Here at Serious Eats we love being able to fulfill a commitment just by eating a delicious meal. Kitchen Gardeners International (the same people who successfully led the charge for a White House Kitchen Garden) are now running a campaign to encourage local and sustainable eating on the Fourth of July. So far, more than 5,000 individuals have pledged to eat a meal made with local food on July 4. The "Food Independence Day" petition also asks the nation's 50 governors to participate and share what they will be eating. The petition reads: "As residents of your states and by our signatures below, we pledge to join you in this celebration of edible independence by eating healthy and delicious foods... More

foodandwaterwatch.org/food/global-grocer Picture the produce in your crisper right now. Without taking a peek, do you know where those onions were grown? What about that eggplant? And where does that frozen cauliflower get bagged? Unless we're buying from a farmers' market, most of us don't pay much attention to where our food grows--in walking down the supermarket aisles we look for the reddest, crispest bell pepper, without always noting its origin. But minimizing food miles is one of the easiest ways to protect the planet. The shorter the distance your food travels, the less energy was expended in getting it to your shopping cart. Plus, buying local supports the farmers in your own area. Which foods usually travel the farthest?... More