Growing Food. January 29, 2009

I had a friend a couple years ago claim he “couldn’t grow a rock.” I knew the answer but I asked anyway, “Have you tried?” He hadn’t. It wasn’t the obviousness of his statement that caught my attention, but to what he was alluding that struck me as unusual. What he meant to say was that he didn’t think he could grow a plant to save his life. I told him he was wrong. “Well if I did, I’d have to grow it with chems. I’d need all the help I could get.”

The idea that growing food organically in our backyards is new, difficult, and a somehow radically fringe concept reserved for elite horticultural nerds or botanical science prodigies is flawed. For fifteen thousand years before WWI, humans grew food crops close to their homes using only what nature provided them. And much of the world still does. Seeds were saved and strains were developed for specific locales that provided communities with food year round. The “organic” production of food is one of our most primordial ways of relating to the earth. It is in our genes.

Besides being innate to the human experience, growing food is a relatively easy activity. Compared with the amount of time and money we spend buying food, it is a relatively enjoyable one as well. Now it seems it is simply “natural” to buy our food at the store. On average our food travels between 1500 and 2500 miles before it winds up on our plate. That’s like traveling round trip from Seattle, WA to Cheyenne, WY for your food! Without the advent of the automobile and refrigeration, our frail modern bodies would probably perish somewhere near Issaquah. Hardly natural! To boot, each moment that the food is in transport from it’s origin somewhere in Florida (or New Zealand…) it is slowly, imperceptibly, decomposing, losing its nutritive value along the way.

Backyard food production has a lasting synergistic effect far beyond just providing fresh food free of chemical dependency. A well-designed edible landscape can have aesthetic appeal, be a learning and growing experience for ourselves and our families, create habitat, build soil, and corrupt influence otherwise unconvinced neighbors who reap the profits of our bounty. By growing food an accessible ten feet from our door using organic methods, we not only provide ourselves with fresh nutrient rich fruits and vegetables, but we also build a legacy for our children; that of being modern humans on a natural human scale.

If you can’t grow a rock, try to grow some food. It’s far easier and there are plenty of people and resources (this blog post for one) to help you along the way. The good news is that if plants elude your TLC even after you’ve received all the help you can get, the farmer’s market and the organic section of your local grocer is right around the corner.

*By the way, if you can grow a rock let me know. This I have to see…

Introducing Kris Pendleton, our garden guy January 27, 2009

Well, the Parsons blog continues to grow.  I am super excited to announce that we will have a weekly blog post about all things gardening from our newest contributor, Kris Pendleton.  I’ve already learned some great tips from him and I’m sure you will too, so stay tuned!  Here’s a little info about my new friend:

Kris Pendleton grew up in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle in a house with one of the greatest gardens in the ‘hood.  In 1999 he discovered permaculture, but it wasn’t until attending college at Western Washington University that he started to take responsibility for his impact on the earth.  After studying permaculture and eco-design at Fairhaven College for a year and a half, he left to attend Evergreen State College for deeper study of ecological agriculture and Whole Systems Design.  After graduation, he traveled to New Zealand to study temperate organic agriculture techniques and then returned to Washington to take a job at Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort as the Garden Operations Manager.  There he ran a two acre productive aesthetic garden that supplied the resort with 10% of its seasonal produce needs, had an organic gardening radio program called Plan It Organic, and did a seasonal lecture series.  Kris now lives in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle with his orchard cat Pumpkin Squash Ninja and works in the service industry as he makes his way as a writer, garden coach, and small-scale organic agriculture systems consultant.

How Minty are you? January 26, 2009

In our current state of financial woes, now is the time for us all to reassess our spending habits and cut some corners.  That’s where Mint, a free online tool that helps you manage your money, comes in.  I once read that smart money people make all of their deposits and payments automatic.  Well, Mint can help you be that smart money person.

Mint is a modern (there is an iPhone app), powerful, easy and secure web-based solution for online financial management.  After setting up a free account by providing your email address and log-in information for your different accounts, Mint automatically pulls together your bank, credit union and credit card data, and provides up-to-date amazingly accurate snapshots of your financial portfolio (no matter how meager).  It’s like consolidating your debt, but without an interest payment.

