fast facts and resources
BUY LOCAL
Local Harvest is a website where you can find farmers markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and other goodies.
The Northeast Organic Farming Association is a non-profit organization comprised of farmers, gardeners and consumers working to promote healthy food, organic farming practices and a cleaner environment. NOFA has chapters in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The Eat Well Guide is a free, online directory of small farms, restaurants and other outlets in the US and Canada that offer sustainably-raised meat, poultry, dairy, and egg products. Enter your zip or postal code to find local products that were raised sustainably, including no antibiotics, no added hormones, pasture raised, grass fed and organic.
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CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
mbayaq.org is the website for The Monterey Bay Aquarium. They have created Seafood Watch, a program designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. They recommend which seafood to buy or avoid. Their mission is to empower consumers and businesses to make choices for healthy oceans. Download the latest Seafood Watch Guide
EAT WITH THE SEASONS
Part of eating local means learning to eat with the seasons. Buy CT Grown connects consumers with Connecticut grown products quickly and easily - whether on a menu, at a farm, farmers' market or local nursery. The website features a chart of what's currently in season. You can sign up to receive in-season alerts for your favorite fruits and vegetables, reminders about upcoming food and farm events, or seasonal recipes from Connecticut chefs and more.
KEEP IT EASY AND FUN
Ideal Bite offers ideas for "light" green living. It's a fun source of advice from real people leading busy lives who love to "do the right thing" for themselves and the planet and at the same time keep it convenient, fun and inexpensive.
GET EDUCATED
Organic Foodee is a wonderful online organic lifestyle magazine. It delivers organic food news, organic stories and organic reviews with fresh, original and well-researched articles. The woman behind the website, Ysanne Spevack, is a well-known organic food and lifestyle author.
On Organic.org you'll find information on understanding organic basics to product reviews and the latest organic news. A related site called All Organic Links is a directory of organic-friendly businesses.
Sustainable Table provides a variety of ways to receive up-to-date information on the sustainable food movement and builds community among health conscious consumers via newsletters, blogs, forums and interactive media. A comprehensive Issues section provides links to more information about sustainability topics. The Sustainable Kitchen section provides consumers with feature articles on sustainable food, cooking, recipes, and more.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a member-based association whose mission is to encourage global sustainability through promoting and protecting the growth of diverse organic trade. OTA's approximately 1,600 members include growers, shippers, retailers, processors, certifiers, farmer associations, brokers, consultants and others promoting all things organic. For a directory of OTA members and the products and services they offer or to locate an organic retailer near you, visit www.theorganicpages.com. For resources related to transitioning from conventional to organic, visit www.howtogoorganic.com.
CONNECT AND SPREAD THE WORD
The Northeast Food and Farm Network is a project of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG).The site is a full-featured social network where people and groups from the Northeast can connect and work together to build a vibrant regional food system. Visit our The Natural Princess Page.