Jun 22 2011
Farm to school
 Oregon House on Wednesday/Stapilus |
Oregon has a pretty strong culture of buying locally, especially food. But not, apparently, when it comes to schools. Schools are limited in their choices, have to work through a complex and often costly state bureaucracy, and in many cases actually haven’t been allowed to buy locally.
That may be more than a little astonishing to most people who have lived in the state a while.
It may also be changing. The Oregon House Wednesday unanimously passed House Bill 2800, who provides directions and money – funds set aside – for the state Department of Education to help local districts buy locally.
The bill, sponsored by Representatives Brian Clem, D-Salem, and Tina Kotek, D-Portland, had no opposition.
What’s happening there suggests there are a bunch of ways state and local governments can be gotten to operate more effectively linking to the local economy and services. All that’s really needed is a different mindset.
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