Winter Green is part of a movement to reconsider how we do things, for as author Michael Pollan says, “We have choices about the unsustainable way we make food energy from sunshine.” Those choices can be cause for celebration. We at Winter Green see neighborhoods collaborating in growing and eating delicious, healthful foods in winter. Will Allen, a Milwaukee farmer, talks about “going back to when people shared things and started taking care of each other…. What better way than to do it with food.” Some say we have a deep memory and longing for this kind of sustainable living, for nutritious food, community, safety, connection and meaning.
The National Restaurant Association reports that Americans are looking for healthier options. Barbara Kingsolver states, “one of every $3 spent on health care pays for the damage of bad eating habits,” as seen in illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. Studies reveal the connection between high quality food and improved childhood nutrition. Winter Green is ready to contribute and educate about some of the healthiest foods we can eat.
 
 

Winter Green’s specific choice is to grow wholesome vegetables in neighborhoods and create green jobs in the process. With a simple, grounded approach and modest resources, Winter Green joins other organizations to build and manage hoophouses, and train people. We provide a way for neighborhoods to create community, achieve food security and enjoy the benefits of wholesome food in the winter.

Our goal is food security for all: stable, trustworthy and nearby food sources. Most of our food travels an average of 1750 miles from farm to market. After automobiles, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy—19 percent. This is unsustainable and therefore insecure.

Winter Green is especially interested in extending the season for having local food available. With the knowledge that marketable winter food is grown in Maine, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Canada, we are rethinking how we manage our food supply. We benefit by growing our food here in western North Carolina, for as Pollan says, “the way we grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart…of the large issues of health care, energy and climate change.”