Local Food

The industrialized food system is great at providing cheap commodity items at scale — until something threatens global supply chains. It’s great at employing millions of people — but gives them little or no voice in company policy. It’s great at shipping goods around the world — but terrible when it comes to compensating local growers and producers fairly. For all these and many other reasons, food co-ops are a valuable, community-based, principled alternative. But what is a food co-op? What does co-op stand for? And why might you want to join (or shop at) one?

Food and climate change: Which foods are the most damaging to the planet? And which foods could help save it? Check out the current state of climate change and see what research says about the impact of certain foods.

Community gardens are a great way to increase food security, improve public health, and even reduce crime rates. With a variety of setups, locations, and goals, they can play an important role in making healthy, ethical, and sustainable food available to ever more people.

Millions of people around the world are hungry or starving, and the number has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic. Food banks have stepped up hunger-fighting efforts, even more, to provide food for those in need. So what exactly are food banks, how do they work, and how do we help them serve real and nutritious food to the people who need them most?

Millions of people in the US and around the world live in “food deserts”: areas where it’s hard or even impossible to find healthy food. These food deserts promote poor health outcomes, are a drag on our economy, and reinforce the worst effects of racism. How did food deserts come to be? What do they cost all of us? And what can we do to make healthy food available for all?

In this video interview, New Jersey Senator, Cory Booker, sits down with John Robbins for a look at the powerful impact our food choices and food policies have on our health and world. Senator Booker gives his candid take on how our food system got so broken and what we can do as individuals, and as a society, to work toward an end to factory farms, food deserts, climate change, hunger, and extreme poverty. Despite the enormity of the problems we’re all faced with today, this interview will fill you with hope and empower you to take action for a healthier, more equitable, and more compassionate world.

Ocean Robbins sits down with Leah Penniman, food justice activist and the co-founder and co-director of Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, NY. Hear Leah’s take on racism in the US food and agricultural system, what’s being done about it, and how you can take action to build a healthier and more sustainable world for everyone.

The pandemic has revealed deep flaws in our industrial food supply chain, leading many people to take an expanded interest in local farms. One of the most popular and fastest-growing models of farm-community commerce is the Community Supported Agriculture program, or CSA. In this article, you’ll find all about what CSAs are, their benefits and flaws, and how you might want to use this innovative model in your life.

With our current food supply chain in disarray, and many people struggling to make ends meet, it’s time to bring back home gardening to take up the slack. In this article, you’ll find out the patriotic history of food gardens, and discover how to start growing food no matter where you live or how much land you have.

Once a self-reliant agriculture-dependent economy, Puerto Rico now imports the majority of its food (including, unfortunately, fast food). But some residents in a rural Puerto Rican community are reviving a historic botanical garden to serve as an example of and inspiration for bringing back local and sustainable farming — and for the purposes of cultural and historical preservation.

Lawns may look pretty, and they can impress the neighbors. But are their benefits really worth their costs? They can be bad for the environment, and the pesticides sprayed on them can be bad for your health, too. Have you ever wondered what would happen if we turned all our lawns into edible gardens, filled with fruits, vegetables, and herbs?

Sustainable travel is a popular buzzword in the tourism industry, but what does it actually mean? And how can you take steps to travel and eat more sustainably?