Sign up for the Eat Local Challenge the week of August 2-8, 2009 in observance of National Farmers Market Week and receive a free "I BUY LOCAL! Minnesota Grown" bumper sticker. It's simple... all that's needed is your name, mailing address, and email address. You'll receive your bumper sticker in the mail within two weeks. If you'd rather not clutter your bumper with stickers, why not post it in your kitchen as a reminder to shop farmers markets, pick berries from patches in the area, buy or barter for eggs, garden bounty, meat, maple syrup, honey from neighbors... you get the idea. There is so much to be had within a minimal radius of home. It contributes to the local economy, you enjoy peak freshness, it's a fun outing, you get to know people in your community, transportation costs are drastically reduced, and the list goes on. It's really a very pretty sticker printed in cheerful yellow and blue colors.
You might want to read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle A Year of Food Life. It describes her challenge to strictly eat locally produced items for one entire year throughout all four seasons. The book is life-changing... a must-read.