Social Entrepreneurs – The Enchanting Challenge

Consuming

June 12th, 2009

It’s often said that with every purchase you make, you are casting a vote. And depending on what you are purchasing, your vote supports different ways of business and different causes. That is why it is important to know what you are buying, what goes into the product you are buying, and what had to be done to produce that item. By casting aside products that are environmentally destructive, or violate the human rights of its laborers, or are made from irresponsible businesses, you can do your part to support a sustainable world.

Now what does that mean? Surely we can’t consume our way out of all the world’s problems? No matter how much certified organic free trade coffee we consume, labor violations and inequality will continue. No matter how much non-toxic clothing we buy, or free-range chicken we eat, or home gardens we plant… larger environmental problems will still loom on the horizon. So, are all our efforts at greening our daily lives a waste of time? Of course not. Consuming in a more responsible way won’t save the world by itself, but it does make a difference.

And how do we know it makes a difference? When large amounts of people cast their vote for greener products, industries and businesses notice, and thus change their behavior. That’s why we see every business, from electronics, to food, to clothing, to cars, tryint to OUT-GREEN each other. When coffee shops use fair trade coffee, and boast about how their stores are energy efficient, we know that our choices are making a positive impact. When Wal-Mart, once the favorite punching-bag of all socially-conscious consumer, decides to make significant strides in greening its operations, that’s how we know our choices matter. Heck, even oil companies are running competing advertisements, bragging about how much money they invest in solar panels each year. That’s how we know that when enough consumers demand change, their calls don’t fall on deaf ears. That’s why farmers markets are springing up across the country, San Francisco is introducing mandatory composting, Warner Home Video is making their DVD boxes with 20% less plastic, and numerous townships across the country are banning the use of plastic bags.

So, of course it might not seem like our consumer choices matter. After all, what can one person really do? Well, that’s the point. It might not seem like you can make a lot of change on your own. But when people make conscious choices about the products they use and buy, it really does make a difference. Businesses feel the pressure and clean up their acts. And when a company the size of Wal-Mart (the world’s largest) decides to reduce the amount of packaging it uses, make its stores more energy-efficient, invest in renewable technology, and other responsible initiatives, it makes a HUGE impact. And others will follow suit.

And getting back to making responsible choices as a consumer. A website called Greener Choices (greenerchoices.org) has a directory of responsible choices you should make when you are purchasing items, as well as a wealth of information on what to look for in products. For example, when buying a new cell phone, it’s good to know that all new models of Sony Ericsson and Nokia are made without certain toxins…a greener choice. Or how to shop for healthy and eco-friendly beef. Or what labels that claim to be green really mean. These choices are ones that we make everyday, and though they might seem like an afterthought, they do have effects on our lives and our world.

Tags: alternative energy, climate change, Conservation, doing the right thing, eco friendly products, ethical business, ethical investing, green choices, making money, non-profits, responsible business, shopping responsibly, social entrepreneur
Posted in Conservation, Food, Social Entrepreneurs | No Comments »

Students Fighting Poverty

June 11th, 2009

It’s never too early to become a social entrepreneur. That’s the lesson coming from Nourish International and its members of college entrepreneurs. Nourish International is an organization of college students who start “ventures” to raise money for economic development projects in impoverished areas across the world. In other words, a group of college students organize mini-businesses either on campus or in local areas, and use all the proceeds to finance community development projects in poor villages abroad. The students who conduct the “ventures” on campus, then go to those countries, and personally participate in the implementation of the development project.

