Buy Local Challenge July 17 – 25, 2010

Posted by chris on July 12, 2010

HEALTHY PLATE, HEALTHY PLANET!
Take the Buy Local Challenge July 17 – 25, 2010

What if you could make one simple change every day for a week that would have a positive impact on your health, your local economy and the health of the planet? Join the thousands across Maryland who will take the Buy Local Challenge (“I pledge to eat at least one item from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week”) from July 17 – 25 and enjoy food that’s fresh and nutritious while you support local farmers.

The Buy Local Challenge (always the last full week in July) will celebrate its fourth anniversary in 2010. One of several SMADC programs geared to boost the local farm economy the Challenge was designed to highlight the environmental, health and economic benefits farms provide. Participants are encouraged to shop at farms, farm stands, farmers’ markets and grocers that offer locally grown food and wine, and dine at restaurants that include local farm food and wine in their menus.

“The Buy Local Challenge is gaining incredible momentum,” said Christine Bergmark, executive director of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC). “It’s easy for anyone to make this simple commitment; individuals, families, even businesses and institutions”, she commented. “But our goal is also to remind people that local farms need consumer support to thrive and ensure they survive for future generations. We see this Buy Local Challenge concept spreading beyond Maryland and continuing to fuel the growing trend toward healthy choices for ourselves and our planet.”

The Buy Local Challenge Web site www.buy-local-challenge.com includes an interactive feature that allows participants to make a more official commitment to ‘take the challenge and be counted’ by adding their name to the up-to-the-minute tally of people who have pledged to eat local during the 2010 Buy Local Week. Those who take the official pledge receive a personalized, downloadable certificate.

There are many ways to get involved in the Buy Local Challenge beyond taking the pledge and shopping for locally grown food during Buy Local Week. Many restaurants and stores are featuring ‘local’ menus and locally grown foods and wines, and businesses and organizations are encouraging members to take the challenge as a group. Close to one third of Maryland’s hospitals participated in the 2009 Buy Local Challenge offering locally grown food in their cafeterias and hosting farmers’ markets on their premises during Buy Local Week.

The Buy Local Challenge Web site also incorporates a separate, interactive sub-site (the BLC Online Community) designed to host user-generated content. This site allows users from anywhere in the nation to upload information about BLC events, submit photos, tips or recipes, to chat or generally interact with other users across the country. Participants can also download free resource material including official BLC logo files, fliers and generic press releases. This sets the stage for a cohesive nationwide annual observance of Buy Local Challenge Week throughout the U.S.

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) was established to promote diverse, market-driven agricultural enterprises, which coupled with agricultural land preservation, will preserve Southern Maryland’s environmental resources and rural character while keeping the region’s farmland productive and the agricultural economy vibrant. To learn more about additional programs and resources, contact SMADC, P. O. Box 745, Hughesville, MD 20637; phone: 301-274-1922; fax: 301-274-1924; email cbergmark@smadc.com; or visit www.smadc.com.