Bay Area Green Life

Bay Area Green Life - an active exploration of the ways and means of enjoying the beautiful and diverse Bay Area while walking gently on the planet. Food, politics, recreation, compost - you name it, we'll be checking it out and sharing what we find.

Give Your Stuff Away Day

  Saturday, May 14 is Give Your Stuff Away Day.  You’re too old to skateboard, your kids outgrew the stroller 4 years ago, you never use the crockpot, and the boombox achieved dinosaur status when you got speakers for the ipod.  So instead of continuing to let all that stuff clutter the garage, haul it out to the kerb where someone else can avail him/herself of your former treasures.  This is a civilized, community oriented venture so no no trash or recyclables, food, drugs, chemicals, or weapons. illegal or dangerous items.  Consider it part of your “spring cleaning.” 

 

Farm Bill: Come to the Rally

 

Press Advisory

 

Constituents to Senators Boxer and Feinstein:

Don’t Cut our Farm Bill Programs

Local Farmers, Policymakers, Farm Bill Grant Recipients

 Rally California Senators for Support

What:             A rally to protect programs that support local food, sustainable agriculture and California’s family farms. These programs are threatened by budget cuts to be debated by Senators Boxer and Feinstein in the coming weeks. Media will have access to affected stakeholders, government representatives and prominent advocates at an event on a working urban farm.

Where:           Hayes Valley Farm

                        450 Laguna (between Oak and Fell)

                        San Francisco

When:            Thursday, April 28th, 12 noon

Who:              Speakers will include San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi; Anna Hillgruber Smith Clark, Governor of the Slow Food Bay Area chapters; cattle rancher Moira Burke of Agricola grass-fed beef, Dixon; Ariane Michas, Local Food Systems Manager with Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF); and Adam Scow, California Campaigns Director of Food & Water Watch.

Visuals:         Photo and video ops include rally attendees with signs, community members working on an urban farm, speakers addressing the crowd. Speakers will be available for interviews.

Contact:         Elanor Starmer, Food & Water Watch, cell 603-986-5127, e-mail estarmer@fwwatch.org.

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9 Ways to Eat Green

You have the power to create a better environment for yourself and your community simply by making green decisions when it comes to your food. The slogan “think globally, act locally” is a great place to start.

Eating Locally

Locavore is a term coined by the San Francisco group, Locavores, interested in promoting local, sustainable agriculture and raising awareness of how food choice impacts our planet. They advocate eating food primarily grown within 100 miles of your location. The concept is based on a foundation of sustainability and locality. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) a food is considered local if the distance that it was grown or produced is within 400 miles of your home.

Sustainable Foods

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. When the consumer purchases foods locally they are essentially demanding that the products taste great, are of the highest quality, and the revenue enhances their own community.

9 Ways to Eat Green

1) Choose Organic. Organic farms release less synthetic pesticides into the environment, they can sustain diverse ecosystems, and they use less energy and produce less waste.

2. Choose Local. Buying seasonal, local food is good for the environment. American food travels approximately 1,500 to 5,000 miles from ground to table. Local food from farmers, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or cooperatives have less impact on the planet due to the lack of transportation. Local food uses less packaging and is fresher. Supporting your local community will give a boost to the already suffering financial economy. Look for a farmers market near you at www.localharvest.org.

3. Avoid the Dirty Dozen. The Dirty Dozen is a list that contains the top 12 most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables based on analysis completed by the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration. Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms such as insects, plants, and fungi that are considered to be pests. They are toxic by design and pose severe health risks to people, however, the doses are often declared safe by industry and government. Avoid the most contaminated fruits and vegetables by purchasing organic versions. The Dirty Dozen includes peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots and pears.

4. Eat Less Beef and Dairy Products. This may be the single most effective way for individuals to lower their food-climate impact. Researchers estimate that shifting to a one day per week or less meat based meals will reduce greenhouse emissions by 51 percent. Buy organic, local, and grass-fed meat and dairy products since they are produced without synthetic pesticides and herbicides, and they use less fossil fuel.

