Dear Green Magazine,

I recently read Silvina Pugliese’s opinion essay “Not So Green Eggs and Ham” in the winter issue of The Green Magazine. I am sure that her facts are all accurate and that they paint a clear picture of how unsustainable commercial feedlot meat production is. That said, to claim that vegetarianism or veganism is the answer to these problems is naive.

The problems with our current food production system extend beyond meat. Anyone who thinks that eating from the salad bar (unless it is the Collis salad bar during the summer when it offers local produce from the beloved Organic Farm) is a sustainable choice is kidding themselves. And even the zealots at the Organic Farm will admit that their practices are not as sustainable as they could be — right Scott?

Pugliese’s article fails to mention the toxic pesticides and herbicides dumped on vegetable crops. What about the massive amounts of fertilizer used on vegetables that leach into ground and surface waters? What about the working conditions of migrant farm laborers? And what about the implications of transporting vegetables around the world by airplane in order to satiate our desire to have every fruit and vegetable available year-round?

Now, I am sure that many vegetarians will respond by saying, “Okay, vegetable production still has its problems, but on the whole it’s environmentally better than meat production.” Fine, they’re right, and I’ll grant that caveat. But c’mon, you all are Dartmouth students. Don’t stop your thought process at just what’s better- aim for what is best. And what is best is a food system based on local production, with consumption of the agricultural products that are appropriate for a region’s climate and that are grown using organic techniques. And guess what? This means that in many regions of the United States, meat will continue to be an important dietary component.

Some current Dartmouth students may remember me from a few years back when I was a student. During the winter of 2002, I did an experiment to see what it was like to create a version of this idealized food system. From November until April, with very few exceptions, I ate only food that had been grown or raised in Vermont, Maine, or New Hampshire. Much of the food came from farmers I knew and whose practices I trusted: canned tomatoes from Longwind Farm; wheat, oats, corn, beans, yogurt and beef from Butterwork’s Dairy; apples and applesauce from Poverty Lane; carrots from Killdeer Farm; all types of frozen vegetables from the Dartmouth Organic Farm; and a lamb raised on Vermont pastures.

Many people would call me crazy, and I would have to agree. Just a few years ago, eating locally was downright tedious. I had to cook everything myself. There was no relying on the dining hall for a quick bite to eat. Grocery stores didn’t carry certain local products in the winter, so I had to buy in bulk from the farm and then can, freeze, or root cellar the food. A sane person could never eat locally if it took such effort.

Fortunately, there are certain people who have been working hard to make it easier for the average consumer to eat locally. Since my heyday at Dartmouth, the Valley Food and Farm program, an initiative launched by the Vital Communities organization in White River Junction, has grown immensely. The primary focus of this program is to make it easier for consumers to get the local food they need from farmers’ markets and grocery stores. The system is getting better every season, and thanks to the Valley Food and Farm program, local food may be coming to a dining hall in Hanover soon. I can guarantee meat will be on the menu!

All of this is not to vindicate the meat eaters in the audience. I still agree with Pugliese’s point that feedlot meat has got to go, and the majority of meat in the supermarket falls into this category. But let us carefully scrutinize what we are advocating as a solution. In a sustainable agricultural system, based on ecological principles, animals play an important role. In a region like New England where hillside pastures are abundant and long winters limit the growing season for fruits and vegetables, locally raised meat can be a sustainable option. So who’s ready to fire up that propane grill?