on beauty and benefit

If I have a new year's resolution it is vague. Something like: I want live in a way that is more in line with what I believe. Regardless of how cliche that is, it's the notion I've had roaming around in my head for weeks. 

One part of it is what I consume. Meaning, not just want goes into my mouth but also what goes into my closest and drawers. Lately I've become more concerned about this things I buy, specifically my clothes and personal affects. Through a friend of mine, I found out about this book, and although I knew that certain things about the Western world's clothes economy were harmful to the rest of globe Safia Minney's exposé opened my eyes further.

The bangles above were a Christmas gift from my mother. They were made in Nepal by women who are rebuilding their lives. They're only jewelry - pretty, shiny bracelets that I love to wear because they jingle on my wrist - but they helped women worlds away. Why can't every part of my attire do that? Or how about clothing made of organically grow cotton, processed and packaged in a way that doesn't leave a scar, or a growing infection, on the planet? These aren't question I normally ask myself when shopping. Cost, color, and cut come first; egocentric concerns come first. They are my clothes, but as I was told when I was a child: "You are not the center of the universe." 

With all of this in mind, I put together an imaginary outfit composed of items that are environmentally and socially friendly. And beautiful too. The dress and leggings above are from Patagonia and Horny Toad, both of whom present themselves as being aware of their practices. The bangles and scarf are fair trade and made in India. The striped flats come from soleRebels in Ethiopia, the only WFTO Fair Trade Certified shoe company.

This planet and the people on it matter to be immensely. I think the way I act and the way I dress should be a reflection of that. And so this is the beginning of a series of posts on wearables that are as good as they look. 

dress from patagonia/leggings from peopletree/scarf from block shop/bracelets from lydali//flats from solerebels

notes from a sustainability conference

This passed week my school hosted a sustainability conference and launched the beginning of the Sustainability and Education Research Project (SERP). I got to attend three of the sessions: one on population growth, one on local foods, and one with the programs director of the No Impact Project. 

I left with these notes and my head buzzing with ideas. 

The United Nations' definition of sustainability: "...development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." 

Population Connection/John J. Jeffries/Homefields Farm/Lancaster County Parks/Essen/The No Impact Project 

Artwork by Stephanie Holmes

what do you think about CSAs?

This is what Devin asked me one morning, a few days ago. So Ema, what do you think about CSAs? I had no good answer at the time. I was, I suppose, too concerned with soaking the basil or sorting the peppers or something of that sort. My thoughts were running in another direction. So let me have a go at it again.

I embarked on this internship because I wanted to know more about where food comes from - the people who grow it, how it comes out of the earth, the way at least part of the system works (both the natural system and man-made food system), the effort it takes to make it reach my plate. It wasn't and isn't my intention to be a farmer (but I'm open to the possibility). Involvement and knowledge were what I was after.

My naive enthusiasm for agriculture, CSAs, farmer's markets, alternative methods of sustenance procurement of various sorts hasn't waned - it's grown. I want to expand on what I've been introduced to over this summer, become more active in this way of living. Eventually, when I have my own pantry and refrigerator to fill, I'd like to have a garden, buy more from farmer's markets and local purveyors, and be a member of a CSA. Why? These, I've figured, are my main reasons: the health of my own person and the people I feed, a healthy perspective and interaction with the natural world, and knowing the supporting farmers. Investing in a CSA share seems to be one of the main ways to achieve all of these desires. It's work on both ends - producing and receiving - because when you have a share you have to be willing to invent and fail and experiment.

What about you? What are your thoughts on CSAs?


And if you want to know about CSAs, I suggest to get your hands on a copy of this book. 

interesting things, lately discovered

A few links to a few things that I've recently found interesting/inspiring/worth some careful consideration:

Greenhorns: a National Young Farmer's Coalition. 

Tamar Adler's story of how she came to be a cook and balancing that with her love of writing. 

Tracy Chevalier and a new way to look at paintings. 

I just found out you can freeze tomatoes. This was a revelation to me. 

You cannot beat the ending of Roman Holiday. You simply cannot. 

Andrew Wyeth's studio in Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania is without a doubt a place anyone even remotely interested in his work should visit. It is a beautiful space. 

And a friend of mine recently told me about WWOOF: Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. I was excited to see how many listings there are for farms in Maine. 

schools with farms

Now that I am home again and all our holidays are behind me, my mind has shifted to thinking about school - which I'll be returning to in twenty-five days. But I am still working at Side by Side, so I started wondering about a coming together of farming and academics.

Bennington College's Sustainable Food Project was the first thing of this sort I ever came across. In 2010, students put in a proposal (read it here) to create a new student garden that would benefit everyone on campus: the students themselves, the faculty and the staff. The plot they wished to use was part of the already existing community garden. The proposal was accepted, two student interns were hired to tend the garden in the summer and the project took off. They now call their spot of ground Purple Carrot Farm.

