Call me a Locavore
Yes, it’s a word—and apparently it won “Word of the Year 2007″ from the New Oxford American Dictionary. But, I digress.
This weekend kicks off Eat Local Week (July 4-11), which includes a series of community events organized by Sustainable Business Network of Portland to “Celebrate our Independents.” The goal of the week-long celebration will be to educate the public about local ecosystems, support local small businesses, and give back - proceeds from participating businesses will be donated to the Oregon Food Bank.
From the Eat Local Week flyer:
Folks will be invited to bike, walk or take TriMet to eat at their favorite locally-owned neighborhood restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and to buy a portion of their groceries from neighborhood food co-ops, grocery stores and farmers markets.
You can start this week by participating in the Eat Local Week launch event on Wednesday, June 25th. The program, titled “A Taste of Eat Local Week,” will include food samples from participating restaurants and a talk from Lisa Sedlar, president of New Seasons Market, about the relationship between local restaurants, farmer’s markets, grocery stores and food co-ops with area farmers and residents.
The event will also include a discussion with Michael Shuman (Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age, The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition) on how people are increasingly working together to create their own food communities rather than relying on outside resources, and the large economic, social and environmental benefits of this movement.
I, for one, will be getting out to enjoy the weekend sunshine—eat good, feel good, and save money on gas–what more could you ask for?
Great resource, thanks! Am heading to my local Hollywood Farmer’s Market this weekend…
That event looks interesting.
I’m our glad my CSA started last week; now I need to learn how to enjoy rhubarb.
@Adam Lowry -
Ahem
Oh, if only there was somewhere you could turn to learn to appreciate rhubarb.
@PAgent -
Thanks! The rhubarb mojito doesn’t sound half bad.
Mmmm, The Rhujito. It IS good, Adam! As for the Eat Local Week? Love it. So great to break it down into a tangible one week tryout for people. I remember last summer there were people doing one meal each week that was completely local. No matter where you are on the spectrum of eating local all the time or never tried it, there’s a great entry into a little bit at a time. As for that Rhujito? The rhubarb was locally grown and bartered for.
Made my first trip of the year to the Montavilla Farmer’s Market last week. We are lucky to live in a place with such delicious local fruits and vegetables.
One more reason to make yet another trip to Le Pigeon on lower E. Burnside. Dieselboi, are you game?