Originally setup at the University of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Nourish International is an official 501(c)3 certified non-profit. It now has 23 branches across the US, at different college campuses. According to their website, last summer they sent 34 students to engage in projects in Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Brazil, and Uganda. There objective is to eradicate poverty, one project at a time. They realize that the answer to fighting poverty is not charity work, not donations, i.e. not throwing money at the problem. Nourish International believes in empowering people to lift themselves out of poverty. What does that mean? That means that poor people can not escape poverty without the essentials…clean water, sanitation, health, shelter, food. Simply handing out clean water, food, and donated money will only solve the problem for a single day. But, by working with locals to build a clean water system in Peru, for example, capable of providing water to a town of over 5,000 people, Nourish International helps the locals build and improve their own communities, and improve their own quality of life. Provided with the essentials to live a decent and dignified life, these people can use their energy to focus on things, other than simply staying alive for another day. Sort of like the old adage, teaching a man to fish…

The beauty of this non-profit organization is that it was started by business/economics students. Sindhura Citineni was a business student who wanted to use the virtues of entrepreneurism and business planning to help attack some of the world’s first problems. Her first project in 2003 was a simple one: she organized a “Hunger Lunch,” selling rice, beans, and cornbread on campus for 3 bucks. She used all the profits her first project – a nutrition project in Hyderbad, India.

Years later, Nourish International has developed a successful plan to keep these projects funded. They havea a 6-step approach to their operations.

1) Recruitment – adding members on college campuses to join the organization and spread awareness.

2) Ventures - this is the key part. They are small businesses run by students themselves, turning a profit. Examples include the “Hunger Lunch.” Or, Global Music Jam - Nourish International partners with local radio stations and dance clubs to put on a globally-themed dance party. Another would be a charity poker tournament. Since 2003, they have raised over $100,000.

3) Applications – communities with needs apply for funding and student volunteers.

4) Selection – the students themselves select the best projects to pursue, based on long-term sustainability, level of impact, and feasability.

5) Implementation – students themselves travel to the area of need (in one of the previously mentioned countries) and personally see the project through to its completion.

6) Following-up – last but not least Nourish International keeps tabs on the success (or failure) of its project and its long-term impact.

Nourish International is making real-world improvements to the quality of life of thousands of people. By helping some of the most impoverished areas satisfy their essential needs, they are giving them a glimmer of hope for the future. And equally as important, it provides real-world experience for Nourish students, hopefully leading them to a lifetime of helping others. Up until 2008, they have invested a little over $100,000. However, in 2008 and 2009 they hope to add 30 chapters and invest an additional $200,000 to projects worldwide. Nourish International continues to grow and continues to get a social return on its investments.

Tags: community development, doing the right thing, economic development, ethical business, nourish international, responsible business, social entrepreneur, social entrepreneurship, social responsibility, social return on investment, social ventures
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Finding and Creating Jobs in a Weak Economy

June 10th, 2009

Michigan used to be the home of the American Icon: the automobile. But its glory days ended a long time ago and the recent bankruptcy of General Motors is a further reminder of its fall from grace. Michigan has been hit worse than almost any other state in the US. For years it has sufferred through a higher unemployment rate than most other states. Its unemployment rate is currently the highest in the nation, 12.7%, compared to a national average around 9%. Manufacturing jobs have been disappearing for years, and the economic crisis could have been the nail in the coffin for the auto industry. For residents of the state of Michigan, moving forward and finding jobs among the wreckage will be tricky, though not impossible.

Michigan has a plethora of workers skilled in manufacturing and harnessing that skill for new industries will be the key. As auto plants close, those skills can be used elsewhere. The semi-nationalization of General Motors allows them to live another day, and many hope that Michigan can move on to be an important part of building the energy-efficient cars of the future. To build such cars, mass quantities of batteries will need to be made, and Michigan is trying to position itself as the leader. GM just recently opened a battery factory, with the help of state tax credits. There are several other proposals on the docket for similar battery factories. Though these new jobs will only replace a tiny fraction of the job losses in Michigan, many hope they are planting the seeds for many new jobs in the future.

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The Governor is also trying to attract other green energy projects through tax credits. Solar, wind, and railroad companies are expressing interest because of the manufacturing capability in Michigan. And to augment this pool of manufacturing skill, the state authorized a “No Worker Left Behind” Program that will retrain unemployed workers in other fields for up to two years, all for free. Around 60,000 people have signed up for this program, hoping to make the transition from the auto industry to another field.

