29th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Last Wednesday the EPA issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first mercury standards in the US. Here’s an excerpt from the EPA announcement:
EPA estimates that the new safeguards will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks a year. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier – preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 6,300 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year.
“By cutting emissions that are linked to developmental disorders and respiratory illnesses like asthma, these standards represent a major victory for clean air and public health– and especially for the health of our children. With these standards that were two decades in the making, EPA is rounding out a year of incredible progress on clean air in America with another action that will benefit the American people for years to come,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will protect millions of families and children from harmful and costly air pollution and provide the American people with health benefits that far outweigh the costs of compliance.”
This will have a big affect on Texas, which has more coal plants than any other state. From CBS:
Texas environmentalists are cheering new federal standards announced Wednesday that will force coal- and oil-fired power plants to reduce mercury emissions and toxic pollutants or shut down. Power industry leaders, however, said the pricey changes could lead to layoffs and undo strain on the state’s grid.
Texas, which has 19 coal-fired power plants — more than any other state — and plans to build nine more, is among the few states still adding coal-fired plants. It also releases more air pollutants than any other state.
The new standards have an estimated price tag of $9.6 billion, ranking them among the most expensive in the Environmental Protection Agency’s history. The new rules were unveiled in Washington by EPA administrator Lisa Jackson.
“This is big. Texans shouldn’t be living with the health risks of mercury and other pollutants,” said Tom “Smitty” Smith, director of the Texas office of the consumer activist group Public Citizen.
“The only thing more shocking than the large amounts of toxic chemicals released into the air each year by coal and oil fired power plants is the fact that these emissions have been allowed for so many years,” added Ilan Levin, associate director of the Environmental Integrity Project.
According to Levin’s group, Texas is the nation’s top power plant mercury polluter, with its coal-fired power plants emitting 16.9 percent of the total U.S. mercury air emissions for 2010. The Department of State Health Services has issued fish consumption advisories for 300,000 acres of Texas lakes, according to advocacy group Environment Texas.
American Electric Power, the parent company of AEP Texas, has already spent $7 billion to reduce emissions since 1990 in the 11 states it serves, said Gary Gibbs, AEP Texas’ manager of environmental and governmental affairs.
He said the company isn’t opposing the new EPA regulations, but rather the time frame. Under the new rules, companies are given three years to decrease emissions of mercury and other toxins, and can apply for a fourth year to install equipment.
I also found this earth 911 post about why you shouldn’t use wrapping paper to begin with, which would have been helpful if I had posted it before Christmas, but it still is good to keep in mind for birthday presents, Valentine’s Day presents, etc. The highlight is this:
It can often be difficult to find a location to recycle your wrapping paper because of the materials are typically non-recyclable.
Wrapping paper is oftendyed and laminated.
It can also contain non-paper additives, such as gold and silver coloring, glitter and plastics.
It can be very thin and contain few good quality fibers for recycling.
It usually has tape on it from the gift wrapping.
Thus, the article encourages you to reuse materials (for example, gift bags, newspaper, tissue paper that items are shipped or packaged in) when getting your presents ready.
27th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Did you buy a real Christmas tree this year and don’t know how to dispose of it? Good news! If you’re a Austin garbage customer (like a home owner or home renter), just put your tree out on the curb on your regular trash day and the city of Austin will pick it up. If you aren’t a regular Austin garbage customers, for example if you live in an apartment, you can take your tree down to Zilker Park. Either way, your tree will be turned into Dillo dirt or mulch, rather than sent to a landfill. Check out more information from the city’s website here (info on curbside recycling) or here (info on Zilker Park recycling).
20th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
This depressing news, courtesy of the Statesman, does not include all of the additional trees that were lost in the wildfires of this year:
The current Texas drought has killed as many as 500 million trees 10 percent of the state’s forest cover and the end is not in sight, according to the Texas Forest Service. Some of the hardest-hit areas are in Central Texas.
The numbers are preliminary, the first results from an unprecedented statewide survey of tree mortality across 63 million acres of forest land this year.
They don’t include trees lost to drought-induced wildfire — an estimated 1.5 million trees burned in the Bastrop Labor Day fires alone — or trees that have succumbed to heat and thirst in urban areas.
Though the estimated range of dead trees varies widely — from a low of 100 million to a high of 500 million — the visible evidence of the die-off is still “very shocking,” said Tom Boggus, director of the Texas Forest Service. “It’s a significant change in the landscape.”
