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Winter - an exciting season for those interested in environmental matters
Reduce Water Heating Cost and Energy Usage
· Washing your hands with cold water will kill just as many germs as hot water – it’s the scrubbing that’s important, not the temperature of the water.
· Wash your clothes in cold water or at least warm water instead of hot – clothes will last longer and will be just as clean.
· Every 10-degree drop in water temperature saves 3 to 5% on water heating cost. Plus gallons of water are wasted while you're waiting for it to warm up.
How Green Are You Living?
Play American Public Media’s “Consumer Consequences” game on-line at http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/
It will ask you a series of questions about your lifestyle and then show you how many “Earths” of natural resources it would take to sustain all 6.6 billion humans – if they all lived like you. It only takes a few minutes and is fun for the whole family to play and get some ideas for making your footprint a little smaller.
OUR GREEN ROOF STORMWATER PROJECT
The many spring rains have served our Green Roof well. Coverage of sedum plants has more than doubled since the fall and , now, most of our roof is in bloom with butterflies and bees busily pollinating the plants.
Except for resetting the watering system and pulling weeds off the roof, most of our attention has been focused on preparing the soil and planting in and around the detention pond with native wetland plants that tolerate wet and dry conditions. EarthCare volunteers recently helped with this work and include: Amit Maitre, Barbara Miller, Barbara van der Vate, Richard Keller, Don Brady, Greg Robinson, Karen Hodgens, Pete Clifford and Anita and Rick Hartley.
Our detention pond, or sponge garden, captures what water that drains from the Green Roof and our 5 acre property, filters the water using the native plant roots, and delays any downstream storm surge which decreases erosion and nutrient runoff in our watershed, and eventually effecting the Chesapeake Bay.
We are also working on the final phase of this project which is to create our grounds as a demonstration site for individuals, churches and local businesses to observe practical effective environmental care of the Earth. Signs will identify individual native plants and explain various ecological practices that are demonstrated on the property and a map/brochure created will provide a self guided walking tour with explanations of the ecology.
Also, to our good fortune, we have another one of Diana and Doug Pinkham’s sons, first David and now Kyle, elect to earn his Eagle Scout status by completing this demonstration phase of the Unity Stormwater Management Project.
As we keep moving forward, in God’s time, we look to the end of 2009 when this Unity project will be completed and we can, as a community, celebrate its’ success.
Kyle Pinkham takes on Green Campus Project to earn Eagle Scout Award.
Mildred Park Center Green Roof - Summer 2009 - 3 photos
Busy Volunteers on Spring Beautification Day, April 18, 2009
FARMER’S’ MARKETS – WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?
Farmer’s’ markets were very common during the 19th century, but decreased when refrigeration and transportation systems made it possible to ship produce long distances. We have seen a revival of Farmer’s’ markets as educated and health conscious consumers want the freshest and safest produce possible. Statistics from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that the number of Farmer’s’ markets in the United States has grown from 1,755 in 1994 to 4,685 in 2008. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service maintains a listing of all the Farmer’s markets at their website, http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets or through their hotline, 1-800-384-8704.
- Benefits of Farmer’s’ Markets
The fruits and vegetables are grown locally and picked when perfectly ripened. This enhances the taste, texture, and aroma of the produce so that consumers can experience what non-processed food tastes like.
- The produce is fresh and has more nutritive value.
- Our existing system of food transportation and distribution requires enormous amounts of energy and resources. Before reaching your table, the average food item in the United States will travel 1300miles! In fact, only about 10% of the fossil fuel energy used in the world’s food system is used for production. The other 90% goes into packaging, transportation, and marketing of the food. All this inefficiency creates many environmental problems.
- Environmentally preserves the farmland and rewards family Farmer’s who produce high-quality fresh products.
- Animates public spaces and renews downtown neighborhoods.
- Provides a chance for both Farmer’s and buyers to interact. Farmer’s can talk to their customers and get feedback on their produce. When customers buy at a grocery store, they’re not sure if the produce is 1 or 3 weeks old. They don’t know who grew it, where it came from or what’s in it. At a Farmer’s market, they can ask Farmer’s how they grew it, if they used chemicals, etc. The result is improved food safety.
