So you’ve heard of carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. But what about localvores? A new word that has barely entered our lexicon, localvores are those who strive to eat food produced or harvested 100-150 mile radius from their homes. For those of you who think eating organic is good enough, think again: with your food traveling an average of 1500 miles before it ends up on your dinner plate, the fuel and energy costs are substantial.

The localvore movement is very concerned about this statistic, and what it’s doing not only to the environment, but to local farms.

Localvores seem to have taken root last August on the West Coast, when a group of San Francisco culinary adventurers who call themselves “locavores” (no “l”) challenged themselves to eat food grown or harvested within 100 miles of where they live for one month. That call - spawned other groups on the East Coast – particularly those centered around the fertile soils of the Connecticut River Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire.

I have joined one of these groups here in my hometown in New Hampshire called the Hannah Grimes Localvore Project, with a one-day challenge of eating 100% local on September 10th. I’ve also joined an interesting listserv, which keeps me abreast of what’s going on in the localvore world.

Photo: Texas A&M University

It seems like an idea that makes sense to the local economy, the environment and our health. But what I’ve found interesting are the strong objections to localvores that have cropped up lately. One columnist wrote that this is an irresponsible idea which will be the demise of agriculture the way we know it. Others laugh it off, saying that localvores will be eating like Pilgrims here in the Northeast… and you know what happened to most of them in the winter

From what I’ve seen, the localvores are a grounded bunch who don’t want to add yet another guilt-trip about what you put in your mouth. Those in the movement are practical about what people are willing to eat – or give up -- year round. (I mean, who really wants to give up coffee, salt, pepper, cinnamon and chocolate?)

I like the guidelines put forth by the locavores in San Francisco: If it’s not locally produced, go for organic. If it’s not organic, go for family farm products. If not family farm, go for local business (that is, buy stuff produced elsewhere at a locally-owned market), and if not local business then terrior (that is, things produced that are famous in the region and support that local agriculture, like brie cheese from Brie, France, or Parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy).

The localvore goal is, at the very least, to get people to stop buying those Chilean apples in the middle of harvest season when fresh apples are available right down the road. The ultimate goal is to support and help local farmers thrive, to help bioregions become self-sustaining, to undercut big agribusiness, and, best yet, to get to know the farmers who labor to put all that good food on your plate.