One month ago, I penned a column titled “The merits of GMOs” in which I sought to dispel the notion that “naturally” grown food crops are superior to those that are genetically modified. I stressed that there is no difference between altering a food crop through artificial selection and artificial mutation to achieve a desired biological result.
Despite the views I expressed in the article, I’m a believer in buying local. Genetically modified foods may be safe and efficient, but the social and environmental benefits of purchasing locally grown organic foods far exceed those of purchasing genetically modified foods produced outside of Charlottesville.
This semester, second-year College students Claire Councill and Will Henagan established Greens to Grounds, a registered non-profit with 501(c)(3) status that serves as a liaison between University students and local farmers. The organization allows students to order boxes of assorted fruits, vegetables and other items each week. In addition to its role in supplying the University with a wide array of nutritious foods not offered at the dining halls, Greens to Grounds provides several social and environmental benefits that will make our community better.
Buying local builds our community. The American farmer is slowly waning: less than 1 percent of people living in the United States presently claims farming as an occupation. Charlottesville is surrounded by picturesque meadows and pleasant pastures owned by families. Local orchards and vineyards are popular attractions within our treasured agricultural landscape. When you buy local, you support the value of that land, keeping family-farming economically feasible and less likely to be commercially developed. Greens to Grounds is an organization that should be commended for helping to preserve the bucolic beauty of our community.
The money we spend on local food remains in the Charlottesville economy. Farmers reinvest your dollar in local goods and services, creating jobs and circulating wealth among local providers. The simple decision to incorporate a box of locally grown produce in your weekly grocery budget will go a long way in promoting the economic health of our town.
Furthermore, buying local is good for the environment. Local food requires little packaging and transportation, lowering our carbon footprint. Buying local promotes sustainable agriculture and genetic variation. Large commercial farms grow crops in monoculture environments to maximize efficiency, threatening the genetic diversity of our food crops.
Greens to Grounds provides students with a unique opportunity to leave a positive impact on Charlottesville outside of the University bubble. Students are often criticized for a lack of involvement in the surrounding Charlottesville area. Much of our disengagement with Charlottesville can be attributed to the layout of our University: it can be difficult to involve yourself in Charlottesville when Grounds is so removed from the rest of the city. By enabling students to purchase food from local farmers, Greens to Grounds tackles student aloofness with a nonprofit model that directly benefits our community.
Currently, Greens to Grounds is reaching out to University students who wish to volunteer with the organization. “We see Greens to Grounds as a learning platform where students can innovate using a real project to try to effectuate change on a primarily micro scale and eventually a macro scale,” said Councill.
Greens to Grounds is an example of healthy student activism that extends beyond awareness and creates practicable solutions to agricultural issues in our community. “When you choose to buy food from local farms using sustainable and ethical production practices you cast ‘dollar votes’ for an alternative to the industrial system,” said Henagan.
Charlottesville does a lot for our University and for us. By volunteering for Greens to Grounds or by putting a weekly box of locally grown food on your shopping list, you can give back by strengthening our community economically and socially while promoting agricultural sustainability.
Nazar Aljassar is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at n.aljassar@cavalierdaily.com.
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