For the hundreds of thousands and even millions of newly unemployed, this will be a painful, but necessary transition. As auto, banking, finance, and even law see jobs disappearing forever, other jobs will be created (though slowly). Retraining and education will be an intricate part of our new economy.

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Green collar jobs are on the rise as well. The solar and wind industries are expanding. Not only in manufacturing, but also installation, managerial, and sales positions. Alternative Energy, a green energy new website, has a section that lists green collar jobs across the United States. A quick look at the list sees a wide variety: “Solar Regional Sales Manager,” “Energy Auditor,” “Construction Project Engineer,” “Wind Site Manager,” just to name a few. As I said before, these jobs will in no way completely replace the millions of jobs that have vanished since last year, but it’s a promising option for job seekers in an otherwise inhospitable job market.

Tags: auto industry, autos, car batteries, car industry, cars, energy efficient cars, general motors, gm, green jobs, jobs, michigan, no worker left behind, unemployment
Posted in Employment | No Comments »

Religious Entrepreneurism

June 3rd, 2009

Friar Bernard McCoy

Who said people of the cloth can’t be entrepreneurs too? Typically relegated to lives of prayer and preeching, relying on the donations of the local parish, priests usually live pretty simple lives. They preside over the weekly masses, give advice to spiritually inclined, and study the scripture. Priests are usually active members of their community too. But monks, on the other hand, are pretty removed from society. Monks are supposed to live on their own, dedicating their lives to solitude and prayer. They tend to have a high degree of self-sufficiency, growing their food or making cheese. They live either alone or with other monks, separated from the rest of society, chanting away their days.

Not these monks. They are known as LaserMonks, a multimillion dollar business reported in a June 2nd article in The New York Times. Their story goes like this. The monk in charge, Friar Bernard McCoy, was looking for printer ink for his printers in the monastery. He was horrified at the astronomical prices for an ink cartridge, what he calls “a little bit of black dust and some ink.” He knew there had to be a better way to acquire ink. He found out that if he talked directly to the manufacturer, he could get some ink for a fraction of the store price. And then he got an idea: he could save tons of money for schools, churches, and other organizations if he got the same deals for them that he got from the manufacturer.

And so, LaserMonks was born. And the cartridge manufacturer was fully on board, recognizing an opportunity when they saw one. As Friar Bernard says on his website:

The manufacturers were elated with the possibilities. They immediately said we should market not only to schools, churches, and other non-profits, but especially to businesses. “Look, you’re monks. You have an image and long tradition of being trustworthy and providing top quality products. You’re offering a great product at a great price. Once people hear about you, it’s an easy decision. Why would anyone pay more money, when they can have quality products for less, from monks who use the income to help others?”

The business started relatively successfully, but everything changed in July 2003 when two ladies from Colorado, who Friar Bernard calles two “angels,” called the monastery. They owned an online website selling ink cartridges and they wanted to move on from their website and offered to sell the monastery their business. They were excited to have connected with the monks and even offered to temporarily come to northern Wisconsin where the monastery is located to get them started up. The two women and the monks loved the arrangement so much that they decided to make it permanent. The two women live in one of the Abbey houses.

The women realized they could really help the monk’s ink business. They shared all their knowledge on database management and web design and also ideas for expanding the business. Instead of standard ink cartridges, they now offer ink cartridges with ink from soy beans instead of petroleum, a more environmentally-safe version. They sell dog-biscuits called “Benevolent Biscuits,” Coffee called “Benevolent Blends,” Barb-B-Que sauces called “Burnt Sacrifice,” and various flavors of jelly called “Trappist Preserves.” And, of course, no monk collection is complete without a series of CDs full of Gregorian Chants.

