The 19th annual event from the Congress for the New Urbanism -CNU 19-builds on the theme of “Growing Local,” in Madison, Wisconsin this year from June  1-4, 2011.

The conference will explore linkages that urban communities have with local food production, the food economy and the infrastructure that has developed around this symbiosis.

New Urbanism’s mission is an urban design and development movement dedicated to implementing community-oriented principles of traditional town and city planning in contrast to the prevailing system of formless sprawl. Scholarships are available, so check it out!

Food Miles

I visit Madison, Wisconsin often and love their farmer’s market. It really brings out the city and connects people with growers, which all happens around the capitol. Last weekend was their last outdoor market and I was reminded how some places, like Madison, are in tune with providing more than we expect such food miles to show how far our food comes from. I was delighted during my visit to the Madison grocery store, Metcalfe’s. By providing this information definitely encourages me to support local businesses as much as possible. A lot of the cost associated with food is paying for the fuel to get the food to us. Although I haven’t seen food miles in my grocery store yet, I hope it picks up in more places and makes people more aware.