Our Food Studies Immerse program spent two weeks at the Duke Campus Farm in early to mid September learning about organic and sustainable agriculture. Along with a bit of manual labor, our instructor and the director of the Farm, Saskia Cornes, guided us through the basics of tilling, pest management, seed propagation, and more. Field Manager, Leslie Wolverton, and Assistant Program Director, Emily McGinty, also spent a fair amount of time teaching us practical knowledge. You can read more about the Campus Farm here. Each morning at the farm, we spent fifteen minutes journaling. I used to journal every morning and every night, and my mental health soared. I fell off the wagon when I arrived at college, and this field notes experience taught me once more the value of putting words to the hurricane of thoughts that runs through my mind. The fifteen-minute journaling sessions allowed me to find the eyes of these metaphorical storms. It was OK if I had overslept that morning and had to rush to the farm. It was OK if I had a million things to do that afternoon. For those fifteen minutes, everything was still. And yet, nothing was still. I repeatedly watched Saskia lugging wheelbarrows around the farm and the crew pulling eggplants from the vines. I watched birds hopping on the tarp beside the hay and cars rushing down the road. I felt the breeze run across my face. Not even the light was still; not only had it travelled millions of miles from the sun, but it ebbed and flowed as clouds drifted across the sky. It was this stillness in a constant interchange of energy that allowed me to understand my own storm of thoughts. I learned many lessons from the plants and wildlife. As far as I can tell, the following are true for most organisms I observed on the farm. They aren’t self-conscious; they just follow their instincts. They don’t think about calories; they just eat. They don’t sweat over to-do lists; they just get them done. They don’t resent the rain and flooding; they just adjust their behaviors to move forward in the best way possible. As much as we may want to emulate these observed tendencies, we also must recognize that we are human and that we must forgive ourselves for being self-conscious, calorie-counting, stressing over lists, and feeling resentment. What’s more, maybe our humanity reveals that there is nothing to forgive; what we view as faults are simply indicators of the human condition, an ever-present consciousness that should be appreciated despite its occasional drawbacks. In just a short time, I developed a connection with the beds we tilled and the vines from which we picked flowers, grapes, and edamame. For the first time, I understood what Duke’s favorite catchphrase, “embodied learning,” means. Because I picked grapes myself, I more fully understand the effort and technique of harvesting them than I do of harvesting other plants I have merely eaten from the farm, like peppers and melons. Thus, I feel more connected to, and appreciative of, the grapevines. It is not enough to study topics in a classroom and claim an understanding of them; we must go into the field, pick up our shovels, dig in, and get our hands a little dirty. So what did we actually do on the farm? We learned how to save seeds from harvests and propagate seeds in the new propagation house. We chopped down cover crops (plants that help regulate soil composition and attract favorable insects) and layered them with hay to make hot compost piles. We tilled soil using a variety of tools. We learned about organic practices in integrated pest and disease management, as well as how certain crops return more nitrogen to the soil than others and can be more beneficial to the farming system than others. We brainstormed ways to prevent soil runoff during Hurricane Florence, ultimately choosing to move haybales to the ends of beds to catch soil. There was a lot of practical knowledge that would take hours to explain; after all, we were there three hours a day for two weeks.
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When I was considering universities my senior year of high school, one of the programs that brought me over to the dark side from UNC to Duke was DukeImmerse: a semester-long undergraduate seminar experience where all four classes center around one subject, field components are mandatory, and everyone voluntarily enrolls to explore a theme about which they are passionate. Each year, Duke offers a handful of Immerse programs, and, luckily for me, they offered a Food Studies program this fall. I am linking to the description here. The Food Studies Immerse (also dubbed "The Future of Food") has mainly brought together people from environmental science backgrounds and cultural anthropology backgrounds. The courses satisfy a wide variety of requirements, and they are introducing some of us to disciplines we would never otherwise explore. Our classes analyze plant growth and yield; how food and farming are presented in literature; the food supply chain and Environmental Life Cycle Assessments; and the social, political, and cultural implications of food. We are spending two weeks working on the Duke Campus Farm, will spend one week travelling around farms near San Francisco, and will visit several farms in North Carolina (both sustainable and otherwise). I wouldn’t call my course material and textbooks “work.” I wouldn’t call the hours I sit at my desk “studying.” I am in complete bliss learning about this subject. I want to use this post to pose a few questions and thoughts the first week elicited. 1. Is being a “locavore” always more eco-friendly? There is a huge emphasis on reducing food miles right now, but the relative eco-friendliness of local food must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Consider this:
