Sustainable Agriculture - The 100 Mile Diet: Benefits and Difficulties

One new wrinkle that is garnering a lot of interest in any discussion of sustainable agriculture is the 100 Mile Diet.

The concept isn't new - in fact it's as old as the hills. It's how our ancestors used to eat at a time when their diet consisted of locally grown and raised foods. The modern version involves eating only those foods grown or raised within one hundred miles of where you live. By eating locally raised foods, we are not relying on some type of resource-devouring transportation to bring our foods from many miles away, thus reducing our "carbon footprint", or, our impact on the environment.

The Hundred Mile Diet postulates that most foods travel an average of 1500 miles to reach our tables, from the original producer, to the plant where it is processed, to our local food stores, to our homes.

What’s Behind It?

There can be many other steps along our "food chain" depending on whether the foods or commodities arrive as "fresh" produce, or are incorporated into any variety of pre-packaged, processed foods.

Take, for instance, the oats that reach us as Cheerios, which have been sown as seed; grown and harvested; transported to perhaps, a granary for storage; and taken from there to be milled and turned into the crunchy little "O"s we unthinkingly ingest with our daily shot of calcium (milk).

None of these steps were accomplished by hand, nor by man and beast together, laboring under the prairie sun - not since the time of our forebears, unless you are lucky enough to be able to purchase from some traditional Amish folk. Anything we purchase nowadays, from food to clothing to any household item, right down to toilet tissue, has been produced somewhere else and comes to us by truck, by rail, by air freight, and finally, by our vehicle in which we drive to our local store to purchase the product.

The transportation industry is the real glue that holds our nation together economically, enabling farmers and producers to reach ever larger markets, while allowing us access to a variety of goods and services that our ancestors could only dream about.

…but what of the cost to our environment?

None of these steps in the life-cycle of a product is accomplished without the expenditure of resources, and not just in the gasoline or diesel fuel expended by the truck that brought us the commodities. Just a quick glance at the goods and services used by the truck and its driver on one run to and from a major center, carrying goods to an outlying community will demonstrate that.

Let’s look at one typical trip, from the rising of the driver to his return home at the end of his run. To assist our ruminations, I will bold any product that is not produced in the location in which it is used, and provide provenance for any product that is locally produced.

The driver rises, showers using soap and shampoo, hair conditioner and mousse, shaves with his electric razor, shaving gel and an after-shave product, brushes his teeth, using both a toothpaste and mouthwash, applies his deodorant, hangs up his wet towel, like the thoughtful husband he is, dresses, and sits down to breakfast.

His wife has prepared sausages (made by their local butcher from locally grown beef ), eggs (fresh from a local farm that she drives to once a week ) seasoned with black pepper, toast, and coffee. The coffee is just the way they both like it, fresh ground, fresh brewed, and black.

While he is eating, she packs his lunch in his reusable, thermal bag – two sandwiches made from whole grain bread, mayo, lettuce, tuna salad or lunch meat, and fresh sliced tomatoes. She adds several small packs of cheese and three apples for a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Then she fills his thermos with more fresh coffee and kisses him goodbye.

With one last check of his road kit, the duffel bag, as he calls it, after his grandpa’s Naval kit bag that contains a change of clothes, his cell phone and battery charger, his travel shaving kit and medications (he’s diabetic) in case he has to overnight in the city, he’s out the door and off to work – another “run” into the city and back with another load of goods.

He used to eat in restaurants, or grab the odd bag of junk food from the occasional pit stop, but they found that was too expensive, too hard on his cholesterol, and, eventually, boring.

He drives in to the depot, gasses up his car for the return trip the next day, and leaves it in the staff parking lot while he picks up his paperwork – waybills and the lot – and fills out his log in preparation for the day’s run.

…and he hasn’t even left the depot yet.

The fuel for his rig, any repairs, spare parts, tires, lube jobs, computer parts and servicing for the radio and electronic-locator systems, all have to be brought in from wherever they are manufactured, as will the load of goods he will pick up in the city for distribution to the various stores in his area, which will then sell them to consumers in those locations.

The carbon footprint just in terms of one driver and his vehicle is staggering.

So How Can I Help?

The one-year experiment in local eating that Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon began in 2005 has fired the imagination of widely diverse people in a way they may never have imagined.

Their experiment, documented in a series of articles, and culminating in the publication of two books to date on the 100 Mile Diet, has inspired thousands of individuals, and even whole communities, to change the way they eat.

Locally raised and produced food has been called “the new organic" - better tasting because it is so much fresher than producer that is brought in from any distance, better for the environment because it cuts down on the carbon footprint used to produce the foods, better for local economies because they are receiving your dollars instead of producers and growers thousands of miles away, and better for your health from any viewpoint.

From reviving the family farms and local farmers’ markets, long the perceived purview of hippies and food snobs, to reconnecting with the seasons and local seasonal produce, the local foods movement is turning good eating into a revolution.

Local-eating enthusiast, or locavores , as they are now known were originally West Coasters, those first reached by the couple’s message. Now, though, many thousands of people from all regions and all walks of life are turning to this idea as the basis of helping to cut down their own environmental impact, as well as assist in the revival of markets for their local food-producers.

As seen in the example of one driver and his vehicle, the impact on our environment is huge, and goes far beyond that to the food-processing plants with their attendant suppliers of boxes, bags and wrappings.

Some things you can do to help reduce the environmental impact of the food you eat:

• Shop local – frequent your local farmers’ market for fruit and produce in season
• Find local producers – wherever possible, find clean, reputable producers (farmers or fishermen) for your fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy
• Buy in season – I love exotic fruits and vegetables as much as the next person, but I remember having only the basics as a child. Buy exotics by all means, but try to use more locally produced foods as your staples.
• Learn how to preserve food – freezing and canning fresh fruits and vegetable in season is a great way to ensure you will have next-to-fresh always available for your table.
• Making your own home-made pickles, jams and jellies is experiencing renewed popularity, and if you have neither the time nor inclination to make your own, many can be purchased from your local farmers’ market as well

Next time you open a box of Cheerios, take a look at all the packaging and handling it took to get those little Os required from the farmer who grew the grain to the moment you opened the box and poured them into your bowl.

...and don’t forget to factor in the plastic wrapping that held them securely stacked on the pallet for their journey to your local store.

Maybe eating local is something you might like to try out, or perhaps try more often.