Originally Posted by velotimbe
Oh, did you buy groceries? Hmm, how do those get to the store? This is one of the targets of Environmental Ed, to show students that groceries do NOT come from the grocery store, the typical product in the USA has travelled 1200 miles to get on the shelf, and the average USA meal has traveled around 9000 miles. So if you eat in the USA, you are not car-free.
Just as there are many people who strive to be car-free, there are many people who strive to eat locally. Through farmers markets, co-ops, community supported agriculture, and even backyard gardens, it is possible to get a significant fraction of one's food from local sources. This food is often fresher and tastes better, since it didn't have to travel hundreds of miles, nor be bred for sturdiness above all else. One can often get to know the people who actually grow the food, fostering a greater sense of community.
Eat Local Challenge is a blog run by people who challenge themselves to eat as locally as possible. And there was a recent segement on NPR's Living on Earth, where commentator and writer Bill McKibben
only eats food grown in his native Vermont for an entire winter. Perhaps you could tell your evironmental education students about some of these resources for eating locally.