Is it possible to save the world based on the foods you eat, while supporting local industries?
It is, according to the concept of Locavorism.
Hawaiian based web company shareyourtable.com has unveiled a new website solely dedicated to the Locavore - a person who seeks out locally produced foods.
Unlike most Locavore websites, this one targets not just the locals, but also potential tourists that may come and visit Hawaii.
Hawaiian locals, chefs and local businesses are able to showcase their recipes, tips and the latest news on the Hawaiian food scene, which is entirely local fare.
Shareyourtable.com believes local food is fresher and better for the environment; however, the problem locally produced foods face is that they are substantially more expensive than imported foods.
Despite the high cost in local produces, does
shareyourtable.com have a point in promoting self reliance and eco friendliness when it comes to food?
According to the Hawaiian Consumer Expenditure Survey and the Cool Climate Carbon Footprint Calculator, on average, Hawaiians spend 36 per cent of their income on food, which constitutes 57 per cent of the it's ecological footprint. The high number is because over 80 per cent of Hawaiian food is ordered offshore - therefore the high number is caused by transportation logistics.
Furthermore, cheap imports are increasingly coming under fire due to questionable food safety, near untraceable origins and poor nutrition, leading to over-consumption of processed foods over fresh foods. Due to these facts, medical costs have increased by over 40 per cent in the past decade due to nutritional related illnesses.
To make matters worse, Hawaii has only enough food to last for seven days at any given time - therefore, locals lack food security if a natural or economical disaster were to occur.
On the other hand, some skeptics of Locavorism argue that not only is it not financially viable for those on the buying end, but also since you can only grow certain kinds of foods in certain regions, there will still be lots of transporting of foods from one region to another, lots of carbon emissions - the only difference would be that consumers would be paying more.
It remains to be seen if the Locavore trend will catch on in these tough economic times, but I guess that is why the site is also trying to target potential Hawaiian tourists - people with disposable incomes.
Would you pay more than you have to for the sake of the environment?