“Foodprint” Resolution

By Nevin Cohen, March 7, 2009

A group of grassroots organizations in New York City are developing a greenhouse gas “foodprint” resolution that they hope will be adopted by the City Council. The resolution calls for:

– conditions to enable residents and businesses to adopt low-carbon diets based on local, organic, plant-based foods;

– a foodshed analysis to determine where New York’s food comes from, how it is transported to New York, and the extent to which the region’s foodshed can serve the needs of local residents;

– an expansion of the venues for distributing and buying local and/or organic produce;

– increased support for community gardens and urban farming initiatives; and

– a goal of buying local and organic produce for 20% of the food served in city-run institutions within ten years.

The organizations involved in this effort include Just Food and the Sierra Club NYC Group.