Think Globally; Eat Locally

What does that mean exactly?

It means eating food that is better for you and the environment. Locally-grown food requires less valuable natural resources to get to your table. Learn more about "food democracy."

How can you do your part?

Here are some steps:

• Learn what foods are in season in your area and try to build your diet around them.
  
  
• Shop at a local farmers’ market, or a supermarket that carries locally produced produce.
  
  
• Ask the manager or chef of your favorite restaurant, supermarket and/or cafeteria how much of the food on the menu is locally grown, and then encourage him or her to source food locally.
  
  
• Buy extra quantities of your favorite fruit or vegetable when it is in season and experiment with drying, canning, jamming, or otherwise preserving it for a later date.
  
  
• Plant a garden and grow as much of your own food as possible.
  
  
• Better yet, pick up a pitchfork at the Heifer Ranch! You can learn first-hand how 2 ½ acres of land can be transformed into a way of life, at the Guatemala Hillside Farm located (naturally!) at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas.

Read more about why eating locally is good for you and the planet in Brian Halweil’s new book, 

Eat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket

Order the book or get more info at the Worldwatch Institute.