Mmmm, pizza good...pizza a veritable cultural institution. Spread a simple disc of hand tossed dough with slowly simmered marina, cover it with copious amounts of mozzarella, bake until golden brown and you have a meal that makes the masses swoon. Now, we've all had great slices of pizza in our day, but can you ever really remember it rocking your world to the point of you wanting to rise up and entirely change the injustices that prevail in today's society? Maybe a sublime slice has compelled you to change just one issue? Trying to get people to eat locally grown food seems like a pretty respectable social issue, doesn't it? Connecticut's Project M at Winterhouse decided to test their theory that 300 entirely free homemade grilled pizzas prepared with locally-sourced, farm-fresh ingredients could indeed stir awareness and prompt residents to make a fundamental change in their consumer patterns.

Enacting social change, or altering the behavioral pattern of a large number of people isn't always the easiest thing to do, but sometimes the very best type of carrot that you can dangle from a stick is one composed of completely organic, pizza-related ingredients. As the Project M team observed with their aptly named "Pizza Farm" project, the large majority of the surrounding Falls Village, Connecticut community were accustomed to purchasing their household food at local chain grocery stores rather than at the abundant farmer's markets in the vicinity. How to shift their mindsets? Think, think, think...eureka, we've got it -- bring on da dough!  Project M found that by offering residents free pizza that they could adorn with abundant toppings (such as kale, homemade sausage, basil, mozzarella, squash, corn, broccoli, beets, chard, garlic and peaches) harvested via local farms, a connection would be made between how and where their food is sourced. All the ingredients, from the flour for the crust to the vegetables and meats were donated by local farmers, and not surprisingly, the event proved to be a resounding success. Do you think that this type of event would help to convert your town into local eaters that support farmers rather than chain supermarkets?