My Sophomore Speech

So last week I spoke in front of about, oh I don't know, 400 people for 6 minutes for the finals of my schools Sophomore Speech contest. And I talked about something I really care about. No, no, I'm actually not talking about Meatless Mondays. What I wrote my speech about was the Local Food Movement.

So you might be wondering, why then, Leda, would you ever be putting this nonrelated speech up on this blog? Well, the two topics are in fact connected. Meatless Mondays strives to make others more aware of their meat consumption, which includes how it is treated and where it comes from. Oh yes, there's the connection. Local meat is better than foreign meet in terms of treatment.

Now, my speech doesnt really delve into anything meat related, but still. Read it. Live it. Love it.
(Sorry it's so long!)

Here’s a familiar picture for you. It’s winter in New England. You enter the supermarket, and there they are, all stacked up in their little plastic boxes: shiny…red… strawberries? Hold on for a second. Could you hit the pause button please? Good. Now, what’s wrong with this picture? The general consensus would inevitably be “nothing”. Strawberries are supposed to be in the supermarket. And that, right there, is the problem. With our centralized global food production system, Americans can ultimately have whatever they want, whenever they want it. The supermarket has no season; whether its winter or summer, everything will always be there. Sounds great, right? Well, let’s return to my question. What really is wrong with that picture? Just take a look at that label, and you’ll notice that those strawberries are likely from Texas or Florida. Don’t get me wrong, I love strawberries. However, here in New England- excuse me- here in Massachusetts, we grow perfectly beautiful strawberries… in June. So why aren’t we buying produce that’s grown locally and in season? Part of the answer is that other food is always readily available. Even so, we can make the choice to be more aware and go out of our way to seek out fresh, regional food. It is up to us to start choosing local food sources; a small, everyday choice that can benefit our health, environment, economy, and most importantly, the communities that bring us together.

Many people overlook the threat that imported food poses to our health. That is, until they turn on the TV and see the word “RECALL” in all capital letters on their screen. ABC World News recently reported that the chemical carbendazim has been found in orange juice imported from Brazil. According to the report, the FDA inspects only 2% of imported produce. Then how do we know that the other 98% of uninspected produce is safe? Unfortunately, we don’t. However, by choosing to buy locally, consumers are eliminating this doubt because local produce can be traced back to the source. It’s easy enough to buy orange juice from Florida. Better yet, drink apple cider from Massachusetts farms. It is ultimately the safer choice.

Not only is local food safer, but it is also healthier. According to research from experts at the Organic Food Directory spinach loses 50-90% of its Vitamin C content within 24 hours after picking. Local farmers are better able to guarantee freshness while non-local foods have to travel for days or sometimes even weeks across the country. When you buy locally, you are ensuring that your produce is fresher, meaning it retains its vitamins and taste. Think about it: what’s the point of buying something healthy, like vegetables, when it doesn’t even contain its full value of vitamins?

This extensive food travel is not only decreasing health benefits, but it is also harmful to the environment. According to a study done by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, on average food will travel 1500 miles from farm to plate. Think about it in these terms: an average 18-wheeler truck gets about 5 miles to the gallon. That’s 300 gallons of fuel, for only one truckload of produce. And not only does buying locally decrease “food miles”, but it also accounts for a decrease in materials that are detrimental to the environment, like plastic or Styrofoam. While large producers use wasteful packaging to keep their traveling food fresh longer, local farmers use far less because they are selling directly to the consumer.

In addition to benefiting the environment, buying food within one’s own community contributes to the growth of the local economy. According to Jules Pretty, a professor at Essex University, buying locally at farmer’s markets enables farmers to keep eighty to ninety cents of each dollar that the consumer spends. These are our farmers, our neighbors, and we need to support them by buying their products instead of buying from industrial farms across the country.

While we may want to support local farmers, and improve our environment and health, committing to what seems like such a strict “code” to eat local, can be daunting, especially in New England which has such a short growing season. The great thing about the local food movement is that it’s not black or white. There are no set rules. Your idea of “local” does not necessarily have to mean staying within your state or your region all the time. I mean, we all know tropical fruit doesn’t grow here, but if occasionally, you want something tropical, then go for it. Eating locally isn’t difficult: it’s something everyone can do.

So now that you know all of this “stuff” about eating locally, the question is: What does eating locally mean to you, the seemingly powerless high school student? Now, I’m not asking you to make any drastic changes. What I want you to do is make a small, every day choice to think about where your food comes from. Well, you’re probably sitting there thinking “I’m just a high school student. I don’t have any control over the contents of my fridge”. But you’re more powerful than you think. Next time one of your parents is out at the grocery store, go with them! Okay, I get it. That may seem lame to some of you, but we all have parents. If the grocery store isn’t really your style, go to Cold Spring Park or the Nonantum Farmers Market with a couple of your friends. Encourage your parents to join a CSA- a community supported agricultural group- like Angino Farm, where you can buy produce straight from the source. It might surprise you how much food you can buy from a place that’s so close to Newton South. You can even talk to the farmer at the stand. You never know, you might even make a new friend!

And that communication is exactly what really matters: having a direct connection to your food. Visiting a farmers market is a community affair. Knowing your farmers and creating a relationship with them is essential because they are the people handling your food, and when you purchase that food you are in turn investing in your health, your environment and your economy. Food tells a story, a story that can be traced back to the source; where it was farmed, how it was grown and ultimately, who the farmer is who made all of it happen. And it is up to us, the consumers, to make sure that the story continues to grow.

Happy Eating!

Leda :)

(Just so you know... thats a certified local cow. From Vermont. I met that cow)