And the stress of the past year of record-setting heat, high winds and low rainfall will continue to take its toll on living trees, whether or not the drought continues as forecast for at least another six months, because they have been too weakened to survive.
19th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Austin 360 has this article about a new reusable cup made by Austinite Adreinne Oujezdsky. The article explains that Adrienne noticed that runners and walkers were going through hundreds of the paper cups that are set out along with jugs of water on the Lady Bird Lake trail (RunTex, which supplies the water, estimates that an average of nearly 8,000 cups per day are used on the Austin trail.) So Adrienne created SipECup, which has the same small cone shape that the disposable paper cups have, but is locally made using plastic and can fold up easily and be stored in a pocket of your running shorts. I think it’s a really great idea and hopefully will raise awareness of how many paper cups are thrown away each day on the trail.
The article also notes that you don’t even need to spend money to be greener while on the trail – there’s a new water fountain on the trail near the Mopac Bridge. There article doesn’t go into the locations of other existing water fountains, but there are quite a few – I believe there’s one near the pedestrian bridge on the North side of the river, one near the pedestrian bridge on the South side of the river, one on the North side of the river just West of the I-35 bridge, and one of the South side of the river just East of Riverside.
Another green option is to but a water bottle at a running store, which is more bulky, but allows you to run in areas that aren’t guaranteed to have water. Many of them come in a little carrier that can be strapped around your waste, and some have a pouch so you can carry keys, money, etc. Just one more idea!
Here’s an excerpt from the 360 article about Adreinne:
Adreinne Oujezdsky, 28, grew up running the downtown trail. The idea for reusable cups popped into her mind after she ran past the water coolers three years ago and wondered how many cups she’d use in her lifetime.
That led to some research on how many single-use cups are used at races around the country. She found out that the top 50 U.S. races alone generate more than 660,000 pounds of disposable cups, which mostly wind up in landfills.
“I’d love to see a day when the cups aren’t overflowing the trash bins — both on our trail and our streets after local races,” Oujezdsky says.
Oujezdsky, who has a background in advertising, dug into her bank account and begged friends and family for seed money, eventually collecting $46,000 to pursue her idea for an easy-to-carry cup that could be used over and over.
She purchased a molding machine from China and had it shipped to Boerne, where the cups are now made.
She calls her invention the SipECup. (E stands for environment.) The cone-shaped cups look similar to the paper ones available now on the trail, only they’re made of flexible material similar to what’s used in the yellow LiveStrong wristbands.
Eventually, she’d like to see race organizers use the cups at events. Sponsors could advertise on them, and runners would either keep or toss the cups, which would be gathered, then washed or recycled.
She hopes runners think about the environment the next time they stop for water.
“I wanted it to be easy. Being an athlete is hard enough. It should be easy to do good,” Oujezdsky says.
The blue SipECups sell for $5 for a pack of two and are available at RunTex, Rogue, Mellow Johnny’s and Bettysport. Expect to see a pink version at the Komen Race for the Cure next year.
16th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
ABJ has this article, which states that the Austin City Council Approved a plan to reduce landfill waste by 90% in the next 30 years. It’s the same plan discussed here, and includes some of the following proposals:
• Establishing reuse centers and drop-off facilities throughout the city to recover a variety of recyclable, reusable and repairable materials, including batteries, motor oil, paint and anti-freeze
• Enhancing the Single Stream Recycling Program by accepting additional material types
• Conducting a pilot program to collect yard trimmings, food scraps and compostable paper at the curb, and possibly rolling out a new citywide organics collection program based on the pilot program results
• Developing and operating a new Household Hazardous Waste Facility in North Austin
• Phasing in universal recycling and composting requirements to all waste generators — both residential and commercial — within the city
15th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
The Statesman has a short article today about last night’s public meeting about the city’s bag ban proposal, which you can read more about here. The article doesn’t go into a whole lot of discussion about the arguments made at last night’s meeting, but does say that “Opponents raised concerns about elderly bus riders carrying reusable bags, which are larger and therefore heavier when full. Others worried about health issues that could arise if families don’t wash the reusuable bags.”
