creative project: maps, maps, maps

Here are my maps for the final project. I chose 10 random (yet regular) food items from our cafeteria (baby lima beans, Barber's milk, chicken tenders, Frito Lay potato chips, green beans, Heinz marinara sauce, honey mustard, Juicy Juice, Nestle water, and canned pineapple), and mapped a minimum distance which they traveled to get to our cafeteria (thanks to google maps, Mrs. Melissa, and a bit of research).

Some foods could be traced farther back (for example, I could trace the tomatoes in the Heinz marinara all the way back to plant and seed), while others I couldn't get information on past a certain point in shipping (like the honey mustard).
Let it be noted that all of our food from the cafeteria (excluding what occasionally comes out of our garden) comes through Sysco Food Services of Central Alabama, located in Calera. That adds an automatic 30 miles to everything coming through our doors (which seems like a miniscule amount compared to the hundreds/thousands of minimum miles most foods traveled).

I was suprised to find that the chicken tenders are local- although I admit I couldn't figure out where they had been breaded (hopefully in the same plant?). Barber's is a local milk company. All the rest were from out of state, the farthest being (not suprisingly) the pineapple- which I lost track of at its shipping port in Singapore (a mere 9,520 miles away).

so here they are (you can't read the text, so added it above):

Baby Lima Beans- 1149 miles

Barber's Milk-57 miles

Chicken Tenders- 135 miles

Frito Lay potato chips-1,877 miles

Green Beans- 1,055 miles

Heinz marinara- 3,428 miles

Honey mustard- 1,218 miles

Juicy Juice- 2,085 miles

Nestle water- 1,058 miles

Canned (port royale) pineapples- 9,520 miles (the dotted line is to Singapore)

The results are, at a basic level, incomparable because not all of the foods could be traced to their origin, ingredient for ingredient (e.g. the multiple ingredients in marinara, honey mustard, and canned produce). But, as an image of base-line transportation, I think the maps can be informative.

...Hope you find them interesting!

what produce was from the Netherlands? an interactive food game

The food and water watch may be a LITTLE anti-imported food (understatement- e.g."learn about the hidden dangers your imported produce might contain"), but they did make this interesting tool/game tracking imported foods in the average american's shopping cart.
You look through a grocery store and select the foods you would normally buy (canned, frozen, fresh)- like canned peaches, frozen spinach, and onions... and add them to your shopping cart. For each food you select, it gives you the odds that product was imported, percent increases of exports of that product from 1993-2007, and top exporters of that product to the U.S.
I "shopped" for 10 pieces of produce I would normally/feasibly buy in the store (apples, avacados, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, lemons, oranges, pears) and ended up with a 98.9% percent chance of buying imported food, an average of 47 lbs. of these imported foods my house buys annually (I'm not sure how they got that statistic), and 13 possible countries of origin (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Netherlands[?? woah], New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain).

try it out!

"sweet surprise"

Corn syrup, corn syrup...
this website displays the Corn Refiner's Association's 20-30 million dollar campaign trying "to dispel myths and correct inaccuracies associated with this versatile sweetener and highlight the important role high fructose corn syrup plays in our nation’s foods and beverages."

The site is really trying to push LOGOS and ETHOS- lots of scientifically backed, recognizable and creditable sources... but I find their advertising campaign hilarious (with a touch of rediculous on the side). Check out the video and magazine ads, the little "quizzes" (“which of the following sweeteners is considered a natural food ingredient: HFCS, honey, sugar, or all of the above”), the slogans...


.... also interesting to note:

from the CRA's website-
"Why did food and beverage manufacturers switch from sugar to high fructose corn syrup to sweeten products?
High fructose corn syrup has gained a prominent position in the U.S. food industry for many reasons: it is stable in acid systems…it inhibits microbial spoilage…it helps canned foods taste fresher…it is easy to transport and incorporate into recipes"


and the lovely wikipedia:
"The preference for high-fructose corn syrup over cane sugar among the vast majority of American food and beverage manufacturers is largely due to U.S. import quotas and tariffs on sugar. These tariffs significantly increase the domestic U.S. price for sugar, forcing Americans to pay more than twice the world price for sugar, thus making high-fructose corn syrup an attractive substitute in U.S. markets."

Hooray Bibb County!

