Vote Early, Vote Food Cycles!

How will you vote this November?
I don't mean who will you vote for - I'm asking how.
This morning I saw an ad outside the 7-11 near my house. "Vote with your cup," it urged. The blue cup portrays Obama; the red one is Romney. Buy a cup of soda, the ad is saying, and you'll support your favorite candidate, show everyone else you support him, and do your part for your country.
Say what you will about the commercialization of the American political process, but I think 7-11 is on the right track.

Alice Waters said, "We don't just vote at the ballot box. We vote for the kind of world we want every time we choose what to eat." From the time that humans first transitioned from a migratory hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a sedentary, agricultural one, the availability and quality of food has dictated the rising and falling of civilizations, the colonization of the planet, and the web of our culture.
Today, we're producing food in larger quantities and shipping it farther distances than we ever have in history. We also have more hungry people and, in most of the developed world, a lack of fresh, real food that can be traced back to its actual source.
Discovering why this is and what we can do about it is the reason Hannah and I are undertaking this journey.

What does it mean to vote with your fork? Every week, we bicycle to a local farm where we work in trade for milk, eggs, meat and produce. With this simple act, we remove ourselves from our frustratingly superficial urban lives, burn some calories and connect with the source of a good portion of our food. By doing so, we are casting our vote for local food production, local jobs, alternative transportation and the preservation of agricultural land over urban sprawl. We also bike and eat local food to vote against meals that rely on carbon-based fuels to get to us, use unfair labor practices to keep prices low, and treat animals and the land as expendable resources.

Just think: If everyone in America voted this way, we might actually begin to change things. That's why Hannah and I are getting on our bikes, discovering what local food movements are growing across the country, and creating pathways for others to connect with their own farmers, grow a victory garden, and cast their votes, too.

Invest in America. Invest in two women who really do believe they can change something. We've raised a little over $1,000 but we need $4,000 more to pedal from our edge of the continent to the other side. Donate now using the link to Indiegogo on the right side of this page! We also accept personal check or direct Paypal deposits.

Thank you for your support this fall!