The next president should take farming seriously and personally, according to Neal Pierce, who writes that rethinking the scale of food production is smart for regions, the environment and the economy.
"The idea of the president as "first farmer" is surely audacious. But food-industry expert Michael Pollan used it artfully in the Oct. 12 New York Times Magazine. Pollan's goal: to urge (and have us urge) the next president to inspire a sweeping food revolution, back to greater local and regional self-sufficiency."
"Why a revolution?"
"First, energy prices are bound to rise for years to come. The American food machine guzzles fossil fuels from start to finish–for farm machinery, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, mass production processing and packaging, and transporting foods over thousands of miles. The toll is 19 percent of the country's fossil fuel use, a big shadow over our hopes for energy independence."
"Second, climate change. The fossil fuels we burn for food contribute to our seriously high carbon emissions. Plus, wherever land is cleared for large industrial-scale agriculture, major amounts of carbon dioxide get released into the air."
FULL STORY: A ‘Farmer-in-Chief?’ — Time’s Never Been Riper
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
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Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’
Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.
Milwaukee to Double Bike Share Stations
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