On a Positive Note

This week I read an article entitled “Food: Six Things to Feel Good About” from the New York Times (which you can read here). The author, Mark Bittman, has a weekly column where he discusses different issues relating to food, health and nutrition. Generally, his columns revolve around something that he is upset about or that is particularly disheartening. In this one, however, he takes the time to look at some of the bright spots in the food industry. He looks at things such as the newfound power people are taking in deciding what food they should eat and where it should come from and the Wal-Mart initiative to make their offerings more health-conscious. I enjoyed reading this article because it helped me to see that there are some bright spots to this issue. For instance, I did not know that there are currently 6,000 farmers in the U.S. or that that number is a 250% increase over the number of farmers there were in 1994. I think that is a pretty impressive statistic and shows that people are starting to reclaim responsibility for the food we eat. I also liked hearing about the work that is underway to make school lunches healthier. It is important for good nutrition to be taught to children at a young age and this is a great way to show them how to eat well for the rest of their lives. Overall, I thought that this article touched on a lot of topics that I did not know much about.

Our service project is going well, we have a pretty solid survey created and I think that we have a clear outlook on just where we want to go with it. I am excited to show everyone where we are and see where everyone else is with their projects! I cannot wait to actually send the survey out to people!

Unfortunately, the weather this week has not been very conducive to getting out and biking or walking, so I have not done anything yet. Things are supposed to look better this weekend, so hopefully it will be warm and sunny so I can get in some time outside!

Food Bank Garden

I discovered an exciting article "From Hand-Outs to How-to" that inspired me to grow my own little garden. The article came from Tucson, Arizona published in the Nov.-Dec. 2008 issue in Orion magazine. It was in reference to a food bank. Beside the food bank a seven thousand square foot organic garden was being grown by local people in the community. The garden was filled with tomatoes, beans, chiles and other types of vegetables. They also had chickens that were eating the garden scraps and using their waste for a compost pile. The workshops, for this community, are ongoing for training and they are presented in both English and Spanish. Not only do they train people, they give them the necessary compost piles and tools to get started. They will send someone to your home to select a suitable garden and help you through the process of growing your own food. The community as a whole benefits and the spreading of knowledge will allow the community to become a more economically stable environment. Instead of "how-to handouts", they are actually showing you "How-to". The project is very socially healthy in many aspects. My garden will consist of tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers and green beans. I am also going to plant tomatoes and peppers at my mom's. Wish me luck! On another note, we are really coming together with our Novant Health project. Things were a little shakey at first due to the break we had last week. Now that we have a clear vision and strategy plan, I am anxious to find out if the calorie counting application can be embraced by other colleges.