Last year, LaserMonks collected $4.5 million in revenues, of which, 80% goes to purchasing supplies and financing, 10% goes to charity, and 10% for the monastery. The two “angels” made a combined profit of $60,000. Not only that, but they are much happier in their simpler lives in the monastery. And with them running this holy business, the monks no longer have to worry about spending their time away from prayer, trying to fund the monastery.

Tags: charity, doing the right thing, lasermonks, monks, non-profits, responsible business, social entrepreneur, Volunteering
Posted in Business Profile, Social Entrepreneurs | No Comments »

Finding Business in Cleaning up Business

June 2nd, 2009

“A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” This is a phrase often quoted during crisis situations, most recently and notably quoted by President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. Thus, the Obama administration has made huge investments in areas of healthcare, energy, and education, in an effort to change the way the US economy is structured. He has used the crisis to frame his investments as a way to stimulate the economy. Absent a crisis, President Obama might not have received the cooperation of so many people to make those investments.

The economic crisis is showing signs of abating, but the specter of a climate crisis gets worse each passing day. Developed nations have been using tons of energy for years to feed their economies. Developing economies need to meet rising energy needs too, often using dirty coal to do so. The melting of the ice caps, rising sea levels, longer droughts, larger floods, and more violent storms…these are just some of the huge effects of climate change. The international community has so far not taken any limits on pollution seriously. But, the US and other governments finally seemed poised to take action.

The US Congress will probably pass climate legislation this year, forcing companies to reduce their environmental impact. Chances are that the Congress will choose to pass a cap-and-trade bill, meaning there will be a certain amount of ‘units’ of pollution that companies will be allowed to emit, and if they want to pollute more, they will have to buy ‘units’ of pollution from another company that doesn’t need to use their ‘units’ of pollution. The idea is that companies will, on their own, reduce their pollution because of the possibility to sell their allowances for profit. If a company really wants to pollute, they will have to pay for it.

Reading the tea leaves, the Hara company has taken a huge bet on the future. If polluting becomes a cost that businesses have to take into account, they will have to manage pollution like any other cost. In short, their accounting will include the usual labor costs, investment costs, but also polluting costs. They will have to accurately and easily track their pollution, and they made need help doing so. This is where Hara steps in. Hara is developing software that will allow companies to easily and quickly keep track of their pollution. Hara software will be able to spot and identify carbon emissions, and show companies where they can reduce their pollution, and thus, save money.

Hara has a long-term vision of environmental legislation and they see an economy that no longer ignores the cost of polluting. Up until now, the environmental degradation was never taken into account when businesses figure out their year-end profits. Hara wants that to change, to reflect the impact of business on the environment. Afterall, the word “hara” means “green” in Sanskrit. Here are a few excerpts from the article in The New York Times

“A post-carbon economy is arriving in this decade,” he said, “This creates an environmental record for your company.” (Amit Chatterjee, Hara’s founder and owner).

Hara’s Web-based software tracks the resources used by the company, like electricity and water, and emissions like carbon and other waste.

The Coca-Cola Company has been using Hara’s software as part of a pilot project to track greenhouse gas emissions for its 1,000 facilities worldwide. It helps Coca-Cola keep track of projects that vary by country. In South Africa, for example, Coca-Cola is switching from heavy crude oil to natural gas. In the United States, where plants have not been using heavy oil, the company has been updating its lighting systems.

The coming climate crisis is going to have very serious consequences on our environment. Our land, water, air, and food supply will all be affected. Social entrepreneurs often take a look at some of the most serious problems our society faces, and try to apply business principles to solve these problems. Hara knows that the climate crisis is serious. They are using their software expertise to help all businesses reduce their climate impact. If we are going to make progress slowing the effects of climate change, we will need companies like Hara to make the process easy and quick for the business community to do their part.

Tags: alternative energy, biodiversity, climate change, doing the right thing, double bottom line, ethical business, social entrepreneur
Posted in Business Profile, Green Building | No Comments »

More Green Progress!