It seems as if the "hunger" for local, fresh produce has expanded to the depths of Bibb County.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, along with a handful of growers and farmers, are planning to set up a farmers market this summer supporting local farmers by selling tasty peaches, beans, corn, zucchini, and other fruits/vegetables to Bibb county residents (and I guess whoever else stops by!)... Even a certified organic farmer is on the list- with herbs, fruit, and vegetables (and maybe cut flowers?)! I thought I would never see the day when local organic produce was readily available in the backcountries of Alabama... (yay!)
If my memory is correct, they are going to hold the market at the BC Chamber of Commerce? or somewhere in Centreville...
I saw this first in the Centreville Press, but here's a seperate link to an article mentioning it.

I'm also doing an internship with Jones Valley Urban Farm all summer, which includes some Saturdays selling produce at the Pepper Place farmer's market! Not to mention some quality physical labor in the hot sun through the week. (my idea of a good time!)
So- this summer, I'm going to be eating like a queen.


(if queens like fresh black-eye peas).

food vs. fuel, number two?

since we've been talking about sources of fuel across the country and different environments which support the various renewable energies, I thought I might add a fuel source that works in virtually any environment that could be utilized in every region...

you don't need fancy equipment, cellulosic converters or large amounts of space to produce it. It doesn't even require much time or labor- unless you count tossing your food scraps into a seperate container and occasionally aerating the soil "work".

We're talking compost. It's simple, it's a free source of plant nutrients for those front bushes at your house, your indoor houseplant, or even for a gardening friend or compost collector (some farms are willing to take donated compost to grow their crops). It can significantly decrease your tossed waste... and works anywhere that food is produced!

while we're at it, why not take a look at making actual fuel from food scraps?

This article adresses a process some Vermont farmers are already using, where anaerobic composting is used to produce methane gas, which can be burned (and still leaves the compost usable). These farmers tend to use cow manure, which has a lower energy value than food scraps; working a combination of these two compostable sources of energy may create a better source of fuel... although this process may not provide the bang for its buck in rural areas, it could be a way for more urban farms to follow a "zero-waste strategy".

a simple alteration

It's all the rage to have a "reusable," "earth-friendly", canvas or recycled plastic bag these days to use for groceries, library books, and anything you might need a disposable bag for.
I happen to have a few that I take to the grocery store. But it struck me when I last used them that nearly everything was wrapped in plastic- the bag of apples, carrots, the nuts, the bread, and all the produce, which I seperate into smaller plastic bags to weigh before plopping them into the grocery cart...
I throw away wads of these produce bags- normally, I tear into them instead of untying the knot, meaning they can't be used again... but if I saved a few that I just put back into the reusable bags each time I visit, I would be saving a LOT of excess plastic.
.. I have also found that if you fold the bags up (really, it could be any thin plastic) long-wise, and then cut them into strips and knot them together, you can make a "fiber"- a long thread of plastic that can be wound into a ball... It gives me my own way to recycle the material- and for all those who know any fiber art (think crochet/knitting), you've got free source of yarn that's not getting tossed into the dumpster.
here's a blog that shows the process I'm talking about.

food vs. fuel

here's an interesting comparison chart relevant to our recent discussions in class:

We've been talking about various renewable sources of energy, which brings up the food vs. fuel debate.

at what point does growing food for biomass (biofuels) take away from growing food for people who can't get enough (the homeless/hungry in our own country as well as third-world countries without sustainable food production)?

Here's a PDF from the institute for agriculture and trade policy about the production of ethanol and the issue of aggravating hunger/poverty. It claims that the US production of biofuels will NOT further hunger/poverty... while this article seems to feel the benefit of this technology is debatable.
I think that the production of biofuels have the potential to work, but currently the process is unsustainable. In the next few years, however, I sense an onslaught of technology for alterative energy sources... But clearing miles and miles of excess land to grow ethanol (the current amount of US crop land, as seen in the chart, isn't even close to meeting half our energy needs) is simply adding onto the problem..

time for a little congressional action (HR 875)

I recently recieved a spammish, fowarded email about "a bill to outlaw organic farming".
really, now? I couldn't help but do some research on something that seemed so absurd. Ignoring the fact that I support organic/local/small-scale farming, doing something so radical would spur negative media attention (especially now that "green living" is on most American's to-do lists) .

so, here goes...

The U.S. House and Senate are about to vote on a bill called the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. Among other things, it claims to want to increase food safety by creating a "Food Safety Administration", and establishing rules rules rules for the creation, processing, and distribution of food.
Instead of summarizing the whole thing, I'll mention a couple of things that caught my eye.


