The Missoula Community Climate Action Plan (MCCA) seeks to lower emissions as well as initiate more sustainable methods of development for the future. The plan involves my project areas, referred to as bucket areas. Each area should include education and outreach in order to ensure the programs success. This essay will focus of the bucket area titled, “Local Food and Agriculture.” (PLAN?) The plan hopes to strengthen local food networks by creating an informed consumer base in order to inspire a consistent demand for local food. Goals of the program include educating the community on the effect that industrialized agriculture has on anthropogenic climate change. Also, to enhance local food options as promote more sustainable methods of agriculture. This paper will explore the different approaches to addressing this problem by incorporating studies and expert opinions, as well as the initiatives that are already underway in Missoula and across Montana. Exploring initiatives that can be achieved on the individual, …show more content…
Individual action comprises a portion of the target area for achieving goals. As demonstrated in an article by Thomas Dietz et al. individual action can be a tool to reduce emissions (2009). While most of the analysis in the article focused on energy reduction methods in the home, the same idea can be applied to the emission reduction potential of buying local food, as opposed to conventional grocery store produce. The strengths of this approach are that informed community members can contribute to strengthening the local economy by purchasing local food. Likewise this is a potential for emissions reduction by decreasing the amount of miles food travels from the farm to your plate, also by supporting more sustainably produced food (Potts, Week 8