Farmer’s Market Nutritive Program (FMNP) (Please read – Someone you know may qualify.)
Congress established the FMNP in 1992 to provide fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which is a federal assistance program for healthcare and nutrition of low-income women and children. In 2001, it was expanded to include low-income seniors. Eligible seniors or WIC participants are issued vouchers to purchase fruits and vegetables from Farmer’s who have been approved to accept them. The Farmer’s deposit them in the bank, the same as cash. It benefits seniors, women and children by giving them access to the nutritional benefits of fresh, locally-produced agricultural products. It also benefits Farmer’s by increasing their direct sales.
Fairfax County Farmer’s’ Markets
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/farm-mkt.htm
- Annandale Farmer’s Market
Mason District Park
6621 Columbia Pike
Thursdays 8am to 12noon
5671 Roberts Pkwy.
Saturdays 8am to 12noon
- Frying Pan Park Farmer’s Market
2709 West Ox Road, Herndon
Wednesdays 8am to 12:30pm
777 Lynn St, Herndon
Thursdays 8am to 12noon
- Kingstown Farmer’s Market
Kingstowne Towne Center
Fridays 4 to 7pm
8990 Lorton Station Blvd.
Sundays 9am to 1pm
1659 Chain Bridge Rd.
Fridays 8:30am to 12:30pm
- Mount Vernon Farmer’s Market
2501 Sherwood Hall Lane
Tuesdays 8am to 12noon
Lake Anne Village Center
Saturdays 8am to 12noon
- Smart Markets at Fairfax Corner
The Plaza, 11901 Grand Commons Ave
Tuesdays 3 to 6:30pm
- Smart Markets at Fair Lakes Whole Foods
4501 Market Commons Dr.
Wednesdays 8am to 1pm
- Smart Markets Unitarian Universalist Congregation
2709 Hunter Mill Rd.
Saturdays 9am to 1pm
Market and Explorer Sts.
Thursdays 3:30 to 6:30pm
- Smart Markets at Trinity Center
5875 Trinity Pkwy. Centerville
Fridays 3:30 to 6:30pm
Oak Marr Recreation Center
Wednesdays 8am to 12noon
- Vienna Saturday Farmer’s Market
Church Street and Dominion Road NE
Saturdays 8am to 12noon
- Wakefield Farmer’s Market
8100 Braddock Rd. Wakefield Park
Wednesdays 2 to 6pm
- Falls Church Farmer’s Market
300 Park Ave.
Saturdays 8am to 12noon
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
(Custom ordering your produce from a local farmer)
Several biodynamic gardeners brought the idea of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to North America in the mid-1980s. It has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. The farmers and consumers provide mutual support and share the risks and benefits of food production. The farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. The share usually consists of a box or bag of vegetables, along with other farm products at times. Interested consumers purchase a share and in return receive a box or bag of seasonal produce each week during the farming season.
The advantages for the consumer:
- Eating fresh food, with all the flavor and nutrition benefits
- Learning about new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- Visiting the farm at least once a season
- Developing a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn about how food is grown
- Discovering that children typically favor food from “their” farm, including veggies that they’ve never been known to eat
- Reconnecting with rhythms of nature by eating produce when it is in season.
- Reuniting with the Earth and a community and discovering a kind of spiritual nourishment.
The advantages for the farmer:
- Being able to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
- Receiving payment early in the season, which helps the farm’s cash flow
- Getting to know the people who eat the food they grow
- Shared risk – the consumer accepts without complaint whatever the farm can produce, which creates a sense of community among members.
CSA is not about cheap food, which is usually not nourishing or grown with care for the environment. CSA is about each of us being responsible.
The Earth is a living being and the actions of every individual have an effect on the whole. The soil is the basis of all human life. The quality of its care and health affect not only the people who eat the food today, but those who will depend on the soil in the future. Although less than 1% of our population is in farming, it is in the consumer’s best interest to support farmers so they can grow the highest quality, most nutritious food while preserving the quality of the environment and the soil.
