San Francisco Localism

As of late last week, I've traveled to the end of the continent: San Francisco.

Since I'm writing this post on Independence Day, I'm going to make this a concise entry.

On each of my trips to this quirky city, I find a unique urban artifact. This time it's the breadth of localism here, and specifically the locavore food production movement.

No better display of this than at the Saturday market at the Ferry Building. The genesis of the movement arises from concern over climate change (it takes carbon to ship food long distances); an appreciation for fresh produce (food must be preserved etc to ship thousands of miles); and a desire to support local, organic producers (someone has to do it! Really, we all admire the local farmer but they must sell their goods).

Adherence in NoCal is simple, there are ample resources for fresh produce, dairy, and meat within 100 miles.

San Franciscans have taken to the movement with gusto. It is tangible in the crowds, and infused in the air on Saturday at the Ferry Building. I am no stranger to this market, but this time I'm taken by the strength of this movement. I have to wonder if we are moving to a post hyper market world, and returning to smaller scale producers. If yes, I think this is the vanguard of an admirable movement. It is a pleasure to behold.