Usually, summer is the season for road trips. The kids are out of school and the days are long, so many families load up the car for a vacation or trip to grandma’s. This summer, why not stay home, save the gas, and let the entertainment come to you?

For example, Sustainable Table kicks off their Eat Well Guided Tour of America today in Hollywood. The organization celebrates the sustainable food movement and works to educate people about food-related issues, while building community around food.

In addition to this organizational mission, the tour has a special undertaking all its own: the search for the best pie in the country. The reason behind this specific goal seems obvious to me – pie is GOOD. But apparently, pie is also a metaphor for wholesome, local food. The pies share something about the area where they are made, and the people who make them. Plus, pie is GOOD.

Beginning with a kick-off celebration at Kings Road Park, the tour is headed across the country to the Farm Aid concert at Randall’s Island in New York on September 9th. The group, traveling via bio-fueled bus, will stop at locations in 25 cities along the way – including Pie Ranch in Madera, CA (where, surely, only good things can happen), Berkeley, Chicago, and Iowa City. At each stop, local organizations will help to host events open to the public.

Another road trip, sponsored by the Clean Fuel Caravan Coalition, celebrates a broad array of sustainable issues. The Sustainable Living Roadshow was created to educate, entertain, and inspire individuals and communities to help us live in direct sustainable harmony with the earth. Making its way from San Francisco to Miami, the Roadshow stops at college campuses and local festivals, working to empower and encourage local efforts.

Focused on practical solutions to everyday problems, the off-the-grid, zero-waste “experiential learning villages” introduces people to topics like renewable energy and sustainable food. To do this, the Roadshow uses just about every method available, from speakers and workshops to a clean energy/vehicle showcase and an eco-fashion show. Entertainment includes The Big Tadoo Puppet Crew, which kids will surely love. Check out the Roadshow’s video to get a taste of the eclectic, carnival-like atmosphere.

With events like these making their way around the country, who needs grandma? (Just kidding, Grandma.)