May 29th, 2009

Yesterday, I talked about some of the recent encouraging green news across the world. Green urban design in Freiburg, Germany, where cars are prohibited in the city center, solar panels have been installed on a lot of municipal buildings, and houses are required to use less energy than the national standard. Also, in Britain, they are planning on requiring any new houses built after 2016 must be carbon-neutral – meaning all energy it uses must be renewable. And finally, in the US, many school districts are considering the idea of designing environmentally-friendly schools.

Ghent

AND, there is more. The city of Ghent in Belgium is planning on having “Vegetarian Thursdays” in order to combat climate change. That’s right, a day without meat to reduce carbon emissions. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, 18% of total carbon emissions come from the production of meat, compared to only 14% of carbon emissions can be blamed on cars and transportation. So, by reducing your intake of meat, it could go further to reducing your carbon footprint than not driving. Now, of course, Ghent can not require people not to eat meat every Thursday, but it has a culture of eco-friendliness and you can rest assured that many of Ghent’s inhabitants will take the idea seriously. It’s the largest city in Belgium that has banned cars. A city of 230,000 people, many of which use bicycles or simply walk. No one demands you become a vegetarian, but if you reduce your animal-eating by one day a week, lots of progress can be made.

More green food news. Students from Marquette University, a Catholic University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, started a local Slow Food Chapter on campus. Slow Food International is an organization that began in Italy to preserve food culture and sustainable eating against the onslaught of international fast-food. What started as a research project on advertising and public relations turned into a real life personal lifestyle. Marquette students became passionate about the Slow Food movement during their research. Many students want to eat home-cooked meals but often don’t know how to cook or where to get their ingredients. The Slow Food chapter teaches just that. They periodically meet for home-cooked dinners together, getting many of their ingredients from local sources. They even started planting fruits and vegetables on campus. Other than just learning how to cook, these students are doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint. Local food travels less, using less energy. Supporting local sources of food, they are also keeping their money within their community.

Marquette students cook with local ingredients

You’ve heard about the virtues of reducing your meat diet and eating locally here before, but it remains as important as ever. Doing both can be a healthy change in your diet, support local farmers, and reduce your environmental impact. Now, that’s a challenge everyone has the ability to take on.

Tags: alternative energy, animals, biodiversity, climate change, Conservation, ghent, green energy, local food, slow food, vegetarianism
Posted in Conservation, Food | No Comments »

Green Communities

May 28th, 2009

Greening your home is great. By making sure you have proper insulation you can cut down on your energy bills, and cut your carbon emissions. By harnessing natural light, you can use less energy too. Low-energy lightbulbs, low-flow toilets, recycling, composting, and maybe even solar panels and you are getting close to a carbon neutral home. But, the Clinton Climate Initiative and the US Green Building Council want to do one better. Instead of planning and building green buildings one at a time, their joint venture wants to build carbon-neutral green communities. Working together, the USGBC and the Clinton Climate Initiative will support the renovation of 16 large-scale urban projects, across the world, over 6 continents. They will use a variety of methods, like, super-insulation, ventilation systems, natural lighting, mass-transit, and high-density living.

This a huge leap forward in terms of green building and “smart-growth” policies. The joint venture hopes to use cutting edge technology and design, to provide large models on sustainable urban planning. Check out the video below: Clinton Foundation

a market in Freiburg

Another fascinating bit of news: Mark Mardell’s Europe Blog on the BBC reports on Freiburg, Germany. A small city in Germany that is making huge strides in going green. Cars are largely banned from the city center. There are tons of sidewalks and pedestrian areas. There are trams to help people get around. The town hall, the football stadium, swimming pools, and the train station all have solar power. Houses are required to use 1/3 less energy than the national requirement. And on the political front, the Green Party is the majority party on the city council.

Freiburg can boast about its 40% reduction in CO2 emissions and has been able to produce 10% of its energy requirements from renewable sources. They have canals of water than run throughout the city with clean, fresh water. It’s absolutely prohibited to pollute the canals with any sort of waste, and they have been around, supplying fresh water since the Middle Ages.

