Plan of Attack; or, There is a Zombie Scythe By My Bed Just In Case

Local Roots is participating in an Ohio eat local challenge next week. I think that's a good time for me to kick things off myself. This week I'm getting everything in order, scoping out my sources, and figuring out the rules.

Since the point of this whole be-a-locavore-so-you-survive-the-zombies thing is to reduce my impact on the world, it seems completely counterproductive to me to throw away food or allow food to spoil if I've already bought it but it's not local. So hello, seven pounds of ground beef in my freezer from that ten-pound roll I bought a couple weeks ago; you won't perish from freezer burn. However, food will be replaced with local food.

Also, if I alienate all my People, I won't have anyone looking out for me when the zombies attack. Since that's a Bad Thing (tm), I need to be careful not to be an asshole about this. If we go out to eat, I'm buying food no matter where it's from (okay, not veal, even from Ohio. Have you SEEN the little houses for those poor calves?). If I'm offered food, I'm receiving it with gratitude and not a pop quiz.

I can go without coffee for the month (sadly, because coffee is a treat for me) but I really need to find some local tea. Tea is how I start my mornings. With cream and honey - but I already know where to find those locally. I'm going to miss my Earl Grey.

Rules of the Game; or, The Way This Works

1. I'm too busy to make myself crazy over this. I'm going to school full-time, working full-time, and I have People who are important to me. This is a one-credit pass/fail course and it does not have my permission to take over my life and screw up my other grades.
2. I'm too broke to do this perfectly. My grocery budget did not magically grow and I do not receive a stipend for this. On top of that, the last two months of work have been slim and my bank account is looking pretty sad. No running around recreating the KFC Double Down locavore-style, for example. I'm thinking more along the lines of a whole lot of roasted veggies.
3. Did I mention I'm busy? I will need to cook ahead. I have several days where I need to pack both breakfast and lunch, and other days where I'm taking food over to my Man's house to cook dinner there. Preparation is going to be the key here. Luckily I'm good at making the kind of food I like to eat.
4. Money has to come from somewhere. So while I'm working on reducing impact by eating local, fresh foods, I'm also going to make sure I bring it home in my reusable shopping bags. I've got a box full of rags that I have every intention of cutting into nice handy squares and using instead of paper products. I won't be buying any unnecessary new stuff, and even Goodwill purchases will get the hairy eyeball.
5. Isn't there supposed to be food in here somewhere? Because I was just talking about time and money and this is really all about FOOD, right? Right. I'll be going to the local farmer's markets and Local Roots and Mitchell's Orchard and anywhere else I can find for my food.
6. Don't forget the zombies. All this effort disguised as homework is really preparation for the zombie apocalypse. Ladies and gentlemen, when we're spending our lives fighting off zombies, do you really think there will be any long-distance truckers bringing you those California strawberries, much less grapes from Chile? I didn't think so. The more we support our local economy now, the more food options we'll have then, plus we'll already know all the good sources.

Why Am I Here? or, Explaining the Blog

What am I doing, exactly? 

I am spending the month of October 2010 working to eat a diet of local foods (rules to follow).

Why am I doing this? 

Because it's homework. No, really. I'm taking a one-credit pass/fail course this quarter reading and discussing Colin Beavan's book No Impact Man. The class project is:

Choose one stage of the no-impact project (i.e., producing no trash, pollution or carbon emissions, eating only fresh food, or buying only used goods) and try to make as little impact as possible in that area for approximately four weeks. Keep a journal of your progress toward that goal. Entries do not have to be long and detailed. They should, however, show an effort to stay on track, even if slippage occurs. Try to pay attention to and note the social impact of this new behavior.  For example, are you proud—or embarrassed—to live this way? Do your friends and family support or ridicule you? How does social pressure to behave one way or another affect your determination to have less impact?

Why did I choose fresh/local foods rather than something cool like buying only used goods?
Well, because I'm a foodie. And reducing my carbon emissions is something I don't want to try and figure out how to do right now. And because, since I'm not rich or even fat of wallet, eating local is going to mean I'm buying more used goods than usual (Goodwill is my clothing store of choice or necessity) and producing less trash (can't buy junk = can't throw junk away). And did I mention that I really love food?
I participated in a CSA this summer for the first time. This CSA, to be exact. I just got my last share of food last week, and I can't wait for next year. I had a bag of fresh produce every week and cooked my ass off to use it before it spoiled. I ate like a queen, or a farmer, and loved it.

Who Am I? No, Really?
I'm nearing 30 and going back to school because getting a degree seems like a smart thing to do, plus I would spend the rest of my life as a student if I could make a living that way. I'm self-employed, freelance, and right now I'm lucky to live within walking distance of Local Roots, which is going to be one of my best resources this month. If I'd known this project was coming up, I'd have started some beer brewing last month so I'd have locally-produced beer to imbibe as well. I'm all out of homebrew.