So, I started my morning with a dozen ears of local corn from the farmer’s market, waiting to be cooked.

I did a google search and was delighted (okay, stunned) to find this lens as the fourth site listed. A quick look led me to this post, all about sustainable vegan cooking in Las Vegas. The post was perhaps the fifth piece of media I’d seen in the last week that referenced just how far food travels to get to us. The average food item goes about 1,500 miles from where it’s grown to where it’s consumed.

This has probably been true for decades or more, but now it’s on the radar. Now people are writing about it, blogging about it, challenging grocery stores about it. It’s on our list, at least for now.

Why not a year ago or five years ago?

One mistake marketers make is a little like the goldfish that never notices the water in his tank. Our environment is changing. Always. Incrementally. Too slowly to notice, sometimes. But it changes. What we care about and talk about and react to changes every day. Starbucks couldn’t have launched in 1970. We weren’t ready.

Two challenges to keep in mind: get faster at getting to market so you can time the waves right. And be more open to watching the waves so you can have the right story for the right market at the right time. When we’re ready.