5. Choose Wild Alaskan Salmon. Not only is salmon popular, it is good for brain and heart health and is known to reduce inflammation. Choose wild Alaskan salmon when available as it has the least amount of PCP contamination, or choose organic farmed salmon. Farmed salmon from Washington State and Chile have the lowest contaminant levels of PCP in the farmed category. Canned salmon, which usually contains wild Alaskan salmon, is also a good choice.

Buying fish that has been caught through sustainable methods will help ensure their availability in the future. The best choices for fish are the ones that are the most abundant, well managed, and caught or farmed in environmentally safe ways.

For a list of green seafood choices visit montereybayaquarium.org. If you are uncertain of your fish choice text FishPhone at 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question. They will text you back with information on whether or not you are making a sustainable choice. 

6. Read Labels. Look for words that indicate the food was produced in a way that meets ethical and environmental standards. In addition to choosing USDA certified organic food, look for Fair Trade Certified food. This ensures that farmers in other nations receive a fair price for their product and work in fair conditions. Choose Shade Grown, Bird Friendly or Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, orange juice, chocolate and bananas. All ensure that farming practices maintain rainforest health and native biodiversity. Demeter Certified Biodynamic ensures that foods are grown biodynamically, which uses no synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, animal by-products or genetically modified seeds. Finally, look for the Country of Origin Labels (COOL). In 2009, the U.S. expanded country of origin labeling so that you can see where your food is coming from.

7. Choose BPA-free or Stainless Steel Water Bottles. As a nutritionist, I recommend drinking fluids which total half of your body weight daily. When choosing plastic bottles, however, take into account the energy used to make that bottle as well as the emissions associated with transporting that bottle to its destination. Purchase a reusable BPA-free plastic bottle or a stainless steel bottle, as well as a filter for your home to remove chemicals from your water supply.

8. Brown Bag It. Bringing your lunch to work or school is not only an economically good choice but a healthy choice as well. By avoiding restaurant foods you are reducing your exposure to sodium, hidden ingredients and excess calories. Plus, reusable containers and eco-friendly lunchboxes are a great way to reduce waste.

9. Beware of Plastic Packaging. Plastic packages are manufactured using oil and therefore are responsible for creating over 24,000 tons of greenhouse gas every year. Avoid excessive packaging by choosing whole foods at local farmers markets or co-ops. Buy loose fruits and vegetables, and bulk cereals, pastas, grains, seeds, and nuts, and remember to bring along a reusable grocery bag.

By Chrissy Wellington M.S., C.N.S., L.D.N., C.P.T

Bike Share!

The Timbuk2 Bikeshare Program
506 Hayes St, at Octavia; Hayes Valley; 415.252.9860

 Timbuk2’s Hayes Valley storefront will offer complimentary urban-style commuter bikes from Globe.   Drop by the store during business hours (11a-7p) and check to make sure one of the four bikes in their pilot program is available, then fill out a simple application form and waiver, leave behind identifying collateral and you’re all set. They’ll even outfit you (also totally free) with a Bern helmet, a bike lock, a Timbuk2 messenger bag, and a custom map.

Gesundheit!

According to a report in today’s Chronicle, the regional pollen count is rapidly rising.  After a very rainy winter, we don’t have to worry about drought.  The downside, of course, is aggravated allergies. 

One remedy that works for many in easing if not entirely eliminating pollen allergies is the regular consumption of local honey.  “Local” means produced by bees that share your environment.  The theory is that consuming honey is consuming a by-product of the plants bees feed on (you could look up how honey is made….) and doing so helps build immunity to those plants.  The theory behind drinking water down-stream from poison oak, or the whole of homeopathy works the same way.

Honey is easy to eat - you can put it in your morning cereal or tea, in your yoghurt, in your home-made vinaigrette.  Use is instead in anything you’d normally sweeten with sugar or agave (adjust liquids if baking), or just eat a tablespoonful daily and be done with it.

You should be able to find local honey at your community farmers’ market.  If none is available from this source, an on-line search for beekeepers in your city should work.

http://www.honeybee.com/beeclubs.htm

Gesundheit!

Shëndet!

Sahha!

Sağlam ol!

Salut!

Sù hǎo yì si!

Na zdravlje Pozdrav Pánbůh!

Prosit!

Terveydeksi!

Steen eyia sue!

Labri’oot!

Eat your veggies!

Eat your veggies!