Why the 100-Mile Diet?

As the years have gone by, I've taken a greater interest in all-things sustainability. (I don't consider myself a "tree-hugging hippie", but I do go by the nickname Green Kristine.) For me, living sustainably isn't a fad. It's actually more of a step back in time. It's about a return to norms that existed when my great grandparents were living - eating quality foods as a family, purchasing products to last (not be tossed after one use) - thinking about how we can make as little impact during our time here on earth as possible, in order to protect the health and welfare of future generations.

Anyway, this all came to a headway after I finished reading "No Impact Man" a couple weeks ago. I realized that since my son was born in October, I had become pretty complacent in my sustainability practices. (Anyone who has had an infant probably understands why being green got pushed to the back burner.) But now that Evan is getting older - including eating table food - and I've recently started working part-time, I don't have any excuses.

So my husband and I have decided that during the months of July and August, our family is going on the 100 Mile Diet. Everything we consume (*with a few exceptions, which will be discussed at a later time), must come from within 100 miles of our home in Cleveland. We think the 100 mile diet is a great opportunity to support our local economy, reduce our impact on the environment (more about that at a later time too) and ensure that we're getting the highest quality foods.

So stay tuned...lots more to come. We're using the month of June to gear up for the diet, and I'll use June to blog more about the whys and hows of the diet.