First U.S. city to sign Cool Foods Pledge to buy local, organic (Sustainable Food Commitment)
Santa Monica, CA
How you can benefit
Fruits and vegetables in your supermarket are often harvested too early because they are grown hundreds of miles away You might get tastier, more nutritious produce if it's local, in-season and ripened on the vine.
Santa Monica created resources to help people and organizations:
1. Eat organic
2. Reduce conventional meat and dairy consumption
3. Avoid processed foods
4. Eat locally grown food
5. Reduce packaging and recycle food waste
Why it's a leading policy
It was the first city to sign on to the Cool Foods Pledge. And it prioritized sustainable food goals in the Sustainable City Plan. Unlike San Francisco's Healthy Food Executive Order, Santa Monica joined celebrities in the international Meatless Monday campaign.
Goal
- Increase fresh, local, organic produce served at city facilities, public schools, city college and hospitals) by 15%.
- At farmers markets, annually increase the total sales and percent of organic produce.
- Annually decrease in the average wait time for community garden plots.
- Reduce meat consumption by 15% to improve people's health and environment.
Who can take action
City staff, businesses, citizens.
Contact
Karl Bruskotter, Sustainability Analyst, Santa Monica, CA, (310) 458-2255, karl.bruskotter@smgov.net
Last Updated
August 14, 2015