15 Individuals Selected from Across the U.S. to Participate in One-Year Locavore Living Challenge Sponsored by The Splendid Table
Contact: Kathleen Davies
651-605-5172
kdavies94@msn.com
15 Individuals Selected from Across the U.S. to Participate in One-Year Locavore Living Challenge Sponsored byThe Splendid Table
(Saint Paul, Minn.) January 17, 2008 — Fifteen individuals from across the country were selected by The Splendid Table® show to participate in Locavore Nation, a one-year sustainable living challenge. The participants were selected from more than 5000 who volunteered to document the trials and tribulations of eating primarily locally grown, organic and seasonal foods.
Produced and distributed by American Public Media,™ The Splendid Table is public radio's only national program exploring the many dimensions of food. Hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, nationally syndicated food columnist, author and journalist, the program will support a blog on its Web site documenting the findings of participants. Selected bloggers will be interviewed on the weekly show periodically.
Based upon answers to previous survey questions indicating a high a degree of knowledge and commitment to eating sustainably, the original 5000 entrants were narrowed to 150. The greatest number of qualifying candidates was from the Seattle, WA/Portland, OR, and the Northeast corridor.
Among the criteria used to select the participants were geography, age, marital status, ethnicity, rural/urban residency, special life circumstances and experience with sustainability. For example, one of the participants is pregnant, another is an MD focusing on nutrition among Mexicans living in the US and another expressed particular interest in the future of farmers.
Listed alphabetically are the participants and their locations: Leslie Allen, Reno, NV; Timothy Baird, Carrboro, NC; Sareen Dunleavy-Keenan, Minneapolis, MN; Margaret Hochla, El Reno, OK; Warren Johnston, South Royalton, VT; Barbara Kattman, Holliston, MA; Gina Keenan-Klages, Eau Claire, WI; Autumn Long, Wallace, WVA; April Luginbuhl-Mather, Columbus, OH; Donna McClurkan, Kalamazoo, MI; Vera Schabicki, Ashland, MS; Laura Solorio, Salinas, CA; Cher Steuwe-Portnoff, St. Louis, MO; Scott Swendson, Boise, ID; Paulette Thompson, Seattle, WA. Alia Habib, NYC, NY, will be a special guest commentator.
The Locavore Nation group will actively chronicle the experiences and challenges of living a regionally sustainable, organic and seasonal diet via an online blog. Their overarching goal is to select 80 percent of food items purchased, within their region. For some, that means 50 miles for others it may mean 500 and they will justify their choices. Updates on their progress, summaries and other information can be found at www.splendidtable.org.
About The Splendid Table
Produced and distributed by American Public Media™ in Saint Paul, Minn., The Splendid Table is a culinary, culture and lifestyle one-hour program that celebrates the intersection of food and life. Each week, The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper leads public radio audiences on a journey of the senses and leads discussions with a variety of writers and personalities who share their passion for the culinary delights.