Mission Statement: Getting Serious

This blog is intended as a record of Anna Sommo and Matt Crampton's cross country bike ride.

Over the past few years, our interests have come to a convenient crossroads. Anna's experience in Berkeley, CA as a nutrition/garden teacher has piqued her awareness of local capacities for food production. Having recently completed his masters in landscape architecture, Matt has developed an interest for designed and improvised responses to community need. The newfound popularity of farmer's markets gave us a way to focus our trip and combine our interests.

As we cruise across the states, we hope to learn about (and taste!)the amazing projects people are working on to create stronger, healthier communities. We want to know how a simple farm stand or homemade brew affects day to day life, how apple trees planted in a neighborhood bring people together, and why eating from a local farm or growing your own tomato can feel like the ultimate independence. We know that this is a sexy trend in many places- we can't deny that. But we think it is a pragmatic movement, and that it springs from a lot of the crazy, scary stuff that seems to be happening all over the world. It is also a hopeful movement that can bring together people from all backgrounds, and the more people try different models, the easier it will be for everyone to get involved. We know that most people will glance at this blog and spin through the photos, skipping over our soapbox, and that is more than fine. But if you happen to have a long day at work when you want to peruse the links, post a suggestion, a correction, a question or an idea, we are all ears.
Happy summer, friends. Have a carrot and come on a bike ride!