Today is the kick-off for the Piedmont Environmental Council's Eat Local Challenge -- a call to our community members to eat twenty-one local items over the next twenty-one days (September 21 through October 11). For directions on how to participate in the challenge, see their website for details: www.buylocalvirginia.org/challenge.I'd be curious to see the results if PEC can find a way to quantify the economic impact that this challenge will have on the Charlottesville and Albemarle area economy. There have been several studies conducted on the positive effect that local purchasing has upon the local economy, including one from a few years back entitled Eat Fresh and Grow Jobs, Michigan that identifies the enormous potential for local job growth and financial gain from giving preference to in-state agriculture.
Anecdotally speaking, I can see that the demand for the Charlottesville City Market just keeps growing and growing, and the supply is working to keep up with all those customers. That's evident in the crowds (of customers and vendors) that the market attracts every Saturday morning, and also in the signs I saw posted this past Saturday indicating that the City Market has been extended through November 21st this year (it usually runs through the last weekend of October). In addition, the Charlottesville Holiday Market will run through mid-December as planned, but will be moved to the more accessible City Market area. The local purchasing can continue all the way into the holiday season!
To finish, here's some more nice publicity on sustainable dining from UVa Today (that has made its way to the Week in Photos on UVa's homepage!): "Dining Service Hires U.Va. Graduate as Sustainability Coordinator."
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