Locavores: A Case Study

Local economy has become an important part of sustaining businesses in small communities. Supporting local communities by utilizing local food distributors, farmers, markets and restaurants is a growing effort. The movement to support local growers and providers is very strong in Mount Shasta, California. This growing trend to eat locally is referred to as “locavores” (Lunsford 703). Locavores are genuinely committed to eating and purchasing local foods wherever possible, thereby having less of an environmental impact, protecting jobs and adding to the economics of the commuinity.

A specific favorite consumption is coffee. Coffee has become a significant social part of society. Sitting in cafes and coffee houses has become more of a
In the article “The Locavore’s Dilemma” Christope Pelletier states “The problem with concepts such as local consumption is that the basic idea has some value, but the idea quickly evolves into an ideology, and ideologies tend to make their followers stop thinking pragmatically” (704). In other words, while the concept and theory of locavores is a good one, in the end sustaining local customers and revenues will eventually fail when faced with competitive pricing, brand loyalty and
Transportation of products is less which reduces the carbon footprint. However Pelletier points out “a fully loaded truck is much more efficient than a local truck dropping small quantities in many places, thus driving around most of the time with empty space in the trailer” (704). While in some cases this may be true, large organizations like Starbucks have more power backed by financial abilities to make larger impacts on the environment. Starbucks details on their website efforts and accomplishments that they have made with regards to climate change, conservation and