Jamie Oliver’s TED Talk: A MUST WATCH talk

February 12, 2010 by Tim · Leave a Comment
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I am absolutely stunned by Jamie Oliver’s TED Talk about obesity.

Jamie Oliver’s Wish

“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”
Every so often you are able to hear somebody say something that you have had thoughts about  but lacked the words to put it together.  That is what I felt when I heard this talk.
I love a talk that inspires.
I love a talk that causes action.
I am excited to see how much of what Jamie spoke about shows up at the upcoming Local 101 and Local 201 events on March 13.
Take the time.  Watch the video.

The 100 Mile Delusion

December 10, 2009 by Tim · Leave a Comment
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From the National Post.

“If you are concerned about the carbon footprint of your diet, focusing on transportation is kind of like worrying about the air pressure in your tires of your car rather than whether you have a fuel-efficient car or not,” says James McWilliams, an environmental and agricultural historian at Texas State University, author of Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, and a former part-time locavore. “What matters so much more than how far it travels from farm to fork is what kind of methods were used to produce it.”

and

Though greenhouse gas emissions themselves are often not part of the price of food, all the fuel, fertilizer and land clearance responsible for creating them — all net contributors to greenhouse gas emissions — are all in there. “In a global market economy, people have the incentive to use resources as efficiently as possible,” Prof. Desrochers says. The steeper the price tag on a bag of baby carrots, the more likely their production came at an environmental cost.

and one more

“What I really do see … is that buying local is a political act. It’s a gesture that, in essence, thumbs its nose at globalization,” he says. If left-wing posturing and green-posing is your priority, then stick with your 100-mile diet. Leave it to average consumers, buying the globally sourced groceries at their local, corporate, big-box retailer, to do genuine good for the planet.
Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/copenhagen/story.html?id=2320323#ixzz0ZKj8kDGz
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It sounds like the National Post is saying that we should support anything that keeps the price down on products because that is a sign that less energy was used in its production.  I guess we should support child labor because children need less energy than a full grown man.  Mass-produced industrial goods from China must be better for the environment because they cost less at Wal-Mart.

The logic baffles me.

Three must-visit foodie Oases

October 22, 2009 by Tim · 2 Comments
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From the Calgary Herald.

Very nice to see some local people make the list.  The people from Ravenwood Farm Fresh Meats have a very nice shop.  I haven’t been in Caroline in the last year to go see the shop, but I defineitly want to stop in and check it out.

These folks are another example of farmers working hard to do things differently to make their farms profitable.

Check out their website at http://www.ravenwoodranch.com/

Eat Real. Eat Local

October 15, 2009 by Tim · 5 Comments
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I was very surprised by this website.

Why?  First thoughts… it is awesome.  The video is excellent and drives a few important points home.  It goes through the reason why we need to eat local and support local food production.

Please go visit the site and see what I am talking about.  Watch the video.

My second thought was.. what the hell?? Hellman’s mayonnaise??  What?  How local are they?

But as I thought more about the website today, I think this is what it is going to take. A large corporation realizing the bigger picture and putting their money behind it.  I am sure the people at Hellman’s hope that people will associate their mayonnaise with local food.

And I am okay with that. 

This website makes me feel like if Monsanto decided that GMO canola was a bad idea.  And that would feel pretty good.

Why Eat Local Food?

October 6, 2009 by Tim · 3 Comments
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Great article at the Calgary Herald.

Read it.