media day

“if your heart is free, then the ground on which you stand is liberated territory… defend it!”

Today was a big day for Cricket Bread in the media. There was a story about eating locally in Winter featured on the front page of the Today section of the Wilmington Star News. Although they didn’t use the cool picture (everyone in the store that saw it thought it was cool) of me standing in the produce department, they did get some good information out there about local food sources.

“‘I think the false perception about eating locally is that it can be really hard to get into it,’ Ramsey says.”

I love it when you are referred to by your last name…so very news-like.

“Ramsey substitutes root vegetables in soups and stews that call for potatoes only, and he uses all kinds of winter vegetables in salads. When he’s on a sweet-potato roll, Ramsey puts them in soup one night, makes fries the next, adds them to stir-fry for another dinner, and turns them into one of his favorite side dishes – sweet potatoes mashed with chopped pecans and a bit of honey.”

The other story came out in Encore, the arts and entertainment weekly, otherwise known as “Your Alternative Voice in Wilmington, NC.” Emily Rea did an awesome job putting my ideas and ideals down on paper, making both accessible to the readership.

“If this kind of thinking could only spread like wildfire, if each of us adopted a ‘Trace mentality,’ a better future could be upon us sooner than we think. For now, Trace’s view of the future, while still hopeful at its core, is tough love in its truest form: realism. “

To give some background on the above quote, Emily asked me if I had hope for the future of the world. My basic answer was “no”. I feel that, from my perspective, that answer is a wake up word to folks who think that politicians or environmental groups or NGOs are going to solve anything, ever. In many ways, we as activists can’t worry about the world. We need to bring the focus back to our communities and the idea that we can make life better for people and plants and animals that we see, touch and speak to every day. This is not a discount on the lives of people in far off places; their problems are very, very real. But unless we are traveling to and working directly in their communities (with them, not around them – hope you understand my distinction), the best we can do is hope that the donations we send do some real good and aren’t wasted.

I can visit the farmers who supply my food. I can talk with my heroes. I can start and finish projects here and now that directly benefit the people I look in the eye every morning on the way to work. Those projects inspire other people to get involved in their community and make it stronger, more self-reliant. This is the main idea – through various incarnations – that I have been trying to spread for almost a decade.

From the online edition of Encore –

Trace Ramsey’s suggestions for taking simple and specific first steps toward going green, going local and building community:

“Start with just one all-local meal a week—one meal is extremely easy. We have so much available locally. Even in January we have all kinds of meat, greens, potatoes, root crops—all kinds of stuff is available.”

“Some of the hardest stuff [about trying a 100-mile diet project] is identifying where your lines are going to be. You can’t be so restricted that you aren’t able to function in your community. If I go to eat at someone’s house, I’m not going to go, ‘Well, where did that come from?’ If you’re getting together to eat, it’s more about the community aspect [anyway].”

“Definitely try to get involved in some sort of community action plan, like a group that you identify with. There’s so much community involvement to be had.”

“Increase your reuse of stuff instead of buying new stuff all the time. Try to buy stuff in bulk so you’re using less packaging.”

“Drive less… That would help me out.”

“Start interacting with your neighbors more; find out what they’re about. See if you can get together and share some garden space. Growing your own food reduces your impact.”

“Get rid of your TV; that’s always good.”

“Local food in season is going to be cheaper than what’s at the grocery out of season. You’re cutting out that transportation, all that refridgeration, all that abusive labor abroad. You’re having a definite impact on a farmer’s life. You’re also eating a healthier product because it hasn’t been in storage. The benefits are economic, nutritional AND community-focused.”

Thanks Emily!