Finding the Best, Local Food Near You Just Got Easier

Food is making big headlines, and it's about time.

In a year marked by rising food prices and riots throughout the world, we've seen what happens when the reality of our energy, climate and water crises collides with trying to feed a planet.

As Vandana Shiva writes in her newest book, Soil Not Oil, "The era of cheap food and cheap oil is over." Add to this changing precipitation patterns, melting glaciers and increasing drought from climate change, and we have a recipe for disaster.

Michael Pollan has warned the next incoming U.S president, "What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact -- so easy to overlook these past few years -- that the health of a nation's food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention."

While Barack Obama may have his hands full, the rest of us need to be thinking about our plates. Interestingly, one of the ways to start doing this would be to stay right where you are -- in front of your computer, that is. While technology may not always have been the best companion to agriculture (think biotech), the Internet has emerged as an incredible tool for planning the future of food. A Web site called the Eat Well Guide is hoping to help people make good decisions about what they eat and how, with a few clicks of the mouse.

As Bill McKibben points out, "It is undeniably odd, and lovely, that one of the most important parts of our food system -- a little behind rain and sun and seed, but not so much -- are the new digital tools that allow us to bypass the big advertisers, the mega-chains, the junk peddlers and instead find the myriad other people growing, processing, cooking and eating actually delicious food."

The site is for people interested in food that is "good, clean and fair." As the Web site describes, it's "a free online directory of thousands of family farms, restaurants and other outlets for fresh, locally grown food. Originally a database of sustainable-raised meat and dairy producers, its listings have expanded to include farmers markets, CSA programs, partner organizations, water-conscious ratings and vegetarian eateries." Here are four important things you can do on the site:

• Find good food: You can not only find great local food, but also have get a map to help you get there.
• Customize your choices: You can save listings that you like in an online notebook and use it to create your own guide to share with friends.
• Support the movement: You can help farmers, co-ops and small businesses by suggesting that they be added to the list.
• Tune into the blogosphere: Find out what's going on in the sustainable food world at the Green Fork blog.

As you can see, the Eat Well Guide is no ordinary database. It was originally developed by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and later partnered with Sustainable Table and launched in 2003 along with The Meatrix. But since then, the Eat Well Guide has expanded with a new look and vision that would make Google proud. Not only is the site easy to navigate and loaded with good information, but it's packaged really well, too. And there are several great functions.

If you're going on a road trip, you can leave your tattered copy of Dar Williams' Tofu Tollbooth at home. By entering the start and end address of your trip into the mapping tool on the Eat Well Guide, you can get not only your directions, but a list of all sorts of great places to eat and shop for sustainable food along the way. You can also filter your search by categories like bakeries, bed & breakfasts, caterers, CSAs, farmers, farmers markets, educational centers, restaurants and more.