Farmers vs. Frackers

Organic farmer Greg Swartz explains that nearby fracking operations are causing serious environmental issues on his Willow Wisp Organic Farm near the Delaware River in northern Pennsylvania. Fracking has also been linked to a number of detrimental health problems. Watch the video to learn more about the serious risks that fracking operations pose on both the environment and human safety.

Visit the Ecocentric blog for more information about Greg Swartz's farm and the issue of fracking.

National Geographic: How to Go Green With Food

How to Go Green With Food | National Geographic

Highlights from the article about how to eat more sustainably:
1. visit a local C.S.A
2. find local food vendors and ask about where the food comes from
3. check for "USDA Organic" seal
4. visit the Environmental Working Group Shopper's Guide to Pesticides
5. check for independent humane labeling
6. visit the Blue Ocean Institute website
7. think about becoming a vegetarian! (my favorite)

USDA Organic Guide, United States Department of Agriculture

You can find more articles about sustainable living and food systems on the National Geographic Green Living page.

Urban Spoon

To search for local restaurants that offer organic, vegetarian, and vegan food options visit the urbanspoon website. You can narrow your search by location, price, cuisine, and extra features. So the next time you're in the mood for organic food in Harrisonburg, try the Local Twin Oaks Tofu Steak at the Local Chop & Grill House or the Eggs-ceptional Sandwich at the A Bowl of Good Cafe.

urbanspoon.com, Harrisonburg Organic Restaurants

Sustainable Eats at JMU

View the whole Sustainability pdf here

One of the reasons that I wanted to create this blog was so that I could share information about food sustainability as J.M.U. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the J.M.U dining services do a pretty good job at upholding and maintaining "environmental stewardship." Above is a page from the sustainability pdf that explains in detail J.M.U's commitment to environmental conservation. Check on the rest of the slides by clicking the link above, and visit the "Sustainability at J.M.U Dining" homepage to learn more about the various sustainable food options available on campus. You can also sign up to volunteer in the J.M.U student garden here! (betcha didn't know we had one of those)

The Little Grill

The Little Grill located at 621 North Main Street in Harrisonburg, VA offers a wide selection of foods for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike. This cash-only institution works as a collective business in which the workers share joint ownership and responsibility. The menu boasts organic, free range, local, and fair trade foods, and the restaurant regularly recycles, re-uses, and composts. So for "sustainable eats" in downtown Harrisonburg, check out the LGC. 

C-Ville: Beyond Organic

Beyond Organic: Local Farmer Michael Clark's Produce Thrives Despite Growing Pains

Photo Source: C-Ville.com, John Robinson

Read this interesting article in C-Ville by Preston Long that talks about organic produce in the Stanardsville, Virginia area. Pictured above is organic farmer Michael Clark, the article's focus. I have also embedded the YouTube video "Growing Ginger in Virginia." In addition to organic farming, Clark also helps design the motion graphics for the YouTube channel Planet Earth, and this is one of their more recent productions. Take a look and let me know what you think.

How Much Do We Care?

Poll Finds Americans Less Concerned About the Environment Now Than When Earth Day Began

Huffington Post GREEN's Emily Swanson writes that a HuffPost/YouGov Poll shows Americans view environmental problems as less significant than they did in 1971, a year after the first Earth Day. However, the poll also shows that more Americans are making an effort to reduce the negative environmental impacts of their lifestyle choices, including using less electricity, eating organic foods, and recycling. Click on the link above to read the whole article, and please comment on how you feel about the poll results. 

Here is a sample of some of the questions asked and the responses given. You can also take the survey yourself by visiting the website. 

Poll Source: HuffPost/YouGov, http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/toplines_earthday411.pdf

Harrisonburg's Friendly City Food Co-Op

Above is an excerpt from the Friendly City Food Co-Op Blog about local ramps.  Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the Co-Op sells a variety of organic foods produced by local farmers. Though you don't have to become a member to shop at Friendly City, members enjoy benefits such as discounts, newsletters, and voting privileges. You can also find recipe ideas on their website.  Do you shop at this or any other food co-op? Let me know in the comments what you think about this kind of food venue.

If an 11 Year Old Can Do It, So Can You!

TED Talks are a great resource for information on a wide variety of social issues, food sustainability included. 11 year old Birke Baehr shares his take on "What's Wrong with our Food Systems" in this humorous but precise presentation. Baehr is described as a future organic farmer who thinks that everyone should be able to identify how "food is made, where it comes from, and what's in it."

Harrisonburg Downtown Farmer's Market

The Harrisonburg Farmer's Market is located on 228 South Liberty Street in downtown Harrisonburg. The market is a great place to find sustainable foods and products produced locally. Vendors sell a variety of environmentally friendly goods, ranging from sausage biscuits and homemade breads to local honey and a variety of crafts. Visit them this Saturday and see all of the wonderful foods and goods available locally.


Regular Market Hours:
Every Tuesday and Saturday, April through Thanksgiving
7 a.m. to 1 p.m.



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edible Harrisonburg!

edible Blue Ridge, Spring 2013

edible Blue Ridge is a member of the Edible Communities, and this publication offers a variety of information about how and where to find the freshest and most environmentally conscious ingredients locally. Edible Communities also publishes a number of other edible magazines such as edible Cape Cod, edible Phoenix, edible San Francisco, edible Manhattan, and edible Toronto, to name a few. Chances are there is an edible version of your hometown too! Check out the Spring 2013 issue of edible Blue Ridge here and see all of the healthy and sustainable food options available locally. 

Guide to Buying Sustainable Food

Yale University composed a fairly comprehensive guide about how to find and purchase sustainable food.  The guide breaks down the information into sections based on the type of food such as dairy, fruits and vegetables, eggs, poultry, etc... Questions to consider include the location and size of the farm, the types of food the animal in question eats, the farming practices used, as well as many other specifically tailored questions. Click on the link to see the guide, and maybe try it out the next time you go grocery shopping.

Yale Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide

Below is an overview provided by the Yale Sustainable Food Project about how to decide what dairy products to purchase.

Best:
"Cows are grazing animals, and their stomachs are made to digest grass. Their diets can be supplemented with grain but should not be primarily composed of it. They should never be given rBST or other growth hormones. Animals should be outdoors year round, and their pasture should be free from chemical sprays. Any additional feed they receive should be organic. In the ideal system, cow manure is used as a resource to fertilize pasture."

Avoid:
"Animals raised in CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) are crowded in and fed a grain (usually corn-based) diet, and they are routinely given growth hormones. Their diets might also include animal by-products (the remains of other animals). In this system, manure is a waste product, and it collects in lagoons or is dumped."

Work Cited:

 Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide. Yale Sustainable Food Project, n.d. Web 13 Apr. 2013

The Breeze: JMU Dining Services

SGA-sponsored forum encourages student participation and discussion on campus issues - The Breeze: News

Image Source: http://twtrland.com/profile/SGAjmu/conversations

I found this article in the James Madison University student newspaper The Breeze, and one of the main issues discussed during the forum was about the variety of foods available on campus. Students suggested that the dining services should offer more specialty diet foods, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher options, to name a few. Maybe sustainable and environmentally friendly food choices should be advocated for as well.