The Localvore Challenge!

'Localvore Challenge 2006, July 29 - August 4'

'What is a localvore?' What is a localvore, you might ask? Well,in the same vein that a carnivore is a being who eats meat, and a herbivore is one who eats plants, a localvore is a person who eats only locally-grown and produced food. A localvore is a person committed to eating and learning about food grown within their food shed. Localvores recognize that there are multiple benefits of eating food grown close to home. The informal movement has sprouted in the past five years in response to a food supply that has become increasingly global and sprawling.

Brattleboro, Vermont, is one of many communities taking the localvore challenge in August of 2006. Our localvores have pledged to eat foods grown in Vermont or within 100 mile radius of our community over the course of one week or one month in August 2006 when local food is most abundant. This project is being intitiated by Post-Oil Solutions(POS).

Take the Localvore Challenge! July 29 - August 4 Specifically, a localvore challenge is an activity, lasting anywhere from a wekk to a month, where the participants pledge to eat only food products from their region(the POS Challenge will include the state of VT and within a 100 mile radius of Brattleboro). Initial endeavors are usually done in August when local food is in great variety and abundance. But, this often leads to a January challenge, where participants have to depend upon their own(or a CSA's) efforts at putting food aside in a root cellar, those crops that can be preserved into the depths of winter.

The POS Localvore Challenge will kick off on Saturday, July 29, with a pancake breakfast for all registrants a the West Village Meeting House. During this first week, we hope to have pot luck dinners of local fare at different homes. This will conclude on Friday, August 4, during Gallery Walk, with a pot-luck banquet at the River garden. The Challenge will then continue for all those who wish to do it for the entire month, ending with a celebratory dinner.

This is a great opportunity to consciously and deliberately choose to eat %100 local food!

'What does it take to be a Localvore?' A special feature of the POS Localvore Challenge is that it will consist of 3-tiers: one for people who want to do it for the month of August, a second for those who choose the week of July 29 - August 4, and a third for folks who commit to eating at least one local food item for each meal. We have designed it this way so as to be as inclusive of as many people as we can in our efforts to encourage people to 'Eat Local."

. A great start is to visit the farmer's market and food coops which tend to provide healthy and local foods. . Purchase a Localvore 'starter kit' with hard-to-find, non-perishable, local items (e.g. flour, cornmeal, dry beans, raw honey, etc.) . Buy a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share. . Host a potluck, inviting guests to contribute a dish prepared from locally grown ingredients with recipe and sources of the ingredients.

There are varying levels of commitment in the localvore movement. We do not want the challenge to be a lonely sacrifice of eating the same food everyday at you house. Rather, we want to further discover the joys of our local harvest and gain support and encouragement from each other.

'Local Food Baskets (starter kits)' Another feature is that each registrant may purchase a special starter kit. This will include: . 12-15 hard-to-find, non-perishable, local items (e.g. flour, cornmeal, dry beans, raw honey, etc.) . Literature about where to obtain locally-produced food, including those found in the starter kit. . One 'wild card' for that certain item (coffee? spices? chocolate?) that cannot be located in the region, but that a person cannot live without. . And, finally, special local food discounts for localvore registrants from places like the Co-op.

The starter kits will be available at various locations in Brattleboro beginning July 1(including the Coop parking every Wednesday in July, and in front of 'Save the Corporations from Themselves' Hemp Store on a daily basis). All the proceeds from the sale of the starter kits will be used by POS to further its various campaigns, especially pertaining to food.

'Why Eat Local?' Eating Locally...creates less pollution and contributes less to catastrophic global climate change(global warming). When food is produced locally, fewer fossil fuels are used thereby positively impacting our health and the environment.

Eating Locally...benefits the local economy. Our dollars are much more valuable if they bounce around the local economy. A dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. When businesses are not owned locally, money leaves the community with every transaction.

Eating Locally...is more sustainable. In the context of peak oil, a looming energy crisis, and a potential food crisis by 2020, it is essential that we work towards a more sustainable community.

Eating Locally...is more self-sufficient. When our community becomes more self-reliant, we are less vulnerable to being manipulated by big corporations, the federal government and market pressures.

Eating Locally...benefits local farmers. Eating locally is a great way to connect with hardworking and knowledgeable Vermont farmers. They are valuable members of our community and it is essential that we show our appreciation and respect by buying locally grown food.

Eating Locally...is healthier. Locally grown food is fresher and requires fewer preservatives. While produce purchased in the supermarket or a big-box store has been in transit or cold-storage for days or weeks, produce that you purchase at your local farmer's market is often picked within 24 hours. This freshness not only affects the taste of your food, but the nutritional value which declines over time.

Eating Locally...means more variety. Farmers are free to try small crops of various fruits and vegetables when they don't have to worry about long distance travel, shelf-life, or high-yield demand. Often, these diverse crops never make into large supermarkets. A diversity of crops protects the farmer and the food supply from pests, disease and unpredictable market forces.

Eating Locally...is more food secure. We can trust locally produced food because our neighbors are more likely to look out for our health than big corporations half way around the world. It's simple - when we know where our food comes from, we are less susceptible to falling prey to the spread of disease, genetically modified foods and other market pressures that could result in a food shortage.

Eating Locally...does not feed into corporate globalization. Globalization and corporate consolidation of the food supply - through vertical and horizontal integration - puts constant and severe pressure on family farmers throughout the United States and the world.

Eating Locally...protects the community from devastating sprawl and farm foreclosures. Supporting local providers supports responsible land development. When you buy local, you give those with local, open space (farms and pastures) an economic reason to stay open and sprawl-free.

Eating Locally...is a great way to get connected with the land. By eating with the seasons, we are eating foods when they are at their peak taste, are most abundant, and the least expensive.

Eating Locally...just tastes better!

Ultimately, people find fulfillment through activities that build community - and what better way to bring people together than food?!

'Post-Oil Solutions' As part of our stated mission to build the necessary infrastructure for sustainable communities in our region, Post-Oil Solutions(POS) has placed a special emphasis on local food production and consumption during the first year of our existence.

The reason for this is no mystery once the connection between petroleum and our food supply is understood. For the most part, the American diet is imported, with the average meal traveling some 1500 miles before it is consumed. Industrial agriculture has replaced local farmers as the source of our food, which means that our diet is heavily dependent upon petroleum. From fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy machinery, to processing, packaging, and transportation, the basic ingredient is oil.

This situation is especially problematic as we enter the age of peak oil, when petroleum, and its many by-products, become increasingly scarce and expensive. That is one reason why POS has initiated the Localvore Challenge.

'List of Resources' www.postoilsolutions.org www.eatlocalvt.org www.vitalcommunities.org www.newdream.org www.localharvest.org www.vermontagriculture.com

For more information and for anyone interested in registering for the Localvore Challenge or purchasing a 'starter kit', please click here or contact Rebecca (257-2731, bex_golden@hotmail.com) or Slug (348-6335, riverrocks@hotmail.com).

Please join us at Post-Oil Solutions!