Neither of those arguments sound like such great points as to negate the benefits of a bag ban. Just as people will have to learn to remember to carry their reusable bags into the store, they will also have to remember to make a point of washing their bags every few weeks (more or less depending on what you’re comfortable with), and if you aren’t able to lift large bags, you’ll have to remember to ask the bag boy or girl to not fill your bags over X pounds, and if they do fill them over X pounds, you’ll have to ask them to re-do it. I can remember back in the day when I was little my mother preferred paper over plastic, and often she would have to watch the bag boy/girl when they were bagging our groceries into paper bags and make sure they didn’t over-pack them so they got too heavy. It wasn’t that big of a deal.
14th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I saw this article on Fuel Fix today that says that:
The Texas Railroad Commission approved a rule Tuesday requiring oil and natural gas drillers to disclose most of the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing.
The rules also will require companies to disclose the amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process in which chemicals, water and sand are pumped at high pressure into underground rock formations to aid the flow of oil and gas to the surface.
Drillers will be required to disclose fracking chemicals and water volumes on a website, www.FracFocus.org.
Drilling companies, however, don’t have to list chemicals deemed trade secrets unless the Texas attorney general or a court determines otherwise, the commission said in a statement.
Check out the whole article! The article states that environmentalists are pleased with the rule. Hopefully it works as intended!
The City of Austin is expanding a recycling program for old, power-guzzling refrigerators that costs the city about $325 per refrigerator.
The city’s electric utility gives rebates of up to $50 to customers who turn in their working refrigerators and freezers, and it will begin accepting window air-conditioning units, dishwashers, stoves and clothes washers in the coming year, Austin Energy officials said. Rebate amounts for those appliances haven’t been set yet.
Last week, the Austin City Council approved a $1,025,000 , one-year contract with Appliance Recycling Centers of America to pick up, recycle and pay the rebates for about 3,200 appliances turned in by Austin Energy customers.
The program is designed to encourage customers to switch to new appliances that use as much as three times less energy. That can reduce peak power use for the city, making rates less expensive overall for customers, said Austin Energy spokesman Carlos Cordova.
The article also explains:
Any Austin Energy customer can have an old appliance removed. Customers in single-family homes can recycle only two refrigerators and freezers a year, while multifamily customers and businesses can recycle any number of them, Leinweber said. Refrigerators and freezers must be between 14 and 27 cubic feet….
To have your old appliances picked up, contact Austin Energy at 800-452-8685 or email custinfo@austinenergy.com.
12th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
City employees have spent several months drafting a plastic bag ban proposal, and that proposal will be presented to the City’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee this Wednesday at 6:30 PM at city hall. The public is welcome to come and share comments. According to the Statesman, under the proposal, from January 2013 to December 2015, single-use plastic and paper bags still available at stores, but only upon customer request and at a 25-cent fee for each bag. Starting January 2016, there would be a complete ban for single-use paper and plastic bags, with no option to charge from single-use bags. The 2 stages of the ban is an attempt to try and phase in the change. Under the proposal, there are also several exemptions, including restaurant carryout bags; dry cleaning bags, yard waste and newspaper bags; bags for produce, fish, meats, frozen foods, bulk foods and prescription drugs; bags for beer, wine and spirits. Stores may also request permission to deviate slightly from the ban if they think the terms of the ban would cause undue hardship to their clientele. The Texas Retailers Association, is, as they have been all along, unhappy with the proposal to ban plastic bags in Austin:
The Texas Retailers Association, which represents grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers statewide, has resisted a ban and said it is disappointed with the details of the draft.
Ronnie Volkening, the group’s president, said Friday that the 25-cent fee would be one of the highest in the nation.
“It will have a hugely regressive impact on low-income citizens and families,” he said.
He also said the ban unfairly exempts some plastic goods, such as dry cleaning bags, while targeting large retailers that have worked hard to cut down on plastic bags by promoting recycling and reuse. Enacting a ban would be a disincentive for retailers to continue to accept plastic bags and other plastic products for recycling, meaning many more of those products could end up in landfills, he said.
I for one am very happy with what I’ve heard about the proposal and look forward to learning more!
8th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
You may have heard recently about fracking, a method of extracting natural gas from shale using large amounts of water mixed with sand and chimicals, which is being increasingly used in the U.S, specifically in Texas. There’s been some controversy about it because of claims that the process of extracting the gas can contaminate groundwater, which people end up drinking. Below are two stories, each about a different report (one by the Texas’ Energy Institute, and one by the EPA), which came to different conclusions about the contamination possibilities.