Further North, the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine has a sustainable organic farm that is managed by COA students, staff, faculty and farm managers. Beech Hill Farm is an outlet for the students to conduct projects, designs, studies or participate in work-study time but it also serves the community. Produce is sold on site and to several eateries on Mount Desert Island, it's served in one of the college's cafes, and they also have a CSA. The seventy-three acres were donated to the college in 1999 by two alumni.

Devin worked on Fulton Farm at Wilson College and, from what I hear, gained a wealth of knowledge and experience there. (And that is, oddly enough, him in the image above. The fellow to the right.)

Most recently, my one friend who has been touring colleges in preparation for applying told me about the farm at Dickinson College. It's sixty acres several miles off campus. A large part of the (certified organic) harvest is served in the dinning halls, but they also have a CSA (Campus Supported Agriculture) that has over a hundred and thirty members in the community and they sell their produce at local markets and restaurants, plus they donate some to Project SHARE. Beyond the veggies, they also have animal life: sheep, cattle, and hens. The students are a major part of this operation; they can work, intern, volunteer, or incorporate it into their academic work.

This is by no means an exhaustive list; these are merely the farms at schools I've come across. There are many, many more all over the country. And that's encouraging, really.



images: one/two/three/four

on diversity and preservation

Exactly a year ago, I came across this image in the July 2011 issue of National Geographic: 

It's a comparison of the varieties of seeds available a century ago versus those found in the National Seed Laboratory in 1983. The change eighty years had is shocking and I think after read the article I told people about it for days. 288 of beets! Now we have seventeen. The diagram shows 554 varieties of cabbage. Now a mere twenty eight are left. Charles Seibert writes in the article that "In the United States an estimated 90 percent of our historic fruit and vegetable varieties have vanished."

One of the first things I did at the farm was start seeds with Devin. On a rainy day, we went into the house, sat on the floor and he showed me his collection of seed packets; so many kinds of melons, of tomatoes, of greens. Now, as we're harvesting them, I'm learning some of their names. The other day we harvested a type of garlic called "music." There are tomatoes called "pineapple" and "noir." When we shop solely at the grocery store I don't think we get the whole picture. For all the choices we have there and the bounty we seem to have access to, we've lost the diversity our ancestors took for granted just a few decades ago.

The importance of having a diversity of plant varieties isn't all about aesthetics (as in a honey colored variegated tomato v. a plain red one) or even taste. Certain varieties developed and were bred so they would be adapted to a specific environment; the local environment. But in an attempt to produce the greatest yields, farmers began and now continue to favor plants that are meant to adapt to many kinds of environments. These plants are genetically engineered and biologically less stable than the heirloom varieties.

And it isn't just seeds. There are heritage breeds of livestock; chickens, cattle, sheep, pigs.

Though the biodiversity side of this issue is widely important, I feel the cultural impact is critical as well. An extinct breed or variety is a cultural artifact that has been lost. The result is generalization. Societies shift and change, true, but we need to remember that the story of people cannot be separated from the story of the land.


I highly recommend reading the article from National Geographic. And also this post from RAFI-USA.
For heirloom seeds, I suggest taking a look at Baker Creek.

community supported agriculture

When I tell people about my internship - when I say I'm working at a CSA - they often give me a look of confusion. I'm working on a farm, I'll explain. But a CSA is a particular kind of farm with a particular purpose.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture (although I've also seen "Shared" used in place of "Supported). It's meant to directly connect the farmer and the eater. Generally, it works like this: Before the season begins, people buy shares in the farm. Later on, as the season progresses, they receive a weekly box of goods - typically consisting of mostly produce. There many variations on this model though. Sometimes shareholders can work on the farm or there are pick-your-own fields. Some are free-choice, and I know of one CSA, Essex Farm in New York, that is full diet and year round.

Devin lent me a wonderful book about CSAs that I'm still making my way through: Sharing the Harvest. In it, the first person (a lady named Robyn Van En) to own a CSA in this country is quoted as saying that the mathematical equation is "food producers + food consumers + annual commitment to one another = CSA and untold possibilities." On Localharvest.org some of the advantages are outlined. For farmers, they get to bring attention and financial support to their farms before the season begins. For consumers, they get fresh food, new vegetables and chances to learn about different forms of cooking. And both people get to meet each other - an incredibly rare experience in are current food system.

One day last week, while we were weeding a bed of carrots, I asked Devin what he thought I should include in a post like this. And, really, it seems I should have either recorded his answer or he should write all about this himself. The main points he addressed were diversity, community and stewardship. A CSA brings people together because of a common interest that in turn nurtures the land. And it's also about cooking, he said. Every week (Wednesday, in Side by Side's case) shareholders receive their box of goods and have to make what they will from it. From what I've heard and read, you have to be willing to experiment when you take part in a CSA. (And the truth of this we shall soon see, because as part of my internship I'll be getting a share.) Farming is hard work, but it's hard work that is worth it for all parties involved - the farmer, the shareholders, the community as a whole, the environment, and future generations.


Localharvest.org as a search tool for CSAs. Visit their website to find one near you.
And go here to learn more about Side by Side.