Sally Starnes

For me, I think it's a mixture of tradition and lack of awareness. Growing up I do not recall having dinners were a meat wasn't a key ingredient so the "comfort" meals many turn to would by default also be meat centered. The lack of awareness (at least on my part) is twofold: 1 - my default "healthy meal" mindset is a protein, healthy fat, and a veggie. It can take some self-education to find meatless protein options that are adequate and also palatable. 2 - lack of awareness on the environmental impact that meat consumption has. Until a few years ago, I was well aware of animal cruelness arguments against meat, but I wasn't really aware of the argument of negative environmental impacts. Knowing that, it is pretty easy to see that the benefits of less meat consumption outweigh any personal preference in food choices. Plus there are so many alternatives out there that maybe just take a little effort to find. I for one am eagerly awaiting the commercialization of lab grown mean with the hope that it is similar to natural meat. Even if I have to pay more for it, I believe the benefits are worth it. That's a topic I plan to do some more research on!

A big driver for me in wanting to do this challenge was supporting the community. Similar to buying things from small businesses, I see buying local food as a way to re-invest money (that I'd be spending anyway) back into the region. Something else that inspires me is the pride that local farmers take in their product, which I feel can also lead to a better product in general.