With the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report ranking Wisconsin 37th in the country for private sector job growth and the state election for governor placing a large focus on job creation, producing living-wage careers within the state has never seemed more important.
With this goal squarely in mind, The Appleton-based Foundation for a Sustainable Wisconsin is proud to release its first policy initiative: requiring Wisconsin public institutions to source 50% of their annual food purchases from in-state producers by the end 2024.
If Wisconsin institutions such as public schools, The University of Wisconsin System, state prisons and so on were to take on this initiative, it could immediately put as much as $186 million back into the state economy every year. This revenue, which is currently sent to out-of-state or international producers, would remain in the Wisconsin economy and could directly produce as many as 15,000 sustainable living-wage careers for state residents.
That’s huge!
But the end result could be even more positive: requiring our public institutions to source 50% of their food purchases from in-state producers would give a jump start to production and distribution infrastructure that restaurant chains, supermarkets and mega-retailers like Walmart and Target could use to sell locally produced, sustainable food from right here in Wisconsin. This could boost annual in-state revenue to as much as $1.1 billion, supporting as many as 45,000 total living wage careers for state residents.
Many people mistakenly think that moving toward a sustainable Wisconsin economy would cost jobs, but exactly the opposite is true: a sustainable Wisconsin economy is a jobs and career creation boom. What we need now is for Governor Walker and Democratic candidate Mary Burke to build the idea of sustainability into their campaigns, and this policy initiative is a great place to start.