The green movement keeps growing and growing, expanding to all facets of our lives. Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon's new book Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally is evidence that the trend has carved out a permanent niche in the mainstream literary world.

Smith and Mackinnon were two concerned Americans seeking ways to tread lightly upon the earth's surface, reducing their carbon footprint and helping to stave off global warming. Plus, after loads of warnings about the quality of food offered in grocery stores — think the e. coli outbreak in spinach last year and the salmonella found in peanut butter — and the sad state of today's fast food (a la the bestselling Fast Food Nation), it's no wonder the authors were concerned.

The solution they came up with was to eat locally for an entire year. This meant living entirely off food that was grown within a 100-mile radius of their home. They started in spring 2005, giving up a lot. During their year of local eating, though, they gained a lot, too.

There is a good reason Smith and Mackinnon started their new diet in the spring. Spring is the start of a new growing season, and the two authors had a lot to learn if they were going to survive on local food throughout the winter.

For example, living in the Northwest, it took seven months for the two of them to find a wheat farmer. This meant that their only source of carbohydrates came from potatoes, which they ate a lot. Plus, they had to learn to can produce to last during the winter months.

They learned how to cook without recipes, though they do include a recipe in each chapter for readers to try. Smith discovers a talent for making both soups and pies.

Toward the end of their year, they even learn to make salt together.

Several observations seem to pervade Plenty for readers to pick up on. Society's reliance on what the authors call an "SUV diet" has led many Americans to become so sadly removed from their food that no one sees the sowing, growing and harvesting process anymore. Meat seems to come from plastic-wrapped Styrofoam, not from a living, breathing animal.

The authors also show just how reliant we are on food that travels enormous distances to the dinner plate. According to the authors, our food typically travels 1,500-3,000 miles before being eaten.

Though they have given up food ranging from chocolate to olives, the authors realize just how much they have gained –— flavor, a new variety of food with each changing season and a diet that is far healthier for themselves, their local communities and the planet.

is a highly readable book paced appropriately for a return to a simpler lifestyle. It's certainly inspiring, and has the potential to make many readers want to try their own 100-mile diet.