Wine A is produced on a farm down the street from me that has 200 units of environmental impact. Wine B is produced a thousand miles away from me on a farm that has 100 units of environmental impact, and shipping it adds only 50 units. In this case, it would be more eco-friendly to buy Wine B than the local Wine A. Remember that “local” does not necessarily mean “better”; sometimes different climates are more suited to producing certain crops and sometimes foreign farms are just equipped with better technology and farming methods. 2. What is “authentic” cuisine? Why is a burrito found in a hole-in-the-wall Latin American restaurant considered more authentic and delicious than an expensive burrito prepared by a white chef at a five-star restaurant? When it comes to culinary tourism, perhaps “authenticity” simply equates to “expectations.” Obviously, taste is more than just a function of ingredients; taste relies upon atmosphere and memory as well. There inevitably lays reverse snobbery and covert prestige (having the know-how when it does not fit the expectations of your class/gender/race/etc.) in taking your friends to that hole-in-the-wall burrito joint. Need more evidence? Next time you are at a romantic restaurant, note how the dim lighting, intimate tables, carpeted floors, and the timing of the meal are suggestive of the bedroom. 3. The potential of feeding the world in 2050 does not rest upon population growth alone. Consider that with more people entering the middle class, there will be more demand for meat. Decreasing crop yields and limited land, accompanied by a predicted slow growth/adoption of technology, will drive food prices up significantly and impact the urban poor and landless rural communities most significantly. 4. How does farmwork instill agency in those tending the land, and how can this play out in gender dynamics? Farming allows people to provide for their communities, and their communities therefore give them respect. As agribusiness continues to replace small-scale farms run by women in places like Africa, how will this affect their rights and means of expression? I don’t know the answers to all these questions, and in an ever-evolving world, nobody truly does. That does not diminish the significance of considering them; mitigation of present and future harm is still available, as is the promotion of present and future benefits. Eating healthy food is so much more appetizing when it just looks good. If presentation played no role in taste, then restaurants would not take the time to carefully crumple the cloth napkins in your bread baskets, to serve your pasta in perfect mounds, to expertly drizzle raspberry sauce over your cheesecake. So it makes sense that by likewise taking a little extra time to prepare and present our food, we will enhance our enjoyment of it. And it doesn't take your great-grandparents' expensive silverware to do the trick; if you have the inclination and a little bit of money, go get yourself a coconut bowl ($12.95 for a standard bowl). If you're reading this before Earth Day, 2018, you can literally get one for free (keep reading!). They are great for oatmeal, for smoothies, for noodles, for rice, for basically anything that is not an extreme temperature or too liquidy (aka no soup). Coconutbowls.com is doing a fantastic giveaway in honor of Earth Day. Not only have they donated 100 coconut bowls each to 5 restaurants, but they are giving $20 vouchers to each person who posts a picture on Instagram of themselves holding a coconut bowl or reusable container in front of a local café. This initiative is meant to combat the use of single-use plastic containers. Learn more here. Now that the weather is heating up and local fruits are about to come into season (got my eyes on Scooterbug's Strawberries!), I just want to constantly eat smoothie bowls. You'll probably be seeing more creations soon :)
This week, I began to read Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang, an iconic 1975 adventure novel that calls for the protection of the American wilderness by following a group of four billboard-burning, bridge-blasting rebels who are determined to combat industrialization in Abbey’s beloved deserts and canyons.
The Monkey Wrench Gang is only the second Edward Abbey book I have opened, the first being Desert Solitaire. I read Desert Solitaire one year ago, and it is quite possibly my favorite book I have ever read. Here’s why. Originally published in 1968, Desert Solitaire was Edward Abbey’s answer to the rise of automobile tourism in our national parks, traffic that he believed corrupts the pristineness of nature and humans’ ability to truly appreciate and be one with wilderness. Desert Solitaire largely documents Abbey’s experiences as a park ranger in what was then known as Arches National Monument (now known as Arches National Park). Simultaneously hilarious and tragic, persuasive and brutally realistic, Desert Solitaire contains, in over three hundred eloquently-worded pages, Abbey’s ruminations on the relationship between humans and nature. It makes you feel savagely human. It makes you want to leave your cluttered house and cluttered life and walk out into the middle of the desert, take refuge in a vast nothingness, and let everything superfluous and wasteful be stripped away. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Desert Solitaire was Abbey’s passionate challenges toward what he referred to as the “domestic routine.” He demanded readers to observe the monotony, irony, and self-imposed suffering in their lives. As seen throughout the book, Abbey was nothing if not spontaneous, and this freedom he practiced to say and do what he wanted, when he wanted, where he wanted, with whom he wanted, and for whichever reasons he wanted is a well of inspiration to readers. I finished the novel feeling empowered to fight for what I believe in...but also empowered to take a step back and lose myself in a desert for an indeterminate amount of time. I strongly encourage each of you to pick up the book at your local library or bookstore. It is a decision you will not regret! When I trained for my first marathon three years ago, I listened to audiobooks to make the long training runs more enjoyable and (slightly) less painful. I appreciated not being stuck with my own voice inside my head alone, and listening to Tina Fey’s Bossypants had me laughing despite my exhaustion and extended solitude. Last summer, I discovered the joy of listening to podcasts while I run. For those of you who do not know what a podcast is, imagine a talk show without the visual component. Some of my favorites include, “Stuff You Should Know,” and NPR’s “Fresh Air,” two general and informative podcasts. Podcasts are great to listen to while exercising, driving, or falling asleep, and there is a podcast for pretty much any interest you may have, from dissections of terrible movies (“How Did This Get Made?”) to the future of flying (“Layovers”). What’s more- most podcasts are free!
