Essay On The Locavore Movement

Locavores consume only locally grown foods in an effort to reduce their carbon footprints and lose weight, among other reasons. The popularity of locavorism has grown dramatically over the last decade, and its merits are extolled by scientists and ordinary consumers alike. The locavore movement seems to be indisputably beneficial to the environment, the economy, and to consumer health, yet close examination of its common tenets reveals issues which should be taken into account before beginning a locavore diet.

Saving the planet is a topic that is taken seriously by a huge part of this planet’s population. James McWilliams argument, “The Locavore Myth: Why Buying from Nearby Farmer Won’t Save the Planet,” explains why people need to buy food from people other than the local farmers. He believes that the focus of the locavore movement on transportation is wrong because the real problem lies within the energy-hogging factors in food production. McWilliams also went on to explain that another mistake that the locavore movement made was how food miles were calculated. He believes that a truck with 2,000 apples driving 2,000 miles would consume the same amount of fuel as a truck that carried 50 apples to a local shop only 50 miles away. James McWilliams states that “The critical measure here is not food miles but apples per gallon.” He also argues that taking meat out of a person’s diet would cut down on the carbon footprint of his or her dinner because it takes less energy to bring plants, rather than meat, to the table.

The growing locavore movement suggests that local food is key for healthy eating and community growth. One would imagine that the closer the source of one’s food is from, the healthier and more sustainable it is, right? However, this is not the case. In the set of locavore articles, the authors provide information to show that the locavore movement brings about issues involving inefficiency, energy use, and impracticality.

Buying local is the new slogan of producers and sellers selling their foods in the food market. There are a few stances that can be taken such as not bothering to care about where the food came from, getting what can be purchased within reason, and the extreme locavore. Although eating local and organic is desirable, it is improbable to create a sustainable lifestyle with the given difficulties.

Locavores are consumers of locally grown or produced products. Eating fresh foods from their local farmer’s market can improve income twice as much for its economy. This is important because people give away their money to companies that could instead be giving it to benefit their community. Gogoi Pallavi the author of The Rise of the Locavore states, “It’s a movement that is gradually reshaping the business of growing...local food movement has already accomplished something almost no

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011 Consumer Expenditure Survey, each year millions of americans visit grocery stores, spending an average of $8,315, buying food to feed themselves and their families. However, how many of these americans stop to think of the where this food came from, how it was produced, or the impact that this food has on our environment? On Buying Local, is a persuasive essay written by Kathrine Spriggs, that explores some of these questions, and addresses many points of interest regarding the ideas and benefits of buying locally produced food.

In the end, it becomes troublesome to go grocery shopping. Likewise, this ties into the idea of environment. Which is more environmentally friendly: to walk to a local Whole Foods or to drive to the “local” farmer’s market? Many would say buying local reduces waste due to transportation; nonetheless, a chart from the magazine Conservation Magazine proves that a majority of gas emissions actually comes from the production of the food (Source D). Transportation is low already, so why should we add to that by traveling far distances? Becoming a true locavore for an environmental reason is not worth the efforts because the changes are very miniscule To become a true locavore has many incentives, but there are other reasons that influence can someone to dedicate a portion of their diet to local foods.

Eating food produced within a hundred-mile radius has never been a prominent concern historically, though there has been a recent increase in this trend. Those that are rigorously set on this new ideology are being labeled “locavores”. Christophe Pelletier, being a proficient individual on the topic of food production had an educated opinion on the locavore’s predicted way of life. Pelletier’s, “The Locavore’s Dilemma”, provides multiple examples to support his belief that informing every resident of the carbon footprint their food contains would realistically carryout the locavore’s ideology to a more viable agriculture. His blog post on this ideology goes into depth about the physical and economical destruction they would provoke. This would include: the possibility of famine, lack of needed nutritional supplements,

Before beginning their journey Catacalos and Janzen asked themselves questions such as, “Was choosing to consume foods locally a scam or was it worth their time?” along with “Is eating locally better for the environment?” as well as “Is choosing to eat locally more expensive than not?” Within a month’s time, both Catacalos and Janzen hoped to have their questions answered (117).

Being a locavore is a very healthy lifestyle that is inhabited by human who eat locally grown or produced products. The locavore movement has created notice to other local towns that eating locally produced food can preserve your health and increase the town’s economy. Eating at a local farmers market can ensure the local economy by providing income towards those farmers that produce these foods. The locavore movement is becoming big in present day, and there are many ways that this movement can have a positive impact on a town, for example, the economy will increase, fresher food that doesn’t travel, and with purchases on local produces provide much needed jobs. The locavore movement is a healthy lifestyle that is well adapted to the human diet that can preserve the environment and make the common rural citizen help out the community.

The locavore movement has become a much larger cause in recent years.  People are increasingly aware of some of the issues pertaining to eating foods grown far away.  These issues have banded some communities together to sacrifice their favorite foods and to begin buying locally grown foods.  These communities are experiencing numerous benefits as a result of their decision to change their culture and eat locally grown foods.

How would you feel about only eating the food that is 100 miles within the distance that you live? Would you be able to do it every single day? Within 100 miles of where you currently living, do you have access to fresh meat products, seafood, dairy products, fresh fruit, and vegetables products? If you drink coffee, are coffee beans readily available within that area? What about chocolate or coco, are coco beans grown nearby? Are you in an area where corn and wheat are grown where you can produce all the carbohydrates like cereal, bread, and pastries that you consume regularly? What about sugar cane or sugar beats, the main sources of sugar used in soda, candy, and other sweet products? Locavores are people who only eat local food that is grown within a 100 miles from where they live. What effect does this have on people who come to visit and have to eat food that is only local food? In the article “The Locavore’s Dilemma,” author Christophe Pelletire’s skillful presentation of his ethos overshadows his less successful portrayal of pathos for locavores and logos concerning the topic about locavores. Pelletire shows his pathos for the quality of food, shows ethos by giving the readers many examples of the types of resources people would lose, and shows his logos by providing his story with data he collected while physically living in Vancouver.

The Western Diet mainly consists of fried foods, refined grains, sugar, high carbohydrate and fats, and meats (3). It has been hypothesized that having a Western Diet increases one’s chances for developing depression. There has been a great deal of research into why the western diet increase’s one chance of having depression. A common sense reason maybe that the Western Diet consisted of large amounts carbohydrates, fats and sugars which promotes obesity and then causes depression (1). More scientific evidence suggest that having a improper diet like the Western Diet negatively affects peripheral and central dopamine, which are neurotransmitters (chemical which transmit signals across the synapse from the nerve cell to the target cell)

Eating local is a simple change, but can make a difference in a few aspects. Food is able to stay on the vine longer and grow more nutrients for your body and money you spend locally will recycle through your community. Locavorism is becoming more popular and farmers’ markets a high demand since more people are discovering the benefits of it. Overall, it proves to be better for everyone when you buy and eat locally grown food.

As different crazes and fads are appearing each day, we have come to expect them to simply fade away as the hype passes. However, veganism has stood the test of time in our fad society and is still increasing in popularity. Originally only thought to be a religious lifestyle, many people from different walks of life are becoming vegans. However, this poses many questions and sparks heated debates, mainly from omnivorous people who believe that veganism is against life’s natural order. Vegans, then, argue against an omnivorous lifestyle by bringing up facts about humans’ biological makeup and how humans are, contrary to popular belief, herbivorous by nature, not omnivorous. While both sides present good arguments to some, the veganism lifestyle contains more benefits and less harmful cons than an omnivorous lifestyle.