of locally grown/produced food (meat as well as vegetables). I also loved him because of his jovial Santa-like presence and the fact that he didn't use PowerPoint.

Waldrop had lots of advice about addressing the food situation. Some of it easier than others to implement.

He recommends starting with your own kitchen, your own diet. Pay attention. Do you know where your food comes from? Start to notice where your favorite apples are from, where your chicken or beef is shipped from, etc... Just notice. That in and of itself can be a major eye-opener and start to change (a little) what you buy.

Do you know what food is available to you, locally? (Try Local Harvest.) Waldrop also recommended staying out of supermarkets as much as possible. Buy from local farmers markets and coops. Look into Community Supported Agriculture options in your community (CSAs).

While not discussed by Waldrop, check out the folks in Canada who are trying out the 100-mile "diet". Another group in California, the Locavores is doing something similar in the SF Bay Area.

Waldrop also discussed what macrobiotic dieters have known for years: eat with the season. Not only does it support your local economy (and reduce oppression of third world farmers), it's also healthier and tastes better. Paraphrasing Waldrop:

We all bemoan the fact that grocery store tomatoes taste like crap; well there's a good reason why. They're not grown for taste. They're bred and grown for shipping long distances, still green at the time they're harvested, and then they're GASSED in order to turn red.

If you eat meat, poultry and fish, he says, never buy from confined animal feeding operations. This means most chicken sold in supermarkets. Look for meats that are 100% forage fed and free ranging. Buy organic.

Grow at least some of your own food. It's possible to grow a lot of food in a small space. Join a community garden. Use containers if you have no access to open plots of soil. (Waldrop is growing potatoes in buckets.)

A big challenge for me personally is Waldrop's recommendation that instead of thinking "what will we have for dinner tonight?" think about what will we eat THIS SEASON. With Safeway only a block from my house, I had been feeling so good that I could WALK to and from the store with my canvas or string bags, even! And I do this every time it's my turn to cook, figuring out what I'm going to make at pretty much the last minute. The idea of prepping for a week, much less a SEASON, is really going to require some major mind shifting...

Does this seem like too much? Consider these additional options from the Locavores...