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.
Wed, Aug 10 2011 at 10:29 AM
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anonymous
Robin Oct 23 2011 at 1:16 AM
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' value.
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I understand it's not a realistic lifestyle for everybody to adopt - but nor is the ultra locavore model. People who DO manage to follow either path are making an impressive effort, and a positive difference.
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anonymous
Allie Sep 18 2011 at 11:50 PM
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 and
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support local people. There's no need to turn it into a religion and swear never to eat lobster or avocados, which aren't found here. Incidentally, in most parts of the country, "local" doesn't mean organic. I guess the good folks who came up with this idea don't live next to a farm and watch the cropdusters.
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anonymous
Azim Looker Sep 18 2011 at 11:09 PM
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". Probably
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we are all to some serious extent gluten and milk products intolerant and so store the indigestable rubbish we are eating (cow milk for example is full of protein but we can only digest 20% of it) as fat...life spans were longer and people much healthier before systemic agriculture was introduced in Sumerian times. The thing with agriculture is that its possible to create a surplus, so leading to the rise of politically controlled power structured societies, a.k.a. "civilisations", population explosions, serious lack of balance with the enviroment, and exploitation of others by a ruling class of manipulators. This "ruling class" being more intelligent and with better education...do you think they are eating a lot of bread? ...they are more well known for an atavistic and very wise interest in hunting....
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anonymous
Jack O-Fall Sep 18 2011 at 1:10 PM
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 indicator
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of the environmental footprint. (Yes, I know there are all sorts of subsidies and practices that distort the price, but it is still MUCH better than 'how far did you have to ship this orange?')
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anonymous
window Sep 18 2011 at 1:36 AM

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!)

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anonymous
Sparks Sep 16 2011 at 11:24 PM

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.

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tarrant's picture
Tarrant Sep 17 2011 at 8:49 AM

That sounds delicious and wonderful. Do you garden every year?

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anonymous
Sparks Sep 18 2011 at 12:04 PM

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.

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anonymous
Mygrain Sep 16 2011 at 9:12 PM
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 precept, there are
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a number of well documented stuides and articles - including NY Times). Most of us don't care which scenario is true - we just believe what we believe. And good for us! I like buying local even though I know my choices are often carbon wasteful.
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anonymous
Olive Sep 16 2011 at 6:17 PM

The locavore movement didn't begin in San Francisco in 2005. It began at the dawn of civilization 10s of thousands of years ago.

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anonymous
Slim Pickens Sep 16 2011 at 4:34 PM

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.

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anonymous
Olive Sep 16 2011 at 6:21 PM

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.

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anonymous
Samantha Oct 03 2011 at 7:22 PM

Food Forests are the answer.

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anonymous
Hungry Joe Sep 16 2011 at 2:07 PM

Fortunately, pizza is grown locally in most areas, and is available year round.

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catie_mack's picture
KMc Aug 22 2011 at 4:12 PM

inspiring! love the graphic

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stormi
stormi Aug 10 2011 at 8:30 PM

i am definitly a loavore and plan to stay that way. I will not eat imported food. I support my local farmers.

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anonymous
BldrRepublican Sep 17 2011 at 2:14 PM

"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.

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anonymous
Guest Sep 17 2011 at 2:13 PM

"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.

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anonymous
Olive Sep 16 2011 at 6:19 PM

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!

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anonymous
Andre Aug 10 2011 at 2:42 PM

http://www.locavores.co may help to find local food globally.

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ecomainegirl
ecomainegirl Aug 10 2011 at 1:18 PM

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.

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anonymous
Guest Aug 10 2011 at 1:25 PM

*Specific food items are based on the San Francisco Bay Area as an example location.

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