The one feature that stands out from all the rest is that Mint automatically categorizes all of your purchases, showing you how much you spend on gas, groceries, parking, rent, restaurants, DVD rentals and more.  It analyzes and graphs your investment performance, showing you how you’re doing versus relevant market inidicies like the S&P 500 and highlighting the fees you’re paying in each of your accounts.  And it will alert you of any unusual activity, low balances, fees and upcoming bills so you’re constantly in contact with your money – effortlessly.  You can also set up a budget and Mint will show you how you measure up to your own goals.

So what’s holding me back from setting up my own Mint account?  I don’t know if I am ready to really know how much of my money goes to Starbuck’s…

Test your house for radon January 26, 2009

I never like to be an alarmist, but I ran across the following information about radon the other day and feel that everyone should be aware of it. Many of us are concerned about manmade environmental hazards, but do you know that this naturally occurring, invisible gas can be just as harmful? Radon is produced by the radioactive decay of the element radium. In nonsmokers, it’s the leading cause of death from lung cancer in America. January is National Radon Action Month and the U.S. Surgeon General and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend that all homes be tested for it. In the state of Washington, the northeastern part of the state has the highest levels. In the San Francisco Bay Area where I live, the potential hazard is moderate. The only way to know if your home contains high levels is to conduct an easy and inexpensive test using a kit. The National Safety Council offers short- and long-term radon test kits, which include lab analysis and return postage. Many home improvement centers and hardware stores also sell kits. For more information about radon, visit the EPA’s website where you can download for free A Citizen’s Guide to Radon. I don’t smoke because I’m concerned about my health. I guess it’s time I order a kit!

 

A New Era of Hope! January 21, 2009

The Parsons office was buzzing yesterday. I will fully admit that we took a moment mid-day to play some of our favorite Aretha tunes to commemorate her rendition of ’My Country ‘Tis of Thee’ at the Inauguration.

 

Although we all had to wake up super early, it was well-worth it to secure our *nearly* front row seats at Town Hall to watch Obama’s Inauguration. His words were inspiring and filled with hope:

 

“We will extend a hand if you will unclench your fist.” 

 

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.” 

 

Below are some photos of us at Town Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

We hope that your day was as joyous as ours.  Here’s to a new era of hope!

The 2009 Green Inaugural Ball WAS really green January 20, 2009

As I write this, Al Gore and friends are heading home after a night of rocking to Will.I.Am, Melissa Etheridge (check out her green tips!), Maroon 5 , John Legend, and Michael Franti at the 2009 Green Inaugural Ball. According to the official website, America is at a turning point. We now have a leader who has pledged to build the new green energy economy, so the ball celebrated the organizations, corporations, and individuals committed to creating the new energy economy that will repower, rebuild, refuel and restore America. The Host Committee listed on the home page is a who’s who of environmentally-forward organizations such as two of my favorites, Green for All, Van Jones’ organization that promotes green-collar jobs, and Women’s Earth Alliance, an organization that unites women working on the frontlines of environmental causes. So was this green inaugural ball really green? Leave it to Al Gore and friends to make it as green as possible. A few of the highlights: The total carbon footprint of the event was offset with high quality carbon offsets from Native Energy, which supports Native American community based renewable energy projects. The guests were also encouraged to purchase offsets from them and to use alternative transportation to the event. The food was local and organic, and the waste will be recycled, reused, and composted. And finally, sponsors and attendees of the ball participated in the National Day of Service activities in honor of President-Elect Obama’s Renew America Together initiative. Pretty impressive. I have high hopes for the next four years!

 

Read the fine print before ordering those french fries January 16, 2009

One of King County’s New Year resolutions for 2009 is to get us all to eat healthier.  And with 58 million overweight Americans, chances are many of us could stand to lose a few pounds…

Based on the assumption that informed consumers will make healthier food choices, more than 1500 fast food and chain restaurants throughout Seattle and King County are now required to post how many calories, milligrams of sodium and grams of saturated fat and carbohydrates are in their burgers, fries, salads, milkshakes, etc.   Studies show that Americans today eat a third of their calories (and spend about half of their food budget) outside the home, so this new regulation will hopefully help us tighten our belts and our wallets.

