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<P mce_keep="true">[quote user="greyhounds"] <P>[quote user="Bucyrus"] <P>Why would activist groups favor an objective that a public train serve locally grown produce?</P> <P>[/quote]</P> <P>You're asking for a logical explination of illogical actions. </P> <P>Food in the US is produced where its most efficient to produce it. It's no accident that apples come from Washington State, chickens are raised in the southeast, and pork comes from Iowa. Not all, but that's the concentration. 59% of US apples are produced in Washington and last time I checked there were 15 truckloads per day that went all the way to Florida. That's done for a reason. The reason being it's more efficient to grow the apples in Washington and ship them to Florida than to do anything else. Transportation of goods is cheap and efficient these days. </P> <P>More than anything, the activists are looking for a crusade that will give meaning to their lives. Now some of them will have at some times a good and valid point, I'm not denying that. But generally, it's about having a crusade that will give meaning to their lives. Once they leave on a crusade facts and logic become irrelevent.</P> <P>That's the best I can explain the inexplicable.</P> <P mce_keep="true">[/quote]</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>greyhounds,</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva></FONT> </P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>You may be right about activists looking for a crusade, but I don’t think their actions are illogical.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Their logic is plain and simple.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They want to reduce the transportation of food in order to reduce the emission of CO2.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>I understand your food distribution model that you describe.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Its purpose is to provide the widest variety of the highest quality food at the lowest price.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And the key to this model is efficient transportation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>However, the buy-local-food movement has the clear and simple objective of reducing food transportation, and to accomplish this, they are willing, if necessary, to sacrifice food quality and variety, and pay a higher price.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is called the “100-mile diet,” or the “food miles campaign.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is completely against the food production and distribution model that you describe.</FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>Here is a very informative link that includes both sides of the issue.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One researcher contends that when you consider the entire carbon footprint of food production, food transported long distances may have a lower footprint than local produce because of higher efficiencies in the production end of food transported longer distances.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Others contend that the buy-local movement will destroy the export economy of Australia:</FONT></P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT face=verdana,geneva> </FONT></SPAN><A href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/22/2852289.htm"><FONT face=verdana,geneva color=#800080>http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/22/2852289.htm</FONT></A></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT face=verdana,geneva color=#800080></FONT></SPAN> </P><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT><FONT face=verdana,geneva> <o:p></o:p></FONT> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=verdana,geneva>The basic carbon footprint reduction objective of the buy-local movement may be a bit obscure because it is sugar coated in a collection of platitudes intended to offset the sacrifice that is called for.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some of these sweeteners include the assertions that local food is fresher and tastes better.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is better for you and it provides a story to accompany your food.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It supports the local economy and pushes back against the fast food industry.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It builds community.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It keeps your dollars nearby.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It gives you satisfaction to eat food knowing that it does not have a lot of miles on it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=verdana,geneva><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face=verdana,geneva><FONT size=2>The simple fact is that the buy-local movement and HSR are both components of the green movement that is sweeping the world’s advanced countries.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So it is not surprising to see them being combined.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The strange irony is that the buy-local movement conflicts with the food transportation interest of the freight railroads, which will be hosting HSR.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
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