In August 2005, a dozen Upper Valley Localvores challenged themselves
to eating foods grown within a 100-mile radius of home. Since
then, at
least ten other localvore challenges have sprouted up around VT and NH
with thousands of localvores committing themselves to eating locally grown
foods! There are pods in the Champlain Valley, Mad River Valley,
Addison County, Montpelier, Rutland, Brookfield, Brattleboro, Keene,
Portsmouth, and the North East Kingdom as well as the Upper Valley.
Vibrant groups of local food advocates have organized potlucks,
workshops, film-showings, talks, socials and other events. There
has
been collaboration with local food co-ops, farmers markets,
restaurants, Valley Food and Farm, NOFA-VT, and VEI. Recipes have been
created and shared, with lots of brainstorms and organizational
meetings, blogs, and a great infusion of energy around local food and
regional food self-reliance.
Click here for the "pod" nearest you
on the
Localvore pod map (click on the map to zoom in to see the fine print); or see links below for more
information.
Some
Localvore recipes to sample:
http://www.vitalcommunities.org/Agriculture/localvore/localvore_resources.htm#recipes
Successful Localvore Organizing Strategies
GETTING A LOCAL GROUP STARTED
1. Invite a group of
potentially-interested friends to a Localvore potluck. Ask each
guest to bring food that has been grown locally. Give guests an
opportunity to "introduce" their contributions, including sources of
ingredients. Discuss the possibility of an upcoming Localvore Challenge
week or month. With a few committed friends you are ready to proceed!
2. Set a Localvore Challenge date.
Summer might be best for your first challenge; it gives you an
opportunity to talk with farmers and producers at farm stands and
farmers markets. Those personal relationships add flavor to your food!
3. Set up a Localvore information
table at your local farmers market, co-op, and at local
events. Samples of Localvore food and recipes tend to draw people
in. (Local food advocates in the Brattleboro area created a Localvore
"Starter Kit" with about a dozen local foods, such as local dried
beans, flour, cornmeal, cider vinegar, honey, etc and information on
Localvores which they used as a very successful fundraiser.) It helps
to have a web site to which you can refer people for more info. Provide
free samples of localvore dishes, recipes and Locally Grown Directories
at the tables
4. Publicize your challenge.
Write a letter to the editor of your local paper inviting others to
join the challenge. (You may not get a lot of response initially but
you will have planted a seed.) Use local newsletters, radio, local TV
to promote your challenge. Let's get "Localvore" into the vernacular!
5. Develop a list of local
sources for food. In summer, fruits and vegetables may be easy
to find (in your own garden?) but sources for items like apple cider
vinegar, sunflower oil, bread flour, wheat berries, corn meal, etc may
be more challenging. Distribute the list to all those interested.
6. Ask questions and make suggestions
at stores, co-ops, farm stands, farmers markets,
restaurants. Lobby for local options!
7. Have a potluck supper to kick-off
the Challenge week/month. Create a community of localvores.
(Montpelier Localvores found that a sign-board posted outside the site
of their potluck, posted a week in advance, was a cheap and effective
form of advertising!)
8. Have a post-challenge gathering.
Plan another Challenge!
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Collaborate with your local grocery or
co-op. Co-ops and community grocery stores were very
receptive to the Localvore idea and with a little help from organizers
supported the challenges in the following ways:
• Created “Locally produced” labels to put on their
produce and bulk bins
• Ran information about the localvore challenge in
their regular ads and newsletters
• Offered “Localvore” selections in their
cafés and delis
• Added local beans and grains to their bulk section
• Published handouts listing all the locally
grown/raised products in their store
Host community events to educate the
public prior to the Challenge:
Well-publicized community potlucks (often held in church basements)
were critical for introducing the public to the idea of a localvore
challenge.
