We're lucky to live in a very walk-able neighborhood, which is also just gorgeous to look at right now. Everything's blooming. Our street in particular looks like an extravagantly decorated cake.
Last week our much-awaited neighborhood grocery store opened. We've been watching the construction since we moved here about 8 months ago. Now we have fresh produce, a great deli counter, and most of what we need to throw dinner together (which is all I do, in the cooking department) 7 minutes away. It's really hard to justify driving anywhere else, except maybe for paper goods.
Yesterday my son and I were on the way home with our dinner ingredients and I realized: these people are running a grocery store without a parking lot, on a street where there is NO PARKING. And the place has been doing steady, enthusiastic business since the minute they unlocked the door. It makes me feel good about my neighbors all over again.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
How far did your breakfast travel?
There's much discussion these days about the 3,000-mile salad. How much fuel was used, and how many greenhouse gases were generated, to get our food from point A, where it was grown, to point B, where we sat down and ate it?
In the steady stream of articles, blogs, and books by and about eating locally and in season, one stands out. I'm reading and enjoying "Plenty" by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, who also published "The 100-mile diet."
James and Alisa live in an apartment in Vancouver, BC, and I've found their year of eating locally (described in "Plenty") to be a fascinating journey in research, cooking, spiritual and relationship growth.
This morning I used Google maps to find out what falls within MY 100-mile circle. I started making my own map, saving my discoveries as I go. I'm ok on fruits and vegetables, thanks to the many berry farms, apple orchards, and small organic vegetable farms in the surrounding area. We have great farmers' markets (in fact, within walking distance, or an bus ride, I have one on Wednesday, one on Saturday, and one on Sunday, each in a different neighborhood, not to mention the great-grandmama of them all: the Pike Place Market.
And there are several dairies within my 100 miles, so cheese, milk and yogurt are not a problem. A couple of them are well-known for standing their ground and refusing to feed hormones to their cows. So we'll know what we're drinking.
It gets touchier in the grain department. Wheat might be an issue (it was a big issue for Alisa and James), and requires deeper research. What about corn? beans? soybeans for my soymilk? And forget coffee. (oh no!) What about tea? Who knows. There are packagers of tea in the northwest but I have no idea where their tea comes from in the first place.
Draw your own circle on a map and see what you find! You can use Google maps and create your own map, pinpointing and saving the farms, orchards, markets, dairies, you find. Or get a paper map, a compass & pencil and draw a circle the old fashioned way. Then start exploring.
By the way, Alisa and James are on a book tour. I highly recommend meeting them and reading their book.
In the steady stream of articles, blogs, and books by and about eating locally and in season, one stands out. I'm reading and enjoying "Plenty" by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, who also published "The 100-mile diet."
James and Alisa live in an apartment in Vancouver, BC, and I've found their year of eating locally (described in "Plenty") to be a fascinating journey in research, cooking, spiritual and relationship growth.
This morning I used Google maps to find out what falls within MY 100-mile circle. I started making my own map, saving my discoveries as I go. I'm ok on fruits and vegetables, thanks to the many berry farms, apple orchards, and small organic vegetable farms in the surrounding area. We have great farmers' markets (in fact, within walking distance, or an bus ride, I have one on Wednesday, one on Saturday, and one on Sunday, each in a different neighborhood, not to mention the great-grandmama of them all: the Pike Place Market.
And there are several dairies within my 100 miles, so cheese, milk and yogurt are not a problem. A couple of them are well-known for standing their ground and refusing to feed hormones to their cows. So we'll know what we're drinking.
It gets touchier in the grain department. Wheat might be an issue (it was a big issue for Alisa and James), and requires deeper research. What about corn? beans? soybeans for my soymilk? And forget coffee. (oh no!) What about tea? Who knows. There are packagers of tea in the northwest but I have no idea where their tea comes from in the first place.
Draw your own circle on a map and see what you find! You can use Google maps and create your own map, pinpointing and saving the farms, orchards, markets, dairies, you find. Or get a paper map, a compass & pencil and draw a circle the old fashioned way. Then start exploring.
By the way, Alisa and James are on a book tour. I highly recommend meeting them and reading their book.
Monday, April 30, 2007
FREE HUGS!
No Impact Man shared this video this morning and I want to pass it on. It's worth watching and worth sharing!
Read more about the amazing Free Hugs movement -- and watch some pretty amazing videos -- at Free Hugs.
(music in the video is by Sick Puppies - album out April3)
Monday, April 16, 2007
3308 and counting...
As of today there have been 3308 U.S. military fatalities in Iraq, a number confirmed by the Department of Defense. It's been hard to get my head around that number. Then someone helped me.
On Saturday afternoon, we were on our usual stroll with the Very Large Dog, when we came upon this sight:
This display was installed at Green Lake Park by a non-partisan group called Arlington Northwest Memorial. There's a marker for every service-person who has died to date, with their name, age, and in many cases, how they were killed. It is enough to stop you in your tracks. It certainly stopped me. People were wandering respectfully in and out of the "cemetery" which went on around a sweeping curve, literally as far as our eyes could see.
I just pray that we won't see an even bigger display next year...
On Saturday afternoon, we were on our usual stroll with the Very Large Dog, when we came upon this sight:
This display was installed at Green Lake Park by a non-partisan group called Arlington Northwest Memorial. There's a marker for every service-person who has died to date, with their name, age, and in many cases, how they were killed. It is enough to stop you in your tracks. It certainly stopped me. People were wandering respectfully in and out of the "cemetery" which went on around a sweeping curve, literally as far as our eyes could see.
I just pray that we won't see an even bigger display next year...
Friday, April 13, 2007
Step it Up! Rallying everywhere
If you are concerned about global warming - climate change - climate crisis - Saturday is a day you can make your voice heard. Check out the Seattle-area website for Step It Up! Seattle". For those of you not in the Emerald City area, you can find a rally or event in your area by clicking here Step It Up!
I've been reading about what different groups are planning, and my favorite event so far is in NYC, where people dressed in blue (for water) are going to stand in a line marking where the water level will be if the ice caps continue to melt... There's a map. It's not a pretty sight.
Show up!
I've been reading about what different groups are planning, and my favorite event so far is in NYC, where people dressed in blue (for water) are going to stand in a line marking where the water level will be if the ice caps continue to melt... There's a map. It's not a pretty sight.
Show up!
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