I’m standing in the kitchen in my bare feet and a t-shirt, looking out the window. My sense of place and time fade with the fuzzy and fading horizon. I haven’t been able to open the windows or go outside for two days. When I do go outside the air is heavy with smoke; oppressive. My chest tightens, my throat burns, and my heart aches. Is this how it’s going to be from now on? I’m overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness, frustration, resentment, shame, and sadness. Nature is speaking through the flames, begging us to pay attention, to care, and to change. I’m listening. Are you? Maybe it’s too late, maybe not, but I refuse to live the rest of my life on this precious planet with apathy. My choices matter. Our choices matter. Now, more than ever, we must choose wisely my friends.

What we choose to eat today, shapes the world we inhabit tomorrow. So, during the month of September I’ll be reconnecting with what sustainability means to me by only eating food that has been grown and produced within a 200 mile radius. My friend Andrea who owns and operates a small organic farm here in the Columbia Gorge came up with the idea for #localthirty and I’m excited to be joining in (although due to some travel plans at the end of the month my local 30 will be more like a local 20). I’m eager to support more of our local farmers and producers, to rediscover what the intersection of food and place looks like, and to step back and reevaluate the environmental impact of the ingredients I use daily. I’ll be eliminating things like almonds and coconut milk and finding new sources for basic staples like beans, grains, and salt. I’ll be including a handful of non-local items or “cheats” in my diet just to keep myself sane. For me, this process is about connecting with the network of farmers and producers in my area, learning about their work, and examining how the food I eat gets to my table. It’s also about noticing the food I take for granted and asking myself if there’s a more sustainable alternative. As always, my health will be a factor in what I choose to eat, but I’ll also consider ecological impact, carbon emissions, packaging waste, and social responsibility among other things by sourcing organic ingredients and focusing on products I can get from local retailers and in bulk. I’d love to have you join me in whatever capacity works for you. That might mean eating one meal a week that’s entirely local, choosing one ingredient to #swaplocal, doing the local 15, or joining in for the whole shebang. You can learn more about the project and find tips and resources from Andrea here. And if you’re interested I’d be happy to share my list of local producers with you as well. Just let me know…

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