[CitizensTruth] UW-Madison News Release--Putting Local Foods On The Map

[Richard Krzyzanowski]

does anyone know how to get in touch with the people that did this project?
 i am interested in setting up a site like this for chicago and would truly
appreciate any help/ insight anyone might have into starting a project like
this - thank you rich

On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 10:23 AM, Daniel Stafford <aqmstaffo at mailbag.com>
wrote:


>

>  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

>> 5/14/08

>>

>> EDITOR'S NOTE: Visit the student-created 100-Mile Diet Map at

>> http://www.chickmappers.com/100miledietmap

>>

>> CONTACT: Althea Archer, (218) 556-8053, aaarcher at wisc.edu; Heidi Banfi,

>> (608) 698-3384, hmbanfi at gmail.com; Fran Ellsworth, (608) 239-4772,

>> fran.ellsworth at gmail.com; Megan Turner, (608) 332-4572, mnturner at wisc.edu

>> UW-MADISON GEOGRAPHY STUDENTS PUT LOCAL FOODS ON THE MAP

>>

>> MADISON - As temperatures warm, farm fields begin to green and outdoor

>> farmers' markets get under way, the time is ripe for thinking about local

>> foods. For Madison residents, finding locally produced foods is now just a

>> mouse click away.

>>

>> Four University of Wisconsin-Madison geography students have created an

>> interactive, online map of food sources within 100 miles of Madison. Their

>> 100-Mile Diet Map aims to educate consumers and provide a central resource

>> for those interested in eating close to home.

>> Touted as a way to access fresher food from known sources, reduce

>> transportation costs and invest in the local economy, the 100-mile diet

>> refers to eating only foods that were grown or produced within a 100-mile

>> radius of your home. First described by a Canadian couple in 2005, the

>> 100-mile diet concept has grown in popularity recently as people become more

>> concerned about the environmental and social consequences of their food

>> choices.

>>

>> The idea resonated strongly with a group of geographic information systems

>> (GIS) certificate program students enrolled this spring in geography

>> professor Mark Harrower's Animated and Web-Based Mapping class. For Althea

>> Archer, of Bemidji, Minn.; Heidi Banfi, of Deerfield, Wis.; Fran Ellsworth,

>> of Madison; and Megan Turner, of Madison, a 100-Mile Diet Map sounded like

>> the perfect end-of-semester project.

>>

>> Harrower, a cartographer, challenges his students to design Web-based maps

>> that address real-world problems. "Who needs this map, and who's going to

>> use it? What community would benefit?" he asks. "We don't just make stuff

>> for the heck of it; we make it because there's an obvious need."

>>

>> Madison is lucky to have a variety of local eating resources, says Turner,

>> but information is often scattered and not always user-friendly. "Maps are a

>> powerful tool to clarify concepts and to organize data," she says. "We

>> wanted to make it visually appealing with simple directions while also

>> functional."

>>

>> In addition, the reality of eating locally can seem daunting even for

>> people interested in trying it. "I think people view it as a challenge,"

>> says Banfi. "One of the goals of our map is to show that it's easy."

>>

>> "The food map is a great example of taking on … a really current topic,"

>> Harrower says. "It's such a geographic and spatial problem, and yet I've not

>> seen any maps that help you figure this one out."

>>

>> One of his requirements is that students work with real data. The food map

>> group members gathered much of their information from local organizations,

>> including the Madison-based nonprofit Research, Education, Action and Policy

>> on Food Group (REAP) and the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture

>> Coalition (MACSAC).

>>

>> An initial public version of their map, available at

>> http://www.chickmappers.com/100miledietmap, shows the locations of a

>> variety of local-food sources, including farms, farmers' markets, food

>> cooperatives and restaurants that serve locally produced items. For each, an

>> icon links to contact information and what products are available, from

>> fresh fruits and vegetables to meats, cheeses and eggs. Other links direct

>> users to general information about the 100-mile diet, the benefits of local

>> eating and ways to plan a diet based on seasonal local foods.

>>

>> Map users can tailor the food map to their own needs by selecting a subset

>> of information - for example, viewing sources of a specific type of product

>> or finding nearby farms involved in community-supported agriculture, a

>> system where people can buy farm shares at the beginning of the growing

>> season in return for a share of the harvest throughout the year.

>> "The benefit of having this be an interactive Web map is that there are

>> lots of different layers," says Archer. "The average user who just wants to

>> know what the 100-mile diet is can go to the Web site and read and learn

>> more. But if you're already doing it and you're in the middle of winter, and

>> you realize, 'Oh no, I'm running out of vegetables - where can I get some?'

>> you can use it too."

>>

>> Of course, some foods cannot be produced locally in Wisconsin - coffee,

>> chocolate and olive oil are three big ones - but the students point out that

>> consumers still have choices about where to buy such products. For example,

>> they've chosen to include local coffee roasters and chocolatiers on their

>> map.

>>

>> "Even if the source for the coffee isn't local, at least the processing is

>> done locally," Archer says.

>> Ellsworth adds, "I think there will always be food products that people

>> aren't willing or able to give up that aren't locally sourced. But I think

>> minimizing them is the goal. I'm not giving up my bananas. But there's no

>> reason we should get spinach from California."

>>

>> She and the other students hope to dispel the idea that eating locally

>> requires radical changes and to show how small steps can fit into many

>> everyday lifestyles.

>>

>> "The goal of this isn't to be hard and fast and not eat anything from

>> outside of 100 miles, it's trying to get people's attention shifted more

>> toward that idea," says Ellsworth. "If everyone tried to incorporate as many

>> food items from within 100 miles as possible, that's a lot more powerful

>> than five people being so strict that they won't even cook their food in

>> olive oil."

>>

>> They also challenge the notion that local products are more expensive than

>> conventionally sourced counterparts.

>> "Especially with food costs skyrocketing and gasoline prices going up, it

>> may be cheaper to buy a quarter of a cow - or whatever - from a local farmer

>> and put it in the freezer," Banfi explains. "Educating people about their

>> other options is important."

>>

>> Though the food map started as a class project, the women will continue to

>> maintain and expand it, possibly adding interactive resources such as

>> recipes, blogs and even food preservation tutorials. They also intend to

>> make the map seasonal so users can see what products are available even in

>> the dead of winter. Ultimately, they hope to see this type of map expand

>> beyond Madison and even beyond the state.

>>

>> "It's a lot of work … But I really want to see it nationwide, so that you

>> can put in your address and find out what sources are available within 100

>> miles," Archer says. "That's the big-picture dream."

>>

>> All four women will receive their professional GIS certificates this

>> month.

>> ###

>> - Jill Sakai, (608) 262-9772, jasakai at wisc.edu

>>

>>

>>

>> ****************************************************

>> For questions or comments about UW-Madison's email

>> news release system, please send an email to:

>> releases at news.wisc.edu

>>

>> For more UW-Madison news, please visit: http://www.news.wisc.edu/

>>

>> University Communications

>> University of Wisconsin-Madison

>> 27 Bascom Hall

>> 500 Lincoln Drive

>> Madison, WI 53706

>>

>> Phone: (608) 262-3571

>> Fax: (608) 262-2331

>>

>>

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