1.) Create a local food policy council! There are now over 30 in the U.S., including the first in WI in Dane County established in 2005 after activists convened a local food summit that drew hundreds of people: www.countyofdane.com/foodcouncil
2.) Adopt a socially responsible procurement policy for your school, church, or hospital that gives priority to fresh local produce and fair trade products! Back in 1995 Northland College in Ashland, WI became one of the pioneers in this area by incorporating local organic food into its cafeteria menu: www.cias.wisc.edu/northland
3.) Patronize your local farmers’ market! Between 1994 and 2004 the number of farmers markets in the U.S. doubled to over 3700. To find the market nearest you, check out the USDA’s national directory at: www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets
4.) Invest in a community landtrust! Over 1500 landtrusts now protect 9.5 million acres across the U.S. from urban sprawl and reckless development. Gathering Waters serves as a clearing house for the 50 landtrusts now active in WI: www.gatheringwaters.org
5.) Implement policies encouraging conversion to sustainable agriculture! Woodbury County, IA recently passed a creative property tax rebate policy to encourage farmers to go organic: www.woodbury-ia.com/departments/EconomicDevelopment
6. ) Compile a farm fresh atlas to help connect consumers with farmers! There are now five different atlases just for Wisconsin. The oldest is that for southern WI compiled by REAP available at: www.reapfoodgroup.org
7. ) Publish a local food fair trade directory for your bioregion! One example is that put together by Family Farm Defenders and the WI Network for Peace and Justice (WNPJ) available online at: www.wnpj.org
8.) Organize a local food fair trade holiday fair! Community Action in Latin America (CALA) hosted its 10th annual fair trade holiday fair in Madison the first Sat. of Dec. 2006 which attracted thousands of people: www.calamadison.org
9.) Launch a socially responsible fundraising project for your school! Just Coffee and Family Farm Defenders began such a project in spring 2005 and dozens of schools are now promoting fair trade and local food alternatives: www.justcoffee.net/fundraising
10.) Cultivate a garden! During WWII over 40% of U.S. vegetables were grown in Victory Gardens, and according to the National Gardening Association over $18 billion worth of food is now grown in U.S. gardens each year. Madison, WI alone has 30 community gardens producing over 1 million pounds of produce annually : www.cacscw.org/gardens
11.) Join community supported agriculture (CSA)! Originating in Japan, there are now over 1700 CSAs that have taken root across the U.S. For local details, contact the Madison Community Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC): www.macsac.org
12.) Encourage urban agriculture! According to the U.N., over 15% of the world’s food is now grown in cities (three times that entering global commodity markets). Cuba is now a world leader in urban farming – to find out more, get a copy of the Power of Community video. For a good U.S. example, check out the Intervale in Burlington, VT: www.intervale.org
13.) Take the100 mile diet challenge! If not for an entire year, then for at least a few months or for a single day like Thanksgiving. The objective: to only eat food grown or raised within a 100 radius of your home. For more details, visit: http:/100milediet.org
14.) Learn how to freeze, pickle, and preserve your own food – like your grandparents did! Only about 1 in 3 Americans now preserve food at home, so you can be at the cutting edge of the latest D.I.Y. trend. If you need guidance, there are usually seasonal “how to” classes and great canning books at your public library.
15.) Talk to your healthcare provider about local food as a form of preventative medicine. Physicians Plus in Madison, WI now offers a $100 “Eat Healthy” rebate for any member ($200 for families) that are involved in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). For details visit: http://www.pplusic.com/about/index.asp?cid=25&scid=210
16.) Implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)! People in over 40 other countries, including the European Union and Japan, have the right to know where their food comes but not consumers in the U.S. COOL was passed in the 2002 Farm Bill, but has since been blocked by corporate agribusiness and the Bush administration. To find out more about how this happened and what you can do to pass COOL in 2007, visit: www.foodandwaterwatch.org
17.) Help raise the profile of local food! Back in the 1980s MN farmers created their own label to help consumers find their homegrown produce in the marketplace. Today, MN Grown is an official state program, issuing a trademarked logo to qualified farmers and producing a popular directory available at state highway rest areas. Info? http://www.mda.state.mn.us/MNGROWN/
18.) Support farmworkers rights! The largest and lowest paid workforce in the U.S. is in the farm/food sector. This is due to the fact that farmworkers were excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, and thus do not have the federal right to organize a union. Nonetheless, grassroots pressure campaigns such as that by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) on behalf of immigrant tomato pickers in FL have forced food giants like Taco Bell to raise wages and respect workers rights. Info? http://www.ciw-online.org
19.) Purchase development rights (PDR) to protect farmland! Between 1999 and 2004 there were over 600 local and state ballot measures passed, dedicating $18+ billion towards land conservation efforts. Since 1980 Lancaster, PA has used PDR to save 50,000+ acres. Info? http://www.lancastercountyheritage.com/lanco/cwp/view.asp?a=371&Q=384772
20.) Get healthy local food into school cafeterias! Over 200 schools across the U.S. now have Farm to Cafeteria programs featuring local food. When the Central Alternative Charter High School in Appleton, WI teamed up with Natural Ovens to offer healthier local food options, disciplinary problems dwindled so much that police officers were no longer needed. Info? www.reapfoodgroup.org/farmtoschool #608-263-6064
