75 Green Businesses

Big things usually start small.  The local food movement started small among those reacting against the industrialization of our food supply, and its impact our health, food quality, and the environment, but it is growing rapidly.  The number of Community Supported Agriculture groups (CSAs) has grown dramatically, allowing consumers to buy a portion of the produce from local farmers, guaranteeing top quality in-season produce for themselves, and a better return for farmers. 

The environmental benefits of local food have received a lot of attention, with people looking at “food miles” and the impact of food distribution on climate change.  The difference in local food is not just where it is raised, but how it is raised, and the resulting quality of the product.  Local food is often higher in quality than food passing through the national food distribution system, provided an added benefit, and probably the most important one to many consumers. 

Beef in your grocery store is often transported across the country, and even if the price is high the quality might not match.  The vast majority of beef in grocery stores today is raised on corn, and lots of it.  In his book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma“, Michael Pollan describes how most cattle in the US are raised, completing their lives being fed vast quantities of corn in feedlot CAFOs, concentrated animal feeding operations with thousands of animals crowded together.  The animals in feedlots are given hormones and antibiotics, encouraging the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria that contribute to human illness.  Their meat is fatty, and probably loaded with the wrong kind of fats, those that lead to heart disease.  Finally, the transport of the cattle and meat across the country and through the industrialized food system put an additional strain on the environment.

Locally produced grass fed meat is better for the environment and for our health, as reported by the Union of Concerned Scientists.   Cows evolved to graze on grasses, not in crowded pens eating corns.  Cows raised grazing on grass are healthier, with no need of constant antibiotic protection, and they are leaner.  The beef from these cattle is also higher in the omega-3 fatty acids widely believed to protect against heart disease.

Local Meats - Grassfed cattle on Palomar Mountain

The soaring price of oil has rippled through the economy, raising the cost of transportation for consumers and businesses.  While this has hurt many businesses, it has actually helped others, often in surprising ways.  The high price of gas has hammered sales of trucks and SUVs, but sales of fuel efficient small cars are soaring.  People are staying closer to home to go shopping, hurting sales at some stores that require a long drive, but benefiting others in local neighborhoods.  Another place where the high price of oil has hit home is in food distribution costs. 

The rising price of diesel is causing some stores to rethink their food distribution, working to source food locally rather than trucking it across the country.  Mega retailer Wal-Mart is one of them, announcing it will increase its sales of locally grown produce (July 1, 2008):

http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/8414.aspx

Not everyone is thrilled.  The goals of Wal-Mart are probably not exactly the same as the local food movement, in general.  While the local food movement has been focussed on small local farmers, Wal-Mart does things big, and will be buying huge quantities of food, generally from large farms.  While the local food movement is focussed on buying food that travels as little as possible, Wal-Mart is seeking food grown in the same state or the same region. 

Check out tree-hugger for both sides of the argument:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/walmart-largest-buyer-locally-grown-produce.php

The bottom line though is that Wal-Mart is influential, and where they go others follow.  By buying food closer to their stores, they are cutting food miles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and saving money at the same time.  And by doing it on a large scale, they may stimulate the support for local food produced for others as well, including those who want small scale, sustainably farmed, food that is grown within 100 miles of home. 

The high price of oil once again is a problem for some, but an opportunity for others.  Entrepreneurs who get involved in the production, packaging, and distribution of locally grown food may find themselves on the winning side.