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by Laurel Hopwood
There's a new food revolution going on in Northeast Ohio: City
Fresh.
 It's a win-win scenario. Fresh food from local farmers is sold
directly to urban residents. Farmers within the city and local
countryside get a fair share of the price by selling directly to
the consumers. Consumers get highly nutritious food, without the
additives required to keep the product fresh while being shipped
from all over the globe.
There are several Fresh Stop food centers in the city, with more
on their way. Food is picked up from the farmers and brought into
the neighborhood. A sense of community is strengthened as neighbors
meet neighbors, learn about nutrition, and share recipes.
There are more benefits. Long distance transport of food requires
huge amounts of nonrenewable fossil fuel. I was stunned when I
learned that most food travels 1,300 miles until it reaches our
forks. I was shocked when I learned from a corn farmer that he
makes 2 cents on every box of Corn Flakes. What we're paying for
in the grocery store is advertising and marketing!
City Fresh also provides training programs with hands-on learning
through workshops on growing techniques suited to urban areas.
More and more vacant asphalt lots throughout the city are being
converted to productive urban market gardens. Imagine how the urban
environment would differ if EVERY square piece of vacant land was
devoted to some form of food or native plant production!
To learn more, see: http://cityfreshcleveland.org/ or call
Brad Masi, New Agrarian Center Executive Director, at 440-935-3106,
to find out how to volunteer
with the program, donate money, or learn the locations of the Fresh
Stops.
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The City of Cleveland's 
Do you know of a local environmental issue in need
of attention? Do you have inside information on what's
going on in your city or township? With over 5,000
members in Northeast Ohio we count on you to be the
Club's eyes and ears of the region. While the Federal
government and large corporations continue to wreak
havoc on our environment, it is more important than
ever before to act as watchdogs in our own backyards.
For those new to
calling state or federal representatives, it's easier and
less confrontational than it sounds. You will never
speak directly with your rep or senator - an aide
will answer the phone, take brief notes plus your name and city (sometimes), and that's it.