About
150 miles. 150 days.
The idea for this project came soon after I began to get involved with the Sustainable Food Center, an Austin organization that cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system through improving access to nutritious, affordable food (sustainablefoodcenter.org). SFC limits their vendor and farmer base to within 150 miles of Austin for their farmers’ markets and other programs. This became a natural mile boundary for this project since the majority of our food purchases will come from farmers’ markets. 150 days was a clever number to go with 150 miles. This time frame (July 1- November 29) gives the opportunity to explore the local food community in two very different places: Austin and in Hawaii (Evan and I will be traveling to Kahuku on the island of Oahu for a couple months in the fall).
10 Reasons for Eating Locally
1. Locally grown produce tastes better.
2. Local produce is higher in nutritional value.
3. Local food preserves genetic diversity.
4. Local farmers’ food is GMO-free based on the requirements of the Austin Farmers’ Market.
5. Local food supports local family farms.
6. Local food builds the local economy.
7. Local food preserves open space.
8. Local food keeps your taxes in check.
9. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.
10. Local food promotes future sustainability.
(from the Sustainable Food Center Messaging, visit http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/AFM_eatfresh.html for more info)
Beyond 150... 
Dahlia,
I miss you! We talk of you often! Your blog is great! What I want to know, though, is: is Evan drinking Dr. Pepper?
Janea
Janea! So good to hear from you. I miss you all too! Thanks for the comment and encouragement in the blog. And the answer is yes, he is…haha! In my very first blog post I explained a bit of our reasons for doing this and also how we have planned it. One of our plans was to each have 1 exception…one food that maybe we could not live without. As you could guess, Evan’s is Dr. Pepper. It is produced in Waco, which is within 150 miles, but it is the antithesis of the foods we are trying to eat, so it is most definitely an exception. Mine has been peanut butter but tomorrow I am getting locally grown peanuts to make my own peanut butter – I am excited! Then maybe I will acquire a new exception….not sure…