In section 3, it defines "FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term ‘food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation". Following this vague definition, any food production facility could include someone's backyard garden as well as small farmers and larger corperations. This would mean that anyone who grew their own food would need to register and pay fees (Sec. 202. a. In General- Any food establishment or foreign food establishment engaged in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding food for consumption in the United States shall register annually with the Administrator.) hmmm...

It goes on and on about hazards, safety, contamination... and then I find in one little section in 206.c.3. regulations which "include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water".... Woah, wait a minute! I can logically understand the hygiene, animal encroachment, everything but minimum standards for fertilizer... A few immediate consequences pop into mind- more Nitrates, for example, pumping into waterways, affecting the health of ecosystems and having the potential to affect human health. This seems contradictory when they define "CONTAMINANT- The term ‘contaminant’ includes a bacterium, chemical, natural toxin or manufactured toxicant, virus, parasite, prion, physical hazard, or other human pathogen that when found on or in food can cause human illness, injury, or death" and "HAZARDOUS CONTAMINATION- The term ‘hazardous contamination’ refers to the presence of a contaminant in food at levels that pose a risk of human illness, injury, or death or are capable of reaching levels that pose such risk during the shelf life of the product". Although it is much more difficult to pose a threat to human health through excessive fertilizer use, the environment recieves a much greater impact.... WHY is a hazardous material one which only damages HUMAN health? One farm's run-off could kill off an entire river ecosystem without being "hazardous"...

seems to be like this bill benefits to large-scale coorperations the greatest- who have a much easier time paying fees, recieving inspections, using mass-produced cleaners, pesticides, etc. which have been dictated for use... I like a good bit of this bill, but I can't ignore some of these "slips"- amendments, anyone?
check out this website, which allows you to follow a bill through congress, comment on specific sections, and read what other people have to say about it.
oh. and interested? try contacting congressman Spencer Bachus (local office number 969-2296 and Washington office number 202-225-4921). or senator Jeff Sessions at 202-224-4124 and senator Richard C. Shelby at 202-224-5744.

Final Project Precis

I would like to find some of the staples of the lunch food program here at ASFA (I'm thinking like canned vegetables? frozen chicken fingers? and the like) and trace where they came from and where they were packaged.
Once I have compiled the information, I would like to create something accessible to the student body displaying the information, like a big print-out map from the plotter printer that I could hang in the lunchroom, showing all the different places food came from, even statisctics like number of workers used or energy needed to transport the food (I guess that all depends on how much I can get done)...
And this is assuming I can get the lunch ladies to let me back there and get some info on the food... I'm not really sure of the best way or time to get that info? But, assuming I can, then I think my project will work out the rest of the kinks on the way.

ronald mcdonald house

A few hours ago, I got home after volunteering to help paint pictures with kids at the Ronald McDonald House.
Never having been there before, I was astonished to see what a beautiful building it was- and even more astonished to learn that all the materials had been donated...
For the first time in a good while, I sent a little bit of mental respect to Mickey D's for its efforts in developing and maintaining this organization.
..I don't think I'll be trying to buy a whopper anytime soon. But the house really does some great things for families who's children are in the hospital, and who are having a rough time with money (draining out for their child, and none coming in from work- which leaves hardly any to rent an apartment or hotel nearby the hospital).
I will, however, remember to drop my quarters in the clear boxes at most McDonald's fast food joints. It was nice to paint with some of the kids who deserve a good place to stay, and a little bit of fun, with their stressed families...

monsanto pt 3: buying seed companies (the end trail of a rant)

corporate control of seeds.
I find it intimidating... My bias is strong against the company, but I don't like their vision, and I certainly don't want it to become a reality.
Monsanto owns about 90% of all GM crops grown on the world, is a world leader in biotechnology, and is buying out seed companies across the globe. They are producing "Terminator" (suicide) seeds, from which the seeds will not reproduce-meaning a farmer wishing to reproduce these crops must buy Monsanto's seeds year after year. This company is quite interwoven with the FDA, with workers moving to-and-from the company and government agency (such as Michael Taylor, who moved to the FDA in 1991- who's previous law clients were Monsanto and the International Food Biotechnology Council- and founded a policy on GM regulation). And this is also the cooperation which has been charged with false advertising multiple times and data suppression (e.g. false claims of Round-up being biodegradable in New York [1996] and France, just a few years ago. In fact, tests done by Monsanto showed that only 2% of the herbicide had degraded in 28 days... not to mention iffy testing on the long-term effects of its products). GMO's are not labeled, in the US; the FDA considers a GMO to be substancially equivalent as conventional crops, and are "generallly recognized as safe", including rBGH (banned in Europe and Canada).

