Resources

Want to dig a little deeper? Here are some of my favorite tools for finding out more about how you can be more Farm Friendly:

Bioneers

http://www.bioneers.org
I found the most amazing heirloom corn meals and hominy through Bioneers. Log onto this site to help protect biodiversity.

Center for Food Safety

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org
The Center for Food Safety works to change public policy through public education and legal action.

Chefs Collaborative

http://www.chefscollaborative.org
Chefs Collaborative is a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community who promote sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal, and artisanal cooking. Users can search a database of member restaurants that create sustainably produced, delicious meals.

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture

http://www.buylocalfood.com
Support CISA and their “Be a Local Hero Campaign” by supporting local growers with their grocery dollars, attending events, and donating to the organization.

Consumers Union

http://www.greenerchoices.org
You may be familiar with Consumers Union through their publication, Consumer Reports. Their online tool, Greener Choices, helps users navigate toward greener purchasing options. Their eco-label tool provides a matrix of food labels and their meanings that is updated as new ones hit the market.

Eat Well Guide

http://www.eatwellguide.org
This site offers a powerful search engine that allows you to find real food near you!

Eat Wild

http://www.eatwild.com
Features the country’s most extensive list of suppliers of pasture-raised products.

Edible Communities

http://www.ediblecommunities.com
A National network of local magazines that point eaters to all of the noble, delicious things their communities have to offer.

Environmental Working Group

http://www.ewg.org
This group’s team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers, and computer programmers sifts through government data, legal documents, scientific studies, and laboratory tests to expose threats to health and the environment, and to find solutions. They publish a yearly shopper’s guide, a “dirty dozen” of the 12 most pesticide-laden crops in the produce aisle.

Farm Aid

http://www.farmaid.org
A collaboration of musicians, including Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, and Dave Matthews, farmers, and eaters united to support growers everywhere.

Food Routes Network

http://www.foodroutes.org
FRN provides information about eating local foods and tools for leading buy fresh, buy local eating initiatives in your area.

Local Harvest

http://www.localharvest.org
An incredibly useful tool for finding local food. This site includes a rich database, searchable by map, city/state, or zipcode, of CSAs, markets, restaurants, and co-ops that offer local items. The site also offers farm profiles and lists of books and other websites for more information.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

http://www.montereybayaquarium.com
The aquarium does more than educate visitors about the fish in its tanks. It provides information about the living seas and the importance of protecting their creatures. On this site you can learn more about sustaining life in our waters – an issue that is desperately urgent – and download a pocket guide to eating seafood that is caught responsibly.

National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

http://www.sustainableagriculture.net
A source for education and advocacy regarding Sustainable Agriculture issues.

Northeast Organic Farmers Association

http://www.nofa.org
A non-profit organization of nearly 4,000 farmers, gardeners, and eaters working to promote healthy food, organic farming practices, and a cleaner environment. It has chapters in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Organic Consumers Association

http://www.organicconsumers.org
A hub of information and action campaigns for topics concerning food safety, organic agriculture, Fair Trade, and sustainability.

Organic Trade Association

http://www.ota.com
A trade organization that promotes organic businesses in North America. The “organic and you” section of the site provides information about organic issues for eaters and practical tips for reducing chemical residues through one’s lifestyle choices.

Pew Charitable Trusts

http://www.pewtrusts.com
Provides unbiased scientific research on sustainability issues such as the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms into our environment and the condition of marine life.

Rodale Institute

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org
Established in the mid-forties by J.I. Rodale as a reaction to the growing dependence on chemical applications in agriculture. The Rodale Institute currently conducts research on developing and promoting regenerative farming techniques. Their motto is Healthy Soil=Healthy Food=Healthy People.®

Slow Food

http://www.slowfood.com
Slow Food is an international organization that celebrates local flavors and works to preserve endangered plant and animal species and artisanal processes from disappearing into the abyss of industrialized food production. Slow Food sponsors a range of tastings, lectures and other events to enjoy the Real Food they are working to support. Log onto their website to find a local chapter, called a convivium, near you.

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

http://www.stonebarnscenter.org
Stone Barns is my place to go when I need to recharge my sustainability batteries. You can stroll over the gorgeous grounds, communing with the pasture raised birds, pigs, and sheep. Take in an enlightening lecture in the Haybarn. Or have your tastebuds tingled in the Blue Hill restaurant or the cafe where Dan Barber and his team complete the field to fork experience. Stone Barns is a true home for those who want a better food future.

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program

http://www.sare.org
A project of the USDA to support sustainable agriculture through research and grants. Their site provides information about sustainability and searchable listings for farmers’ markets and CSAs.

Sustainable Table

http://www.sustainabletable.org
Your handy online primer to eating sustainably.

Union of Concerned Scientists

http://www.ucsusa.org
Founded in 1969 by the faculty and students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This group of scientists conducts technical studies on renewable energy options, the impacts of global warming, the risks of genetically engineered crops, and other related topics.

United States Department of Agriculture

http://www.usda.gov
The source for government policy on agriculture issues.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexNet.htm
Here you’ll find the complete text of the National Organic Standards.

Books:

Bitter Harvest : A Chef’s Perspective on the Hidden Danger in the Foods We Eat and What You Can Do About It

Ann Cooper
Routledge, 2000

Eat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket

Brian Halweil
W.W. Norton, 2004

Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods

Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian
Wiley, 2010

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Eric Schlosser
Harper Perennial, 2009

Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy Of Industrial Agriculture

Andrew Kimbrell
Foundation for Deep Ecology, 2002

Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

Marion Nestle
University of California Press, 2007

Wilco Solid Sound

Sherri Brooks Vinton