• Central Vermont had pre-challenge community-wide
potlucks at which they showed a video and had a panel discussion with
local farmers and bakers
• Brattleboro hosted free localvore pancake
breakfasts and a recipe contest
Make it easy and fun to participate
• Champlain Valley/Burlington had bulk orders of
rolled oats, popcorn and black beans ready for sale at their kick-off
party in the Intervale
• Butterfly Bakery in Montpelier offered classes on
cooking with maple syrup
Publicity
• Send out press releases and invite the local media
to events
• Give presentations to local groups (e.g. the
Chamber of commerce, the Sierra Club)
Ask local inns, restaurants, schools
and bakeries to serve local items on their menus during the
challenge
• The Burlington group contracted with Red Hen bakery
for a localvore loaf that people purchased in advance
• Many restaurants offered “Localvore” specials on
their menus during the challenge. Restaurants and inns are more
likely to participate if they are approached in person. It helps
if there is a chef, innkeeper or restaurateur in your organizing group
• Mad River Valley gave a presentation in a local
school with a sympathetic chef and had 33 children sign pledges! The
children created a cookbook of localvore recipes.
Fundraising
• Addison County asked local businesses to sponsor
their challenge. For only $25 a business could become a sponsor
and have their logo printed on our literature.
• Mad River Valley sold books at their events to
raise funds
VT,
NH & ME LOCALVORE LINKS (this is not exhaustive!)
Champlain
Valley Eat Local
http://www.eatlocalvt.org
info@eatlocalvt.org
UVM-Slade Hall Localvores
Contact: Emily Tompkin
etompkin@uvm.edu
Mad River Valley Localvores
http://www.vermontlocalvore.org
Contact: Robin McDermott
info@vermontlocalvore.org
Central Vermont Localvores
http://centralvtlocalvores.pbwiki.com
Contact: Flo Miller/Sharon Plumb
vermontlocalvores@gmail.com
Upper Valley Localvores (White River Jct/Lebanon area)
http://www.uvlocalvore.com
Contact: Pat McGovern
pmcgovern@valley.net
Sustainable Living Center at Dartmouth College
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~slc
Contact: Matt Cloyd
matthew.j.cloyd@dartmouth.edu
Dartmouth Ecovores
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecovore
Contact: Margi Dashevsky,
Marguerite.N.Dashevsky@dartmouth.edu
Sunapee Localvores
http://www.greatgrandmother.org
Contact: Mario Capozzoli
mario@iteamne.com
Hannah Grimes Localvores
http://www.hannahgrimes.com/Projects/Localvore
Contact: Jen Risley
jennifer@hannahgrimes.com
Lakes Region Localvores (Wolfboro,NH area)
http://www.galacommunity.org
contact@GalaCommunity.org
Windham Localvores (Brattleboro area)
http://www.windhamlocalvores.org
info@windhamlocalvores.org
Seacoast Eat Local (NH)
http://www.seacoasteatlocal.org
Contact: Sara Zoe Patterson
seacoasteatlocal@gmail.com
Addison County Localvores (Middlebury area)
http://www.acornvt.org/localvore.html
Contact: Bay Hammond
hamfam@together.net
Northeast Kingdom Localvores (St. Johnsbury area)
http://neklocalvores.wordpress.com
nekfood@gmail.com
Rutland Area Localvores
http://www.rutlandfarmandfood.org
Contact: Carol Tashie
rutlandfarmandfood@gmail.com
Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center Localvores
Contact: Martha Zoerheide
martha.e.zoerheide@hitchcock.org
Springfield(VT)Localvores
Contact: Sharon Mueller
sharonm@vermontel.net
Southwestern Vermont Eat Local
http://vteatlocal.org
Contact: Mary Barrosse Schwartz
localvore@comcast.net
Rationale for
Eating Locally
Knowing where our food comes from, and how it is grown or raised,
enables us to choose food from farmers who avoid or reduce reliance on
chemical additives, and foods which are waxed, irradiated and
genetically-modified.
Buying locally supports our local farmers and our local economy. It
cuts down on transportation costs, since the average distance food
travels in America is 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate.1
Simply buying 10% of our most common fruits and vegetables locally
would save more than 300,000 gallons of fossil fuel and keep up to 9
million pounds of CO2 from being emitted. 2
1 Brian Halweil. 2002. Home Grown. Worldwatch Institute.
url:
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/paper/163/orderpage.html).
2 *Pirog, R., "Food,Fuel and Freeways"; Leopold Center
for Sustainable Agriculture.
updated
04/22/09