A friend recently recommended the Rich Roll Podcast, and I loved it so much that I decided to share it with all of you. Having been a vegetarian all my life, and being a vegan for the past 1 ½ months, I have been on the receiving end of the question, “But where do you get your protein from?” more often than I care to remember. Indeed, the reason I put off becoming vegan for so long was that I was tricked by this myth that vegans are almost inevitably protein and nutrient deficient. I feared becoming vegan would interfere with my athletic abilities. I was wrong. My friends, if you ever wonder if veganism will hinder your physical capabilities, look no further than Rich Roll. A vegan elite athlete, Rich Roll has finished among the best in the world at multiple endurance races, most notably the Ultraman (a 320-mile, 3 day event) and the Epic5 Challenge (five Ironmans in under seven days). But Rich Roll is more than just a vegan athlete; in his podcast, he interviews everyone from Olympic swimmer Conor Dwyer to renowned minimalist Joshua Fields Millburn to explore the topics of dedication, simplification, mindfulness, fitness, nutrition, activism, and more. There is so much information packed into each of his podcasts (about two hours long apiece), and there is no better way to explain his message, brand, and impact than for you to listen to an episode or two yourself. So, check out his podcast. You can listen to it here online or on your mobile device. My boyfriend said it right: “If you’re going to get a girl flowers for Valentine’s Day, you might as well get her something she can keep alive and grow.” Pictured below is a flower from the orchid plant he gave me in February...and I am proud to have kept it alive for two months now! Granted, all I had to do was place it in moderate sunlight and add three ice cubes to the pot each Sunday, but hey, everyone starts somewhere, right?
In addition to the orchids, I have a little cactus named Alice (which I bought in September and water once each week), two tiny, sweet succulents (bought in February and watered once each week), and a sprawling aloe plant (which I have had since February-ish and watered once every two weeks). Keeping plants in my room has been a source of calmness, and the task of caring for them (as easy as it is) helps me remain mindful of the passage of time. Here are some proven benefits of growing house plants:
You can buy little succulents or flowers at most grocery stores, and you can also shop for them at gardening stores. I bought my succulents at Colony Urban Farm Store in Winston-Salem. Knock yourself out, and happy spring! For Part 1, follow this link to read my blog post concerning environmental education.
Earth Day is about 1 ½ weeks away, and I am so excited! I am volunteering at the annual Piedmont Earth Day Fair, a FREE festival at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds with food, music, fun activities (yoga, arts and crafts, and more!), and exhibitions. If you live in the area, you need to come! It lasts from 10 AM until 5 PM, rain or shine. The 2017 theme is “Every Drop Counts” (water conservation), and it is a zero-waste event, meaning that all food will be served on recyclable containers, and there will be no trash cans! One of my friends even submitted a piece of artwork to their art contest! If you do not live near Winston-Salem, I encourage you to find a similar festival or celebration near you. Many organizations are directing kayaking trips, 5ks, and similar activities in order to celebrate and advocate Mother Earth. Following is a list of suggestions for honoring Earth Day this year. You can easily do all of these, but I urge you to do at least one!
That’s it! Make this Earth Day one to remember because the earth truly deserves our support and appreciation. And if that is not enough, remember that a healthier earth means a more sustainable habitat for a happier you! Today’s post is not going to have a lot of words. Over the past few years, I have learned that imagery, touch, and even silence can be just as effective as words in communicating concepts. So please take at least five minutes to view the artwork in this digital gallery, making sure to reflect on the themes of nature, sustainability, and complex connectedness. I recommend reading the description for each piece as well.
