A brief presentation on the Locavore Movement, what it is, and its impact on the environment. May 2010

1. A Look at the
Environmental Impacts of the
“Locavore Movement”
By Cheryl Gregory

2. 1. What is the Locavore
Movement?
Outline: 2. Some of the
Misconceptions
A. Transportation
B. Food Distribution
Organization
C. Growth / Production
Methods
D. Food Types
E. Globalization of Food
Systems
F. Proposed Local Benefits
3. Conclusion

3. What is a “Locavore”?
 Term first coined by Jessica Prentice of
San Francisco on the World
Environmental Day in 2005
 Describes a person who consumes only
food grown or produced locally
 Usually food is produced less than 100
miles away
 Locavore Movement: “A collaborative
effort to build more locally based, self-
reliant food economies-one in which
sustainable food production, processing,
distribution, and consumption is
integrated to enhance the economic,
environmental and social health of a
particular place” Gail Feenstra UC Davis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q
W-pBX-yw&feature=related

4. “Food Miles”
 “Food Miles” is the distance a food product travels
from the source of production to the plate of the
consumer
 Originally the local food movement used the
concept of food miles to determine the sustainability
of food
 Food Miles oversimplify the complex
environmental impacts of a food system

5. Distribution
What is a
Food System?
 Production
 Processing
 Distribution
 Storage
 Use
 Waste

6. Transportation
Variables
 Coordination of Transport
 Overall reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions
 Reduces Gridlock
 Mode of Transport
 Airplane vs. Cargo-ship vs.
Truck vs. Train
“Just over a ton of goods moved six miles as
 Technology Advances part of a 22 ton lorry load generates about
 Diesel-Hybrid Engine 14 oz of CO2; moved in 50 cars, each
 Fuel Types carrying 40 lbs, it generates about 22 oz of
CO2” (Woods et al)

7. Distribution
Theoretical Local Current Distribution
System Systems
 More Direct  Collaborative Distribution
 Smaller Warehouses System
 Coordination/Sharing of
 Less Storage Time warehouse and
 Less Refrigeration transportation systems
 Reduces gridlock
 However, decreasing the  Ability to maximize
size of the operation but efficiency
increasing the number of
operations may not  Competitive Distribution
actually decrease System
environmental impact.  Companies act competitively
which may not be in the best
interest of the environment

9. Growth/Production
Theoretical Local Reality of Buying
System Local
 Promote Sustainable Care  Organic vs Inorganic
of the Land
 Overlooks Climate Differences
 Decrease Mono-cropping
 New Zealand vs United
 No Barren Fields during Kingdom
Winter Months
 Does not Consider
Fertilizer, Pesticide or
Herbicide Use

10. Food Type
 Key Flaw of the Locavore Movement
 The Environmental Impact varies
drastically from food type to food type.
 Example: Beef has a much higher
negative impact than vegetables
 Locavores Believe that Local
Consumption will cause people to
naturally decrease their intake of
environmentally damaging foods
 Lacks support from research
 Haiti is an example of a country
which consumed locally produced
rice, despite environmental effects,
until the land became desert

11. Globalization
The Locavores View
Reality
 Food Miles have increased
significantly but:
 “Globalization of the food
market has only increased
greenhouse gas emission by
5%” (Liaw)
 Regional Specialization
 Crops grown where produced
most efficiently
 Could Mean Less
Pesticide/Herbicide/Fertilizer
Use

12. Proposed Local Benefits
 Preservation of Local Food Heritage
 Preservation of Local Culture
 Economic Freedom from global
market fluctuations
“A community which depends upon its human neighbors, neighboring
lands, and native species to supply the majority of its needs must ensure
that the social and natural resources it utilizes to fulfill those needs
remain healthy.” Kloppenburg

13. Obstacles in Achieving
Proposed Local Benefits
1. Recognition of an Unhealthy Resource
2. Recognition of the Cause of the
Unhealthy/Damaged Resource
3. Creating Action or Behavior Change to
A. Prevent Further Damage to Resources
B. Reverse Current Damage to Resources
C. Restore/Improve Resources
Essentially, ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION &
ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING is also necessary in
order to realize the benefits of consuming locally!!!

14. 1. Overlooks Differences in
Conclusion Transportation
The Locavore Movement 2. Distribution is over-
overlooks some key factors of simplified
the food system with huge
environmental impacts. 3. Lack of emphasis on
Growth/Production
Methods
However, with more research 4. Ignores Differences in
and some adjustments to the
Local Food campaigns,
Food Type
particularly environmental
education, a local food
5. Does not address the
economy has the potential to obstacles of achieving the
reduce negative environmental proposed local benefits
impacts of current food
systems.

15. Suggestions
 Suggested Reading: Michael Pollan´s The
Omnivores Dilemma
 Try to cut back on animal products,
especially beef
 Try to buy food that has been produced
sustainably, and yes, one of the best ways
to be sure is by buying from the person
who actually did the producing
 Buy Food Seasonally
 MICHAEL POLLAN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFN
zabpQ2X0&feature=related