I could go on for quite a while on this... GMO Crops do not have to be "bad"! But I dont want anything to do with this company, and the two are unexplicably entertwined. GMO Crops and non-GMO crops have not been proven to be "identical", and I do not like Monsanto's secrecy regarding research on the effects/differences between the two.

monsanto pt 2: round-up ready crops

Round-up Ready crops are crops genetically engineered to withstand Monsanto's herbicide glyphosate , which can be applied to farmland to kill all weeds which would otherwise interfere with crop growth. The herbicide is strong enough it will kill most plant life (including the crops, had they not been engineered to be resistant). Round-up Ready crops include everything from soy, corn, wheat, sugarbeets, canola, rice, and others.

The herbicide and crop duo works quite well to control weeds. However, these crops are nearly dependent on the herbicide to grow properly- round-up ready soy uses about 2-5 times more herbicides than non-GM crops. Farmers who use round-up primarily use a no-till system- meaning that tilling practices are not used to control weeds; they depend entirely on the herbicide to do the dirty work.

Let's gloss over the adverse effects of pumping glyphosate into a local environment and watersystem (which researchers at the Institute of Biology in Caen, France, claim to have highly toxic effects to human cells- at much lower levels than the amount actually recommended as agricultural use levels).

what happens when natural processes stumble into the mix, or better yet, when companies try to bill for these processes? Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian farmer, had his canola crops cross-contaminated with the genetically engineered Monsanto canola from a farm nearby. Monsanto then insisted that he pay their Technology Fee... and also sued him (along with other small farmers such as Rodney Nelson) on patent infringement.
Besides the fact that it is ridiculous to sue farmers for using seeds which they did not plant (and may not even want in their fields), it is a little disturbing to think how easily these round-up ready crops can spread- off of transportation vehicles, through wind and weather, and even through wildlife/pollination. GM crops are popping up in random places- in gas stations, parking lots, and roadsides...

I can't help it... monsanto pt 1

We've been focusing on the benefits of genetically modified crops in class. There are many possible uses for such a agricultural/technical development, ones which we have said have the potential to "reduce world hunger" and perhaps absorb toxins from city air pollution or grow using less water.

I am not concerned with these possibilities (some of which are tantalyzing and exciting to imagine); it is the industrial and commercial control over these crops which bothers me. Very strange things start to happen when corperations try to gain control over food systems.

Lets take a look at Monsanto, a leader in GM crops/biotechnology/chemical production. They started out in 1901 as Monsanto Chemical Works in Missouri developing saccharin (an artificial sweetener), and have since produced things like styrene (synthetic rubber), Agent Orange, Astro Turf, vanillin, acryllic fiber and Nutrasweet (aspartame). They moved into agriculture in the late 60's with the production of herbicides, and in 1990 purchased a biotech firm- starting their development of genetically modification.

in 2000, they merged with Pharmacia Corperation, and then broke off completely to become its own agricultural company in 2002.

Now, the company claims to "apply innovation and technology to help farmers around the world produce more while conserving more. We help farmers grow yield sustainably so they can be successful, produce healthier foods, better animal feeds and more fiber, while also reducing agriculture's impact on our environment." (Lots of ethos, seemingly plenty logos. Sounds like a great company, right?)

Replate

Who can guess what percentage of perfectly good food goes to waste in the United States?
Come on, give it your best shot....

If you said roughly half (40-50%), then you're right on, according to researchers at the University of Arizona. That's $590 per year of money wasted on food in an average family of four. Nationwide, that's 43 billion.
per year.
Oh, and did I mention these statistics are from an article written in 2004?

So what's an over-consumptive society to do?
One group of individuals in San Fransisco, CA, came up with a simple response. They noticed unwanted leftovers being left next to garbage cans when people couldn't find someone to give them away to. Now, the group has made it into a movement, coining the term "replate- to place unwanted leftovers, typically in a doggie bag, on top of the nearest trash can so they don't go to waste". Its more sanitary and accessible for the homeless or hungry than digging inside dumpsters for food- and it actually puts what you don't want to use.
Although San Fransisco is a much larger city with more homeless people than Birmingham, it would be an interesting thing to see pop up downtown. All you have to do is spread the word.
http://www.replate.org/

US Dietary Guidelines and advertising: balanced?

