Back to the New: Millennials and the Sustainable Food Movement

Abstract

This article explores the sustainable food movement, how it originated and why it is the next wave of American environmentalism. Further, the author argues that for the sustainable movement to be successful, a new legal structure is needed, which is tailored to meet its needs and reflect its core values. The article begins by setting forth a brief overview of modern American agricultural history as a necessary prerequisite to understanding the import of the sustainable food movement and, ultimately, to creating better food and agriculture policies. The article then discusses how the sustainable food movement is an example of the next phase of American environmentalism and why this new form of environmentalism is critical in order to address our complex environmental problems. Finally, the article argues that in order to create a viable alternative to conventional agriculture, a new legal framework must be developed for sustainable food and agriculture. This last section enumerates those values.

Keywords: sustainable, food, agriculture, local food, food democracy, environmental law, organic, agrarian, agriculture history