HE AL THY C O MMUN MA TE A C T I O N PPLAN LAN RE C O MMEND AT I O N S ALTHY CO MMUNII T I E S - CLI CLIMA MATE AC REC MMENDA
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE O bj ecti tr e n gth e n th e llocal ocal FFOO OO D AND A G RI CUL TURE bjecti ectivv e G: SStr tre gthe the OOD AG RICUL CULTURE infrastructure. Potential Action G1: Promote local growers and farmers markets. Wh y? A bite of food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles before it Why? reaches our dinner plates. By diversifying our food sources, benefits will be reaped in the economy, our sense of community, nutritional-health and the environment. Localizing the food economy could enable each average household to achieve around a 4-5% reduction of GHGs traditionally attributed to the transport of food (Weber and Matthews, 2008). How? Establish a local Food Council that coordinates public outreach, determines best management practices for community farms, and identifies opportunities for growers, purchasers and suppliers. Encourage alternative farming systems that use sustainable food practices, such as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. – USDA Potential Action G2: Promote the use of fresh, locally-procured foods and educate citizens about the health benefits.
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Local food production, community gardens, and farmers markets provide multiple benefits to a community - boosting the local economy, reducing transportation costs and emissions, improving the health of the population, promoting community spirit and social interaction, and providing educational opportunities.
Why? Childhood obesity has skyrocketed over the last several years, as have the number of cases of Type II Diabetes in adults. How? The downtown district of Chattanooga is strikingly devoid of grocery stores and a targeted recruitment effort is needed. Additionally, it will be helpful to establish policy allowing the acceptance of food stamps at local farmers markets so families of lower income have access to local, fresh fruits and vegetables. Another innovative idea is to create a pilot local-foods cafeteria program at the Environmental Science magnet school, with the hope that the program will spread to other schools in the future.
T HE CHATTANOOGA C LIMATE A CTION P LAN