Michael Pollan, author and contributor to the New York Times, has written an exceptional article on the modern dilemma of "healthy eating" titled Unhappy Meals (found at http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=87) .
He sums up the entire article in the first line: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." The development of food processing industries, supermarkets, advertising, "diet craves," vitamins/isolated nutrients, and journalism surrounding the modern food industry are addressed in a surprisingly smooth read. (Things like wars between food industries [meat or dairy] and U.S. dietary guidelines have established a fragile balance between health logic and company advertising)... It's really worth a glance, and an interesting tie-in to our class discussions on both obesity/nutrition and food industry advertising.

We bless our houses

"This Blessed House" simply yet strikingly displays the different ways people receive experiences based not only on culture, but on physical and emotional standpoints. Twinkle "shines" with a freedom and openness associated in the story with childhood. Sanjeev, so preoccupied with his coworker's opinions, is submissive to the unrealistic fears which he creates. It seems as if the reader is automatically pressed to favor the "dazzler" over the out-dazzled; Twinkle is obviously more successful... It is her light-hearted nature and approach to life (new experiences with friends and objects) which is highly attractive to most people, and what ultimately frustrates Sanjeev.
Lahiri is extraordinarily good at drawing her readers in through Pathos- I got exceptional mental imagery throughout the reading, and the characters' experiences were very easy to partake in... Her attention to detail and expressive writing drew me in to the last word. and I found her experiences creditable (Ethos) through her own experiences of a culture unfamiliar to me. Even with low levels of logos, it was a strong "argument"- I enjoyed it!

play+ground-obesity x (mulch -scabbed knees) + a little bit of magic = ...

Some volunteers, a little fundraising, logistical planning (and the help of the internet) can give a community a colorful, twisted make-over. Just add recycled plastic, rubber surfacing and some wood mulch!

Well, it's not quite that easy...(but it's close!)

KaBOOM, a U.S. non-profit, has been helping communities (school, town, etc.) build playgrounds for kids- safe places where they can have unstructured activity to develop their physical and social health. Their website, http://kaboom.org, has extremely useful tools for any community to get started on their own project, with pages devoted to multiple free playground plans, step-by-step guides through the process of organizing fundraisers and construction days, as well as help forums for people to share questions, ideas, and solutions created in the process. Oh, and everything inbetween.
This is a great way to bring any school or neighborhood closer together. And, its just plain fun! Check them out if you know of an area that might benefit, or just want to search for the nearest playground...

Kids and vitamins?

One study, posted in a Wall Street Journal article, claims that one-third of U.S. children take vitamins regularly. However, this third is also found to be less likely to "need" them; physical activity, good eating habits, and low computer/television use all tend to be habits that go along with the habit of taking supplements.
This seems ridiculous to me: of course children born into families who are more concerned (and have to capacity to be concerned) with their child's health are more likely to give them vitamins, to "make them healthier/keep them healthy". Families who can't afford vitamins are more likely to not be able to afford expensive, "more healthful" foods for their families; health education is going to fall pretty low on the list of priorities, one of which might be "how am I going to get food on the table tonight?"
With this in mind, vitamins aren't, in my opinion, going to solve an unbalanced diet in either situation; learning how to deal with food and make smart choices will. Easily-accessible programs teaching kids to move around, have unstructured play, and eat well instead of sitting in front of the television all day would be most beneficial...
http://www.newsweek.com/id/183066

Logos, Pathos, Ethos, anyone?

Advertising is an extraordinary field, one associated with both persuation and deception. It seems that companies continue to find enticing, irresistable ways of displaying their products (anywhere from photoshopped perfection to "call now for only four monthly payments of 19.95"). It is easy to blame corperations, and not our own gullability, for our responses to these alluring deals.
But who wouldn't want to point fingers at advertising schemes like this?
According to the Dallas News, an increasing number of ads at the mall or superstore have cameras installed in them, with tracking software that can determine sex, age, gender, and sometimes race. This information is used by advertising companies to determine which audiences (teenage boys, adult white females) respond to specific ads- letting them know if they are reaching their target audience or not. This may help develop software that will change advertising to specific audiences, "So a video screen might show a motorcycle ad for a group of men, but switch to a minivan ad when women and children join them, said Vicki Rabenou, the chief measurement officer of Tampa, Fla.-based TruMedia Technologies Inc." Fascinating technology, and definately an ultimate form of persuation.
check out the article:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/ptech/stories/013109dnbusAds.19809d0.html