Seattle Starts Food Security Program | 07.06.2010 | 08:47:47 | Views: 7765 | ID: July 2010: Seattle's Local Food Action Initiative (LFAI) has been working to improve the city's local food system to "advance the City of Seattle's interrelated goals of race and social justice, environmental sustainability, economic development, and emergency preparedness." Begun in 2008, Resolution 31019 was implemented after the city passed Resolution 30990 a "Zero Waste Strategy". LFAI's goals include increase support of local agriculture in the surrounding rural areas as well as in inner-city locations; reduce the carbon footprint of the city's food system; to support strategies to connect major institutions like hospitals, jails and schools to local food sourcing; and to "Build community through developing community gardens, promoting farmers' markets," and involving immigrant communities. Other initiatives taken by the city include forming a Regional Food Policy Council to guide the city to fulfilling policy goals; locating areas for strengthening the local infrastructure to provide community gardens and "maximize accessibility to all neighborhoods and communities"; and starting food bank programs, food waste recycling and Urban Farmland Initiatives. The Seattle Times reported, that with new rule changes from the Seattle Department of Transportation "no permit is required for parking-strip vegetable gardens. While hardscraping still requires a permit, it's easy to get and free of charge." Community leaders said the move to lessen regulations for gardening in urban areas is allowing for greater community building and outreach, particularly among minority neighborhoods.
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