When you do the math, the numbers can be pretty baffling.  Take Burger King for example: a Double Whopper with cheese has 1010 calories.  Add to that a medium order of fries (330 calories), a large Coke (290) and a Dutch apple pie (300) and you will have met your total daily caloric need of 2000 calories!

It will take some time before anyone can prove how displaying this information actually improves the general public’s health.  I will say this: I am all in favor of putting these sometimes shocking numbers on fast food menus.  A friend of mine with a recent late-night craving drove through a north-end fast food establishment only to bawk at how unhealthy her “healthy” choice (read: salad) really was.  She decided it wasn’t worth it and drove right on through the drive-thru.  It might take baby steps – and hopefully an expansion of the program beyond just larger fast food chains - but I believe this new menu labeling has the potential to considerably alter the choices we make when it comes to “fast food.”

Find out more about the labeling program here.

Join the National Weekend of Service January 12, 2009

I am absolutely thrilled to be a new contributor to the Parsons Goodwords Blog! In my work as a sustainability consultant, I come across a lot of interesting and inspiring ideas. So when it came time to choose the subject for my first blog, it was difficult to decide what to focus on. Then a neighbor sent me an email about the National Weekend of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and I realized it was the perfect subject to cover. Public service—what a great way to honor MLK! On Inauguration Day, President-elect Obama will call for a renewed commitment to national service to help tackle the challenges that face our country. To launch this, people across the country are organizing events for January 17 through 19 on the USASERVICE.ORG website. For instance in Seattle, you can Join EarthCorps, the Green Seattle Partnership, Service for Peace, and Seattle Parks and Recreation to help restore the 43-acre Cheasty Greenspace in Beacon Hill/South Seattle. In my area, many people are struggling to put food on the table so I’m collecting packaged food from neighbors and family to take to Second Harvest Food Bank (where donations were down 30% in 2008). Michelle Obama says, “It will take ordinary citizens working together with a common purpose to get this country back on track.” Won’t you join us?

Introducing Lauren Swezey, our new weekly contributor January 9, 2009

I am so excited.  Why?  We have a new blog contributor and she is a total rock star!  Introducing Lauren Swezey, friend of Parsons:

Lauren has 30 years of experience as a journalist and communications professional reporting on environmental issues, green living and water conservation, as well as areas related to outdoor living and gardening.   She spent much of her career at Sunset Magazine as an editor, senior writer, manager, volunteer coordinator and event planner.  Lauren is currently a member of Acterra’s Be the Change environmental leadership program; a producer for Palo Alto’s Community Environmental Action Partnership TV series, Green Takes…Action!; a sustainability consultant for HomeZ; and a Green Team Leader for Palo Alto High School and Shelter Network, which serves homeless families and individuals.

Busy, busy bee!  Needless to say, she will be a great asset to our blogging team.  I hope you are looking forward to the news and information she has to share as much as I am.

New Year’s Resolutions – Pick a Word January 6, 2009

President Elect Obama is currently working on a new economic stimulus package that he is considering publishing online as a part of his pledge of “unprecedented transparency.” Transparency, one of the big buzzwords of the past few years, is an exciting concept for our government to embrace, a powerful word to live by. It made me think of a practice we have at Parsons Public Relations, where we start out every meeting with everyone sharing their gratitude – for a co-worker that really helped them out with something, a particularly satisfying experience with a client, or something else from their personal lives. We do this because we decided that cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” makes our lives much richer and more purposeful. It lends a focus to our decisions, allows us to remain in integrity during stressful situations, and, best of all, starts every work week off in a very positive way. It’s amazing what one word can do. I also have a personal word, “intention,” that I used throughout 2008 to keep me focused on my own goals, both professional and personal, so that I used my time as consciously and purposefully as possible. I haven’t settled on my new word for 2009 but when I do I will again tape it to my computer somewhere as a reminder. Perhaps it will be “patience” or “listen” or “surprise” - we’ll see. Just one word – I invite you to try it yourself and see what happens.