Preliminary findings from the [Texas] Energy Institute’s study released Wednesday suggest there is no link between the extraction operations and groundwater contamination, said the study’s leader, Charles “Chip” Groat, a UT geology professor.
He noted that the dangers associated with shale gas drilling — which is accomplished by hydraulic fracturing, a process commonly known as fracking — are largely the same as other oil-drilling operations.
“Hydraulic fracturing doesn’t seem to be of concern to groundwater,” Groat said. “If there has been water contaminated related to shale gas development let’s not look at fracturing, let’s look at surface processes.”
As in other types of drilling operations, poor casing or shoddy cement jobs have often been to blame for regulatory violations or contamination in shale gas drilling, Groat said…
Surface spills of the hazardous chemicals across the country have killed livestock and contaminated waterways, the Houston Chronicle has reported.
Texas is home to one of the nation’s largest shale gas deposits, the Barnett Shale. The Fort Worth area is a hotbed for fracking that shale, and there have been many questions surrounding the process.
Democratic state Rep. Lon Burnam of Fort Worth told The Associated Press in September that in the past five years, air pollution in North Texas has steadily increased, which he said is related to the drilling in the Barnett Shale.
Groat downplayed the problems associated with fracking.
“The violations that we’ve seen are of no, minor or small impact,” Groat said. “The impact on groundwater, the impact on the surface is not of anything substantial, certainly not compared to coal mines or metal mines.”
However, spills have come under closer scrutiny as shale gas drilling occurs in urban and suburban areas, Groat said.
“Fort Worth is the poster child for this,” Groat said. “They are drilling under subdivisions, and those people are asking questions.”
Shale deposits are spread out over broad areas, and drilling operations could easily move out of densely populated areas and stay in the fracking game, Groat said.
Groat briefed government officials, regulators, energy company executives, community group representatives and reporters in Fort Worth about the Energy Institute’s preliminary findings.
Researchers expect to present their final report early next year, looking not only at the environmental effects of fracking but also at policy and regulatory issues as well as media coverage of the controversial technique of capturing natural gas.
The yearlong $330,000 study was paid for entirely by the University of Texas, Groat said.
The study’s early stages have looked at regulatory violations and frameworks in states with major shale drilling operations, including Texas, Louisiana, New York and Pennsylvania, Groat said.
In a draft report (pdf) released today, the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed what many residents of Pavilion, Wyoming have been complaining about for some time now: Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is responsible for polluting the area’s drinking water.
Fracking is a controversial method used to make it easier to extract natural gas, petroleum and other substances. As the AP explains, this is the first time the EPA has linked the practice to the contamination of drinking water. The gas industry has denied any responsibility.
The wire service adds:
“The EPA’s found that compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals had been detected in the groundwater beneath a Wyoming community where residents say their well water reeks of chemicals.
Health officials advised them not to drink their water after the EPA found hydrocarbons in their wells.
The EPA announcement has major implications for the vast increase in gas drilling in the U.S. in recent years. Fracking has played a large role in opening up many reserves.
The industry has long contended that fracking is safe, but environmentalists and some residents who live near drilling sites say it has poisoned groundwater.”
Before issuing this report, the EPA had advised residents not to drink their water, because, as MSNBC says, the EPA “said it had found benzene and other hydrocarbons in wells it tested.”
MSNBC adds that Pavillion residents welcomed the report.
7th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I received an Austin Climate Protection Program newsletter today, which had this story:
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell started his re-election bid in November with an announcement that it is his intention to find a way to provide energy to the City of Austin without the use of any coal-generated electricity.
“Starting immediately, I’m going to begin a dialogue with the community, with Austin Energy, with the LCRA, and with state officials, about how to make Austin coal-free–and aggressively plan a date to achieve that goal,” the mayor said during his announcements.
Currently, Austin obtains coal-based energy from only one source, the Fayette Power Project in La Grange.
The 600 megawatt plant provides nearly 20 percent of Austin’s power, while the rest comes from natural gas, nuclear
and an increasing amount of wind power. As a start to getting off coal, all City of Austin facilities and operations are 100% powered by Greenchoice® energy, derived from entirely renewable sources.