Enjoy. If you look at the ingredients lists on your favorite processed goods, you will unfortunately find palm oil in many of them: Oreos, Cheez-Its, instant noodles, and even Girl Scout cookies are culprits. Palm oil is a nuisance for two main reasons.
First, palm oil is unhealthy. U.S. imports of palm oil doubled between 2005 and 2012, a trend that reflects its increased use as a substitute for trans fat. However, palm oil is high in saturated fat and is also associated with high LDL cholesterol levels. While canola oil and soybean oil are healthier alternatives to trans fat and palm oil, the latter are nevertheless used due to their cheapness. Palm oil can even hide behind aliases like “vegetable oil” and “stearate.” Secondly, such widespread use of palm oil is environmentally unsustainable. Palm oil plantations infringe upon Malaysian and Indonesian rainforests, and they therefore disturb the habitats of endangered species like tigers, rhinos, elephants, and (perhaps the most well-known species threatened by palm oil production) orangutans. Palm oil has infiltrated more than just the food on our plates. It is found in biofuel (which may have a worse impact on climate than fossil fuels), detergent, lipstick, and more. Use this resource to find out more about which products contain palm oil and why. So, what can we do? Avoiding palm oil entirely is nearly impossible, but since I learned about the terrible effects of palm oil production and consumption, I have made an effort to compare products and choose ones that do not contain the oil whenever possible. Products using certified sustainable palm oil are labeled with the RSPO label, and the Green Palm label indicates that some profit from the product will benefit the transition to sustainable palm oil production. Perhaps one of the best things to do is simply raise awareness about the unsustainability of palm oil; you can even write to companies asking them to move away from the use of palm oil or to source it from reliable and sustainable plantations. I won’t lie: I’m still going to have an Oreo here and there. For the most part, though, I am doing my best to be aware of and limit how much palm oil I consume, and I encourage you to do the same! Living an eco-friendly life does not have to be a difficult ordeal. Much of what it means to be “eco-friendly” boils down to the basics: what we use to store our food, where we buy our food, how we clean our dishes, how we clean our mouths, etc. Here are five simple things you can do in your kitchen to shape it into an oasis of eco-friendly activity and energy.
1. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins or paper towels. My family made the switch from cloth to paper on my birthday last November, and what a painless transition it has been! No longer are we buying giant packages of napkins from Sam’s, depleting our supply in only a few months, and beginning the cycle once more. Now, we use a set of reusable cloth napkins that we wash once a week. Ultimately, this saves money, reduces waste, and even significantly improves the presentation of our food (consequently improving its taste)! 2. Compost! The hardest part about composting is initially setting up your compost pile, but after that, it is so simple! Between 20 and 30 percent of American garbage is made up of compostable material...this material would be put to much better use in your garden, and taking compostable material out of landfills reduces methane emissions. Find out more here. 3. Store your food in reusable containers...NOT Ziplocs! Investing in a hardy set of glass containers is your best alternative here. Reheating plastic containers in the microwave and freezing them is a little shady, but glass is safe and reliable. When I imagine the amount of Ziploc bags my family used to go through, I am amazed. We went through Ziploc baggies like we went through paper napkins! If you ever do need to use Ziploc bags (for instance, I have not found a better alternative for transporting food when I backpack, and my mom uses them to give bread away to other people), try to save them and reuse them in the future. 4. Use your dishwasher whenever possible. As long as you have a full load of dishes, using your dishwasher instead of hand washing your dishes will save both energy and water. It even saves soap! 5. Stock your refrigerator with food from local farmers’ markets, or grow your own food in a garden. My goal this spring is to visit a farmer’s market at least once every two weeks. 99% of the food modern Americans consume is sourced from large-scale factory farms...not the picturesque farms with cute barns and happy animals that cartons and packages still advertise. Buying your food at farmers’ markets supports local commerce, reduces your carbon footprint, and encourages diversity in our food. While many factory farms emit massive amounts of greenhouse gases and improperly dispose of waste, small, local farms are generally more eco-friendly. Additionally, when you shop at farmers’ markets, you support food diversity. Biologists estimate that only 103 crops make up 90% of the global diet. If the two or three varieties of tomatoes commonly found at supermarkets were wiped out by disease, we would finally appreciate the vast array of tomatoes sold at farmers’ markets! What is more, it is fun and delicious to taste all of these different varieties! I hope you take a few of these tips into consideration next time you enter your kitchen to cook up a delicious meal. Feel free to share any additional tips that come to mind in the comments below! |
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