Once upon a time, connecting Washington's children with the land, its bounty and those who bring us good foods probably happened on its own. This year, the Legislature put new life into the concept with a farsighted act to bring local foods into school cafeterias.
Lawmakers have sent Gov. Chris Gregoire a measure that eases bidding rules to allow schools and state institutions to buy more locally grown foods. The measure, Senate Bill 6483, will also help schools set up fruit and vegetable gardens, allows farmers to accept food stamps and encourages even more local goods in farmers markets.
Tom Geiger of the Washington Environmental Council said there was "unprecedented" enthusiasm. Perhaps it's easy to understand when considering how the concept bridged east-west, rural-urban and other divides.
In the House, for instance, the prime sponsors of the idea were Seattle Democratic Rep. Eric Pettigrew and Republican Rep. Bill Hinkle of Cle Elum. The measure also brought together environmental and farm groups that fought over a property rights initiative a few years ago.
Geiger said studies have shown childhood eating habits have lifelong ramifications. Putting healthy Washington foods on school lunch trays will have some modest benefit for farmers and the environment. But young people have a chance to gain a lifetime of health benefits while learning to appreciate the environment, a key economic sector and local foods with hundreds and even thousands of years' tradition behind them.
To see more of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, for online features, or to subscribe, go to http://seattlep-I.com.
??? 1998-2007 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All Rights Reserved.