Welcome! We're the largest local Sierra Club group in Virginia, with more than 4400 members in the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, Arlington County, and parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.

Reasons to Buy Local Tastes Great! Produce sold at farmers’ markets was picked that morning or the day before, so you know you’re getting the freshest food. The same goes for food you get through CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) and road side stands. Support Family Farms. With rising operating costs but level wholesale and retail costs, not to mention competition from large agricultural conglomerates, it’s getting tougher for family farms to stay in business. Shopping at farmers’ markets and other places where farmers can sell their products direct to consumers helps your local farmers stay in business and keeps subdivision developments off their lands. Stop Global Warming. According to the Sierra Club’s The True Cost of Food campaign, the average meal travels 2,000 miles from farm to table. All the energy expended in harvesting, processing, packaging, storing, refrigerating, and transporting our food is a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. An Iowa study found that a regional diet consumes 17 times less oil and gas than a typical diet that is based on food shipped across the country and from overseas. Nutrition. From the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA): “Nutritional value declines, often dramatically, as time passes after harvest. Because locally-grown produce is freshest, it is more nutritionally complete.” Meet the Neighbors. Shopping at farmers’ markets can help you feel more a part of the community in which you live. Seeing your neighbors at the weekly market can help establish and reinforce community ties. Try New Taste Sensations! At several of the markets in the DC area you can sample a dozen different varieties of mushrooms, tempt your taste buds with a panoply of greens from arugula to watercress, and contemplate just how spicy to make your next salsa when faced with a smorgasbord of hot peppers. Soil Stewardship. Many local farms are either certified organic or utilize sustainable farming practices. It can take 500 years to replace one inch of topsoil and many conventional farming techniques are rapidly depleting this important resource. Maintaining healthy soil is the hallmark of sustainable farming practices. Know what you’re eating. Buying your food from the person who planted, harvested, raised, butchered, or baked your food gives you an unparalleled opportunity to get the low-down on how it was produced. Eat in season. Buying locally-grown food allows you to enjoy foods when they are at their peak. What’s better than asparagus in springtime or a juicy tomato in late July? Passing on the stewardship ethic. Again from our friends at OEFFA: “When you buy locally produced organic food you cannot help but raise the consciousness of your friends and family about how food buying decisions can make a difference in your life and the life of your community; and about how this basic act is connected to planetary issues.”