The Red and Black

Issue date: 7/10/09 Section: Variety

Media Credit: RENÉE AYLWORTH Taste Your Place features locally grown food at some of Athens' restaurants, such as Mama's Boy, Last Resort and Five Star Day. [Click to enlarge]

There was a time when poets were the voice of society, and a voice to be reckoned with. Although that time has passed by, renowned poet Wendell Berry has solidified himself as a voice of utmost importance in today's fight against global industrialized food.

"I argue that industrial agriculture and the assumptions on which it rests are wrong, root and branch," Berry said in the afterward of one of his non-fiction works. "But if the publication of "The Unsettling of America" and subsequent events have shown me that throwing a rock into a frozen river does not make a ripple, they have also shown that beneath the ice the waters are strongly flowing and stirred up and full of nutrients."

Craig Page, executive director of PLACE, has cracked the ice and reached down into the current below. Although not as nationally acclaimed as Berry, the name Craig Page carries weight in Athens. Three years ago, his passions aligned with those of Berry and other local food proponents during a Rhetoric and Social Movements class at the University.

"We looked at the local food movement as a global social movement. I was inspired and found my calling," Page said. "After spending time teaching myself about non-profit organizations, PLACE incorporated as a non-profit in May 2007 and has been going strong ever since."

PLACE (Promoting Local Agriculture & Cultural Experience) was built on hopes to make local food accessible to the people of Athens and based on the belief that local food rebuilds community. When the founders joined together they realized fighting local food's most formidable opponent, globalization, was a daunting task to say the least. Starting small seemed the only reasonable way to become effective, so they focused their efforts on Athens.

"As the general public begins to understand the importance of building this local food culture, PLACE is moving to ensure that this local food culture is accessible to all residents of Athens, especially low income and minority populations," Page said. "Although, we do see that we are developing a good model of engaging students and citizens in developing a local food culture. Hopefully, students who find inspiration in Athens' local food scene will take their passion to whatever community they end up in."

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