Infographic: Locavorism vs. globavorism
Are you torn between local lettuce and foreign fennel? Can't decide on farm-to-table or plane-to-plate? Let MNN clear the air with this beginner's guide to what being a 'locavore' or 'globavore' really means.
Comments
I'd like to see a version of this excellent graphic with a fifth character, in between the first and second or maybe the second and third, representing a scrumping, gleaning, dumpster-diving 'freegan' diet. Interestingly, such folks 'consume foods regardless of where they originated on the planet' (like a globavore) without financially contributing to global food trade. By utilising food that would otherwise become waste, their ecological footprint is zero, or even arguably a sort of 'minus'.... More
It's possible to be a moderate and have the best of both worlds. If an ingredient is available locally, patronize local farmers; if it's not, buy something imported. Here in Memphis, chain grocery stores carry tomatoes shipped from across the world despite having the best tomatoes in the universe readily available from local farmers, and catfish from the Mekong delta despite a plethora of local catfish. If you're eating tomatoes or catfish, a little extra time and money will get you better food.... More
Yes we were locavores for hundreds of thousands of years...San Francisco just "named it and claimed it". Interestingly we are really only evolutionary adapted to hunter-gatherer foods still...in the tiny time scale of a few thousand years we didn't fully adapt to an agriculturally produced diet, which is time consuming and leads to a shorter and more unhealthy life. "Gluten İntolerance", obesity, systemic deficiency illnesses come from an unsuitable diet of supposedly "healthy" "rabbit food"..... More
Ah, the belief that there is no better or more accurate description of how much a product impacts the environment than it's transport distance! Surely people are smarter than that.
Every person who works to make something has an environmental footprint. Doing things that reduce the amount of labor to make things greatly reduces the footprint of producing that item. That is why corn grown in Iowas and shipped to New York can cost less than corn grown in New York. The cost is a very good.... More
We don't all live in California - some of us live in regions that have dastardly cold winters but lots of fresh water. We just don't buy mangoes and papayas for 3-4 months of the year.
(For those who can't wait, at that time it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so one can still buy tropical fruits from the supermarket when it's blizzarding outside. It's better than leaving the surplus to spoil in Brazil!)
In 50 years on this rock the best carrot I have ever eaten was on a cold December day in Kansas. I scooped away the snow over my garden and dug out a carrot from the summer garden. Carbon footprint => zero! We have a lot to learn from the pioneers that came here in the late 19th century.
Sadly no. A job change and long drive to work means I rarely see my house in daylight hours. I am investigating the purchase of a local greenhouse and putting in a hydo/aeroponic system. Especially with prices getting out of hand. Our area has more cattle than people but vegetables etc are trucked in from out of state. Its crazy.
What if a nearby farmer picks eight crates of apples (in Pennsylvania) and drives a pickup truck 130 miles to a farmer's market in DC. A large farm in Washington state delivers eight railcar loads of apples to a distribution facility in Maryland - and some make their way to the Supermarket accross the street from the farmer's market in DC.
What if the net carbon footprint per apple was 3x higher for the locally grown apple? Does it matter? (Before anyone get's mad about the.... More
The locavore movement didn't begin in San Francisco in 2005. It began at the dawn of civilization 10s of thousands of years ago.
I'd support local farmers but, in Minnesota, they tend not to grow stuff in the winter. A diet based on foods grown within 100 miles of the Twin Cities would be pretty spare and monotonous in the winter.
I got the same problem Slim, but sort of the opposite. I live in Austin. We've had 85 days over 100 degrees this year. And no measurable rain since March. So the farmers aren't able to grow too much during the summer.
Fortunately, pizza is grown locally in most areas, and is available year round.
i am definitly a loavore and plan to stay that way. I will not eat imported food. I support my local farmers.
"I support my local farmers"
...at the expense of farmers that are unfortunate enough to live further away from you? That's a completely selfish attitude.
We're all "local" to this planet.
I equate locavore to elitist and lazy.
"I support my local farmers"
...at the expense of farmers that are unfortunate enough to live further away from you? That's a completely selfish attitude.
We're all "local" to this planet.
I equate locavore to elitist and lazy.
That's nice and all, but if you live in central Texas (like I do) where we've had 85 days over 100 degrees and it hasn't rained since March, the farmers can't grow too much this time of year.
Get off your freaking high horse biatch!
Although this is informative, it isn't really accurate. Because I live in Maine, lobster is on my locavore diet, but Pacific salmon is not.
*Specific food items are based on the San Francisco Bay Area as an example location.
