The Issue

Today’s dominant form of agriculture relies on synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, large amounts of water, major transportation systems and factory-style practices for raising livestock and crops. Artificial hormones in milk, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, mad cow disease, and large-scale outbreaks of potentially deadly e.coli are all associated with this industrial form of food production.

Dan Barber, Executive Chef/Owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY says it best: “ We have allowed economies of scale and the reductionism of marketing to do great damage to local agriculture, the family farm, and the quality and variety of foods available to us.”

What is Sustainability?

www.sustainabletable.org

“When a process is sustainable, it can be maintained indefinitely. Sustainable food production can be maintained indefinitely because sustainable farmers do not take more resources to produce food than they give back. A reliance on renewable resources - as well as on symbiotic relationships with nature and the surrounding community - means that these farms do not damage the environment, are humane for workers and animals, provide a fair wage to the farmer, and support and enhance rural life. Because sustainable farmers see nature as an ally rather an obstacle, they are able to produce more wholesome food while using less fossil fuels (thus lessening the impact on global warming), and without using any synthetic pesticides, artificial hormones, or antibiotics.”

Educate Yourself….

To learn more about why sustainable agriculture works, visit Sustainable Table’s Introduction to Sustainability section. This section will provide you information as to the advantages of buying sustainable.

Get Involved….

1) Join a local Slow Food convivium

www.slowfoodusa.org

2) Trace your food sources

3) Shop at a local farmers’ market.

4) Pay fair prices for food

http://www.globalexchange.org/

5) Join a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture).

6) Invite a friend over to share a meal

7) Visit a farm in your area

8) Create a new food memory for a child. Let them plant seeds or harvest greens for a meal.

http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org/

9) Start a kitchen garden..

10)Learn your local food history. Find a food that is celebrated as being originally from or best grown/produced in your part of the country

Restaurants of Chef Bligh’s Interest

Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Pocantico Hills, NY
http://www.bluehillstonebarns.com/

Chez Panisse
Berkeley, CA
www.chezpanisse.com

Hook
Washington D.C.
http://hookdc.com/

Oliveto
Oakland, CA
www.oliveto.com

Zuni Café
San Francisco, CA
http://zunicafe.com/

Find a Green Restaurant:
http://www.dinegreen.com/

Other Sites of Interest

www.nimanranch.com

www.framani.com