Tag: Economic Development Administration University Center

Top 5 Reasons for Loving Local Food Today (and every day) …

Posted on by Julia Havens

Make a Local Food Feast for Valentine’s Day Local Food Eugene Springfield Oregon Lane County Public Market

My Community Planning Workshop (CPW) team at the University of Oregon is collaborating on a project with the City of Eugene and Lane County to support the local food movement here in Lane County. Our project is the “Lane County Year-Round Regional Public Market and Food Hub Market Analysis”. My team is investigating if there are enough people buying or interested in buying local produce in Eugene and Springfield to support a potential year-round public market and food hub. A public market and food hub could boost the availability of local food by supporting small producers and distributors.

So what is a public market and a food hub, you ask? A public market is a permanent location where farmers, ranchers, and artists can directly sell their local and regional products. Public markets can also have additional amenities, such as cooking classes. There are many different models for food hubs and no two are exactly alike. A food hub could include a year-round public market with additional services like warehouse space for small producers and distribution infrastructure.
My team has been studying up on local food, talking to local professionals about local food, cooking and eating local food and we think it’s great! So with Valentine’s Day today, try something new! Try some local produce from one of Eugene and Springfield’s fantastic locations and rustle up a tasty treat!

Here are our top 5 reasons for supporting local food this Valentine’s Day (and every day) …

  1. It’s delicious!
    There’s just nothing like chopping up some fresh veggies that were picked this morning and serving them up for dinner. You won’t believe how much better an Heirloom tomato straight from the farmers’ market tastes!
  2. It’s nutritious!
    Food loses much of its nutritional value as it is transported, frozen or processed. Eating local food helps cut out these steps and gets the taste and the nutrition directly from the farm to your plate.
  3. It supports local jobs!
    Buying local helps create and sustain jobs in your local community. The money you spend in the local economy stays in the local economy. According to Willamette Farm and Food Coalition, a one percent increase in local food purchasing results in $11.7 million staying in our local economy instead of going elsewhere.
  4. It builds community!
    Heading down to the local farmers’ market is often so much more than purchasing some fresh, local produce. You can check out a band, grab some samples and maybe even a cheeky micro-brew. Making food an experience not just a transaction is an important part of building community.
  5. It’s good for the environment!
    In the U.S. today the average carrot, grain or steak that hits your plate has traveled over 1,500 miles to get there. By buying locally you can cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions that are produced by transporting food so far. And local food doesn’t just mean close to home, it means it’s grown in a more sustainable way in general – so less pesticides, less chemical fertilizer and better land management practices.

Local Food Eugene Springfield Oregon Lane County Public Market CSC Community Planning Workshop CPWSo buy local, eat local and love local!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

 

Alexander Robert Bruce Macfarlan CPW Community Planning WorkshopAbout the Author: Alex Macfarlan is a Master of Public Administration candidate at the University of Oregon. He’s originally from Sydney, Australia and has worked for the past two years with a food hub in Guatemala. Alex has a big veggie garden at his home in Eugene and loves growing food. 

Stories from the Field: A RARE AmeriCorps Perspective

Posted on by Julia Havens

Thrifty and Smart: The Resilience of Rural America

Summer Lake Hot Springs Bath House, located in Summer Lake, OregonWhen the Going Gets Tough, Rural keeps going. It is true that the crash of the economy has effected everyone but especially rural communities where because of their remote locations resources are limited. Lake County, Oregon is among those rural communities that are fighting to survive. Lake County is unique for multiple reasons but specifically their choice on how to help a struggling community with the conglomeration of renewable energy technologies. Lake County is blessed with an abundance of renewable energy such as geothermal, solar, and wind. It is home to the largest solar farm in Oregon which is located in Christmas Valley. Paisley, Oregon’s own Mayor worked with Surprise Valley Electric, the local electrical co-op,  developing plans to have a 3 MW geothermal plant built which is scheduled to go online by March 2014. Rural communities are experiencing a rural funding gap then how have they survived and accomplished so many projects? Inclusive leadership, diversified resources, and collaboration are key methods that help with the rural resilience. Lake County is open for business with renewable energy contractors and they understand an investment for a long term strategy not just a quick fix in difficult times. Ranches and livelihoods can be and are saved by these creative strategies.   Most people strive for financial viability and sustainability.   The citizens of Lake County get creative in their strategies to achieve these goals and portray strong characteristics of survivalists and conservationists.  Lake County citizens are filled with an array of craftsmanship and if they don’t know how to do it they figure it out.

Duane Graham, the owner of Summer Lake Hot Springs in an interview replied “Living in rural communities, such as Lake County, reinforces your energy awareness. Anytime you take a trip to Bend that’s $50 in your gas tank.” People learn to stock up on supplies and be mindful of energy consumption. You can call it frugal or sustainable but out here it just makes sense. We got on the subject of the agricultural and food scene where we see a major shift back to local and organic products and practices. Duane replied, “You know, back when the Paisley Mercantile was a mom and pop market, folks relied on locally owned hardware stores and lumberyards rather than Home Depot.  And there was a flour mill on the river in nearly every town.  And a butcher shop or local woods full of fresh meat.  And every household grew a garden and canned.” “I realized that my values were akin to my Grandmother’s when she told me, ‘What you young people call organic food, we just called food.’  I want to live that simply.”  You can learn so much living the rural lifestyle. It brings you back to simplicity where you learn to be thankful for the little things in life and learn how to literally survive and live off the land. A good friend once told me that “Being here in Oregon’s great Outback I have realized that you have time on your side. When does that ever happen in life?” Living out here you can understand and appreciate the beauty of that statement. People move at a slower pace out here and take time to sit with you and share stories. Lake County shares in building community pride by reaching out to each other when times get tough rather than giving up. Out here they get creative ; out here they are just plain survivalists.  What resources does your rural community have and what creative ways have they utilized them to survive?

Katie Kargol RARE Resource Assistance for Rural EnvironmentsAbout the Author:  Katie Kargol received her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from the University of Colorado. Upon graduating,  she enrolled in an array of classes at Northwest Renewable Energy Institute where she ultimately attained a Wind Turbine Technician Diploma.  Katie moved to Oregon for an adventure of the RARE AmeriCorps Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments kind! Katie is serving with Lake County Resource Initiative (LCRI), where she is focused on promoting a number of local renewable energy programs and projects.  A large part of LCRI’s mission is to transform Lake County into a net exporter of renewable energy. Katie is assisting with further develop of LCRI’s website and renewal energy documents; promoting LCRI to Lake County residents; offering an array of renewable energy tours; perform energy audits for local income renters, homeowners and business; and helping to develop and coordinate curriculum for LCRI’s newly created Natural Resources Learning and Innovation Center.  Following her second year with the RARE AmeriCorps Program, Katie hopes to find a full-time position that allows her to integrate sustainable practices in government and community-based development projects.