You are what you eat. Finding healthy, organic, local food is healthy for your body, promotes farming, agriculture, and supports the local economy in your own community. Following are local groups in our area to contact regarding food and agriculture:Members of the PPSBN:
Bristol Brewing Company
BuyWell Coffee Roasters
Pizzeria Rustica
Ranch Foods Direct
Picnic Basket Pikes Peak Urban Gardens
Care and Share
Peak to Plains
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU)
Slow Food Colorado Springs (SFCS)
Venetucci Farm
Colorado Farm and Art Market (CFAM)
Bottled or Tap?
The production and disposal of millions and millions of plastic bottles each year, not to mention transporting that water, takes an enormous toll on our environment. Please rethink your choice when reaching for a bottle. Bring your favorite glass to work and fill it with Rocky Mountain tap water. If you’re concerned about contaminants carbon filters and reverse osmosis are common solution that can be easily installed under sinks and in offices. Go to Consumer Reports’ Greener Choices website, www.greenerchoices.org for ratings on filtration systems.
LAND, WATER AND AGRICULTURE FACT SHEET
Data points for your information regarding the importance of sustainable food systems.
Facts Today:
• Four companies slaughter 81% of American beef. Five companies control 75% of the global vegetable market.
• Since WWII, America has lost one farm every ½ hour. Farmers now make up less than 1% of the population.
• Poverty rates in America’s heartland are higher than inner cities and consequently towns tied to agriculture dry up.
• Growing and distributing 1 pound of frozen peas requires ten times as much energy as buying and eating a pound of fresh local peas.
• “If everyone ate one meal per week comprised of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we’d shrink U.S. oil consumption by 1.1 million barrels a week.”
• Growing one pound of Chilean grapes yields six pounds of CO2.
• The average American food item travels over 1500 miles; imagine what that means when you multiply it by everything on your plate!
• In 2000, the American Cancer Society’s 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that, to help reduce the risk of cancer, Americans should:
• Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily?
• Choose whole grains instead of refined or processed grains and sugar?
• Limit red meat consumption, especially meats that are processed or high fat?
• Choose foods that help promote a healthy weight?
The Potential Sustainable Tomorrow:
1. Smaller farms produce more per acre as measured by caloric output, per ton, per dollar.
2. Purchasing and eating locally produced food is equal to cut household energy by 20%.
3. Buying directly from a farmer yields them 94% profit vs. 8% that goes to the farmer on something you buy from the grocery store.
4. Sustainable agriculture led to a 93% increase per hectare food production and does not erode soil, dry up aquifers, pollute the air, or poison our bodies.
Data from Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan Click here for more information
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