I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Mineral.
It is stuff we know, and yet, every nudge is helpful to increase our awareness about searching out and eating local foods.
I woke feeling my hands and feet and they felt very close together to me. Sometimes I notice one or the other, or neither but today I was very aware of the living being I am, and I thought of it in terms of the wider world too. This book is about that.
I quote one section that seems an important reminder. It is written by Steven L. Hopp, and is titled Oily Food.
If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country's oil consumption by over 1.1 billion barrels of oil every week. That's not gallons, but barrels. Small changes in buying habits can make big differences. Becoming a less energy-dependent nation may just need to start with a good breakfast.
I find that an amazing statistic and also a motivating one. We can set intention for one meal a week, and before we know it, we'll be eating in season and feeling much better about ourselves and the world. Hopp also says that:
Each food item in a typical U.S. meal has traveled an average of 1,500 miles.
Think about that when you shop.