7th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Austin EcoNetwork had this very well written article about green ideas for holiday presents. The focus of the article is that rather than buying more “stuff” (which will most likely end up in a landfill someday), you can buy non-”stuff” presents like restaurant gift cards, show tickets, memberships (like a membership to a CSA) ,massages or spa days, and music or sports lessons. Only if a non-”stuff” present won’t work should you then look at buying “stuff” as a present, and at that point you can make your own gifts or look for eco-friendly products or products which will help the gift receiver be more green, like a reusable travel mug of cloth napkins. Check out the article! It certainly made me rethink my gift giving plans for the year!
6th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I made this easy recipe from BigOven.com a couple of weeks ago and will make it again for sure. Since you only need to microwave the broccoli after you cook the quinoa, and then you basically just mix everything together and bake for a short time, it’s a very fast, low effort meal. Plus is seems pretty healthy since quinoa is supposed to be better for you than rice, and the broccoli in there is good for you.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1/2 medium Onion; chopped
2 cups broccoli florets; cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese; divided 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic; crushed
1/2 tsp Paprika
salt and pepper; to taste
How to Prepare Quinoa, Broccoli, & Cheese Casserole
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and drain quinoa in a fine mesh strainer 2-3 times.
3. Combine quinoa with 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
4. Meanwhile, saute onion for a few minutes, and cook broccoli in microwave for about 4 minutes.
5. Combine vegetables and spices in a mixing bowl, adding in hot, cooked quinoa, parmesan and 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
6. Mix well and press into an 8×8 baking dish, greased lightly with cooking spray or olive oil.
7. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese on top.
8. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted on top
Once it opens in April 2012, the new Palms Car Wash will have the ability to recycle 100 percent of the water it uses.
Austin’s second full-service Palms Car Wash is under construction at 13695 US 183, next door to the former Hooters of Austin, which is being transformed into Cover 2 restaurant and bar. The car wash will feature an exterior drive-thru express wash and interior and detail services. Customers may also use 12 vacuum stations free of charge.
“We want to be as eco-friendly we can,” said David Beseda, co-owner of Palms Car Wash with Russel Moore. “We use non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners. It is a complicated, expensive process [to recycle water].”Beseda and Moore own the Palms Car Wash at 6811 Brodie Lane. Alone, Moore owns several car wash locations in Austin, but this is the second location the pair will have opened.
30th November, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
The Tribune had this sobering article today which states that “The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at a conference in Fort Worth. But what happens after that is anyone’s guess. The main cause of the drought, the most intense in recorded Texas history, is back-to-back episodes of La Niña, a Pacific Ocean phenomenon that almost always brings dry conditions to the state. The bad news is that, based on the historical record, there is a 40 percent chance of La Niña returning for a third consecutive year, according to Klaus Wolter, a research associate with the Earth Research Laboratory at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).”
23rd November, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Today the Statesman has an article about TreeHouse, a new eco-friendly home improvement store in Austin off of South Lamar. The article says:
The emphasis at TreeHouse, 4477 S. Lamar Blvd. , is on green products — everything from nontoxic paints to reclaimed wood floors to insulation made of recycled denim, newspapers and beer and wine bottles.
“We thought Austin deserved its own home improvement store,” co-founder Kevin Graham said. “This is very Austin — the Whole Foods version of a home improvement store.”
Products were selected after a careful, months-long vetting process that examines their performance, sustainability and impact on a user’s health and the manufacturer’s record of corporate responsibility.
“It’s a very intricate process that uses a database with a lot of questions,” co-founder Jason Ballard said. “Behind every product on the shelves, there’s some good-hearted person trying to save the earth.”
“We’re truth tellers and green promoters,” co-founder Evan Loomis said.
Check out their website here and learn more about their products and services. I’m definitely curious to check it out!
22nd November, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Last week my husband made these mac-and-cheese stuffed acorn squashes from brokeassgourmet for dinner, and they turned out really well. The prep time of 30 minutes was accurate, the combo of cheese and squash was very tasty, and serving the mac-and-cheese in the acorn squash made a pretty presentation for a simple dish. We ate ours with a salad and it was a nice comfort-food-type meal for a week night. This would also be a cute, inexpensive side dish for Thanksgiving. Here’s the recipe from brokeassgourmet:
1 cup macaroni elbows
2 medium-sized acorn squashes, cut in half, lengthwise
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus a few extra pinches for garnish
4 sage leaves, chopped finely, plus more for garnish
few dashes of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Set aside.
