Eat Local and Win

By Kurt Friese

You know I'm always harping on people to eat more local, sustainable
food.  And I know, you already do.

But now, if you'll pledge to eat just 1 pound of local food each week,
you could win prizes like a new grill or a landscape makeover.

Did you know that food in the U.S. typically travels more than 1500
miles and generates five to 17 times more carbon emissions than food
grown locally?

If you pledge to eat at least one pound of local food each week – and
invite your friends to do the same – the folks at New dream will show
you the positive impact of your action and give you a shot at some
great prizes, including a $6000 eco-makeover for your yard!

Pledge to eat local today.  Go to:

http://c3.newdream.org/campaigns/c3/register/78d1cb1fcdd3003b46bb2f1fa017ab53/

Simply click, or cut'n'paste into the URL field of your browser

From the Inconvenient Truth to Step It Up to the recent Live Earth
concerts, climate change is top-of-mind for millions of Americans.
People who never before considered the impact of their consumer
choices are now asking, "besides telling legislators to do their part,
what can someone like me do?"

And even those who disagree on the climate change issue can see the
benefits of eating locally - it's fresher and tastes better, and you
can shake the hand that raised the food.  That's important.

Click to pledge to eat a pound of local food, and eat well at
the same time!  Getting rewarded for stuff you do anyway?  That's
pretty sweet.


Peace,
Kmf

By Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture is hosting a seminar on Thursday, July 19, featuring the managers of two successful farmer-owned cooperatives that distribute seasonal produce on the East and West coasts.

The seminar, which is open to the public, will be 3 to 5 p.m. in Curtiss Hall Auditorium on the ISU campus in Ames. The purpose of the seminar is to explore and discuss food distribution networks in other parts of the country that may be models for Iowa farmers.

Featured speakers include Anya Fernald, who directs the Growers Collaborative that distributes produce from small family-owned farms to public and private schools, colleges, hospitals, and corporate cafeterias in the Sacramento/Bay areas of central and southern California. The collaborative uses an on-line purchasing system and is operated by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers based in Davis, California.

Joining Fernald will be Christopher Fullerton, who currently works for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture located in Millheim, Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to PASA, Fullerton worked 14 years for the Tuscarora Organic Growers Co-op that serves the Washington, D.C., and mid-Atlantic areas. Formed in 1988, the coop works with more than 25 producers to bring an estimated 50,000 cases of produce from farm to city, offering locally grown, certified organic produce all 12 months of the year. 

For more information about the program, contact Rich Pirog, who directs the Leopold Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative, at (515) 294-1854, or rspirog@iastate.edu.
##Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Iowa State University/209 Curtiss Hall
Ames, IA 50011-1050
(515) 294-3711; FAX: (515) 294-9696