Modern biodynamic gardening, which led to the CSA concept, is a combination of two European agricultural methods that were developed during the 18th and 19th centuries.
- The first was French intensive farming using glass domes as miniature green houses to lengthen the growing season. Also, planting crops very close to one another to prevent weeds and water evaporation and using organic fertilizer, like horse manure.
- The second was Austrian, Rudolph Steiner, who pushed organic fertilizers and planting of nitrogen fixing plants to prevent soil depletion. He promoted companion planting or planting certain plants next to each other because they were mutually beneficial. And most important, was that lunar forces that cause oceanic tidal changes also effect plant root and foliage development during the 28 day lunar cycle. Flower, fruit, and vegetable seeds should be planted two days prior to a new moon because light and gravitational conditions during 7 days following a new moon promote the development of roots and plant foliage.
CSA’s that serve the Northern Virginia area can be found at www.localharvest.org/csa . Some are seasonal and require joining prior to the growing season, while others are year round. There are e-mail addresses and phone numbers listed on the website.
When you are a CSA member, you will be eating seasonally, which means that you cannot expect the same items as the grocery store. In most areas, the first crops will be peas, salad greens, onions, etc. By the end of the season, the items will be heavier and include winter squash, potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli. Many farms provide a list of produce to expect and when it is expected.
The following are suggestions on what to ask the farmers before signing up:
- How long have you been farming?
- How long have you been doing CSA?
- Do you include items from other farms in your CSA?
- How much produce do you expect to deliver each week and how does that vary from the beginning of the season to the end?
- What happens if I am on vacation or have an emergency and cannot pick up my share?
- Is it possible to talk to some of your members before I commit?
Ski Resorts That Fight Global Warming
“Keep Winter Cool” is a joint venture of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Ski Areas Association. Learn the Ski resorts that are leading by example by using renewable energy at www.keepwintercool.org before you make those reservations for this winter. They are leading by example by using energy efficient technology and increasing the use of renewable energy in their operations, as in wind energy and solar energy to power buildings and lifts, applying energy-efficient building technologies and saving energy by replacing inefficient equipment.
(Examples of those listed: California’s Mammoth Mountain, New York’s Hunter Mountain, Oregon’s Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort and Timberline, Utah’s The Canyons and Sundance, Wyoming’s Jackson Hole, Colorado’s Keystone, Vail and Aspen.)
Green Cleaning Products
Inventory your home cleaning products and eliminate those commercially manufactured, chemical-laden products that contribute to air pollution, are poisonous if ingested and can be harmful if inhaled or touched.
· Replace them with products from companies that list every ingredient on the package.
· If the ingredients are not listed, choose products that tell you what’s not inside, such as “No ammonia,” “No chlorine”, No petrochemicals”, No sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate”.
· Use dye-free and fragrance-free products (both additives come from petroleum).
· Use products with Third-Party Certifications – Green Seal, Cradle To Cradle, the Leaping Bunny and EPA’s Design for the Environment program analyze product ingredients and certify that those chemicals don’t harm your health or environment.
· Check www.thegreenguide.com (National Geographic) for good green cleaning products.
Fair Trade Certified Chocolate
Buy fair trade chocolate from companies that are responsible stewards of the land and fair to workers who do the harvesting. The Fair Trade Association was established 1) to ensure that farmers would be fairly paid for their produce so that children would not be used for labor and workers on cocoa farms would not be mistreated, 2) to prevent the continuously expanding practice of clear cutting large tracts of rain forest for cocoa farming which requires a greater use of pesticides, both of which jeopardize the survival of many species that depend on the rain forest, and 3) to require the farmers use “integrated crop management” which means banning the use of several pesticides.
Fair Trade Certified Chocolate Brands:
Chocolate.com, Coco-Zen, Dagoba Organic Chocolate, Divine Chocolate, Earth’s Sweet Pleasures, Equal Exchange, Ithaca Fine Chocolate, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates, Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates, Theo Chocolate, Yachama Gourmet (www.newdream.org/marketplace/cocoa.php) |