While pasta cooks, use a metal spoon (or a serrated spoon, if you have one) and scoop most of the flesh and seeds out of the squash halves, leaving about 1/2” in the skin (this is a little tricky and takes a bit of time, but is an important step). Discard the seeds and transfer the pieces of squash a medium pot.
Cover squash with water and cover pot with a lid. Turn heat to medium-high heat and cook, covered for 8-10 minutes or until squash is very soft. Drain and mash with the back of a fork (or puree in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender) until very smooth. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat and cook just until lightly browned. Whisk in flour to form a sticky dough. Slowly whisk in the milk to form a very creamy sauce.
Stir in the butternut squash and the cheese until completely distributed. Add the sage, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. The sauce should be very thick and creamy at this point.
Scrape the sauce into the cooked pasta and stir well to ensure all the pasta is coated. Divide between the hollowed-out squashes and top each with a few pinches of cheese and a sprinkle of bread crumbs.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are browned and bubbly.
21st November, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I saw that Brenton Johnson, owner of Johnson’s Backyard Garden, an Austin based CSA, was interviewed by the Huffington Post. Through a CSA (community shared agriculture), the consumer pays in advance for a share of the upcoming harvest. The consumer gets local fresh food, and the farmer is ensured a consistent market. My husband and I have gotten a box of veggies each week from Johnson’s Backyard Garden for the past 9 months, and we both really enjoy it and it forces us to eat less meat. So it was interesting to learn more about Johnson and read about some of the recent farming challenges he has faced, although most of the article is a reminder about the benefits of buying local organic food. Below is an excerpt (I’ve highlighted some portions I thought were most interesting), but check out the whole article.
Johnson and his crew grow organic produce for over a thousand community shared agriculture members on the 200 acres he converted from a historic dairy farm. On the day we spoke last week, Johnson and his crew were out there building a barn. Barnraising is a time-honored community-builder, where everyone comes together for a central purpose. It’s a time of both work and party, and you end up with something solid and real at the end of the day. It’s a nice metaphor for organic farming.
At a time when we’re all trying to find signs of economic life and bemoan the dearth of green jobs, organic farming is what we’ve been waiting for. In addition to growing the food we eat in ethical, sustainable ways and without chemicals and environmental toxins, organic farmers like Johnson help grow the economy and the community. According to the Organic Farming Research Foundation, farmers markets are the fastest growing job opportunites in communities and municipalities, and organic farming has grown in this sluggish job market by eight percent.
Maureen Wilmot is “an organic believer.” The executive director of Organic Farmers Research Foundation, Wilmot has a background in biology and ocean conservation, but “you don’t have to have dirt under the fingernails to really appreciate organic farmers,” she says.
When she became part of OFRF three years ago, Wilmot applied her background in policy and research to organic farming “and had a real aha moment. I support ocean conservation — I didn’t know organic produce is helping the ocean. If we converted every acre along the Mississippi basin to organic farming, we would reduce nitrogen runoff by fifty percent and clean up the dead zone. My son has asthma; I’m working for cleaner air. I didn’t realize organic farming leads to cleaner air,” she says. “It’s all interwoven.”
It’s true — many positive things spring from the same fertile, organic soil. If you care about your health or the health of the planet, you will have an organic awakening. In the same way, at some point, you’re going to have to come to terms with how much meat you eat. Even Mayo Clinic, not exactly the bastion of woo-woo new age stuff, is touting the health benefits of a meatless diet. And if you’re into protecting the planet, the fact that raising livestock takes up more than double the acreage and consumes double the resources plus pumping out a lot of environmental nasties is going to make you question cow. It will, I hope, encourage you to eat food that’s luscious, real, unprocessed, organic, healthy, and good for you, your karma and all of mankind.
18th November, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
If you’re committed enough to going meatless for Thanksgiving to help the environment, I found some mouth-watering looking ideas for a vegetarian Thanksgiving from the New York Times here. Some recipes I’d like to try include the baked kataifi-wrapped goat cheese, brioche stuffing with chestnuts and figs, and pumpkin seed battered “chicken” with cranberry cabernet sauce. I’ve always loved the sides more than the bird anyway Check them out!
However, if you’re not up for giving up the turkey, you can still make a big impact by buying a local, organic turkey.
Nixing the paper plates and plastic utensils, using green cleaning products to clean the house before your holiday guests arrive, as well as buying your veggies from a local farm also make a big difference!
Check them out!