Kanu's Eat Local Challenge: Day 1

I admire and respect people who force me to question my own beliefs. Such is the case with my Twitter friend @scrivener, whom I have known IRL for many years. Some may find his probing exasperating, but I welcome the pondering it elicits of the people, causes, and ideologies I support. Kanu's (@kanuhawaii) Eat Local Challenge is a good example. He posted this tweet about eating fish during the challenge week. The ensuing conversation made me think about why I've chosen to become involved in the campaign. I'm not doing it to try to prove anything; I'm doing it to raise awareness about the precarious state of Hawaii's food supply. I believe we, as consumers, have the power to effect real change by how we choose to spend our dollar. I, for one, would like to be able to walk into a supermarket and know that there will be locally grown fruits and vegetables in the produce section or milk and eggs produced from locally grown livestock. I don't want my food flown in from a random South American country, even if that means giving up some of the choices we've grown accustomed to. So, @Scrivener, thanks for having these conversations with me and others about the Eat Local Challenge. The increased dialogue is evidence to me that the campaign is working.

Kanu's Eat Local Challenge

Current farming practices, both land and sea, are not sustainable. If you didn't already know this, you should check out the movie Food, Inc., Michael Pollan's (@michaelpollan) book The Omnivore's Dilemma, or this article by Chef Rick Moonen (@rickmoonen). I also blogged a little about the need for supporting local agriculture here.
These problems are amplified in a community like Hawaii. We don't grow enough food to support our population so we must rely on imported goods. What can we do about that? Well, we can start by joining Kanu Hawaii's (@KanuHawaii) Eat Local 2010 Campaign. It's a week-long event (September 26 - October 2) that emphasizes the need for a healthy, sustainable future for Hawaii. There are a variety of ways to participate and every bit counts. Don't feel like you have to make radical changes to your lifestyle (though if you feel compelled to do so, don't let anyone stop you!). Real change happens one step at a time.