Elsewhere in Europe, Great Britain is planning to require by 2016 that all new houses be carbon-neutral. This means that homes must use very little energy, and the energy that they do use must come from renewable sources. Home energy use accounts for 27% of carbon emissions in Britain, and they have declared they will reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. That means if they want to reach that goal, designing and building homes must be done in an environmental way. The British Department of Energy and Climate Change also says it wants existing homes to be carbon-neutral by 2050, though there is no plan for that at the moment.

A green community in England

In the US, various school systems are experimenting with green designs for new school construction. As The New York Times reports, “A prototype green classroom addition under construction at the Da Vinci Arts Middle School in Portland, Ore. includes natural daylighting, passive heating and cooling systems, solar roof tiles and other green features that yield a 70 percent efficiency improvement over Oregon building code requirements.”

Blueprints for the Da Vinci Arts School

Green energy has always been important part of fighting climate change. But, more than just constructing solar panels and wind mills, designing green communities are necessary in order to make serious progress. That means harnassing natural light, making homes more energy efficient, making good use of pedestrian areas, less traffic, and many more measures. There’s a lot of work to do, but recent green headlines have been encouraging.

Tags: alternative energy, doing the right thing, ethical business, ethical investing, green design, green energy, green urban planning
Posted in Conservation, Green Building | 2 Comments »

Ulaa Update!

May 27th, 2009

Here at Enchanting Challenge we wanted to provide volunteer opportunities for people interested in pursuing their challenges. The objective of Enchanting Challenge is to challenge yourself, your neighbors, and other people aroudn the world to take action…to change the world. It can be very small actions, or very big ones. The site is taking shape with personal challenges like “To save energy, I will hang dry my clothes instead of using a drying machine,” or “I will plant a garden in my backyard,” or bigger actions like “Bone Marrow Donation Registry,” and also developing a longterm Philanthropy Plan to figure out how you can donate your time. Any challenge is a good challenge, don’t be shy, don’t think that small actions don’t add up to big changes.

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Enchanting Challenge wanted to provide a destination for people interested in taking a personal challenge. Ulaa is an organic farm located in Patagonia, Chile. It lies on the border with Argentina, overlooking a beautiful lake. On the organic farm, Ulaa grows a lot of food: apples, nuts, berries, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, carrots, beans, basil, oregano, plums, and more. A few months ago the organic farm at Ulaa needed a lot of work. Martin, Ulaa’s caretaker and farmer, had a lot of work that he couldn’t keep up with. We decided to try to attract volunteers to come and stay at Ulaa, free of charge, in exchange for their work. We sent out notice for volunteers, and the response was overwhelming. Dozens of people from various countries inquired about spending time at Ulaa. We currently have 6 volunteers at Ulaa from Brazil, USA, Croatia, England, and Australia. We have other volunteers coming soon from India, Mexico, and France.

It’s been an overwhelming success for both sides. The volunteers have loved their experience at Ulaa, getting close to nature, learning about living simply, growing their own food, eating and living in a healthy and sustainable way. And, Martin is pleased with all the help he has received. The farm is growing, developing, and expanding because of all the help from the volunteers. He has been able to undertake bigger projects because of the manpower he now has.

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Below are a few words from one of our volunteers about his experience at Ulaa. Geff was separated from his brother for over 15 years and only recently reunited with him. They wanted to change their lifestyles, and wanted to get closer to nature and really enjoy life:

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My experience with Ulaa Patagonia has been magical and wonderful. I haven´t never being so in touch with nature and myself as I have being in this new experience of life. After living apart from my only brother for 15 years Ulaa has being helping us get to know each other in a such great way with a clear state of mind and spirit, in my opinion the way life should be is the way. We are living at Ulla down-to-earth with fascinated new experiences everyday meeting new people with different cultures and countries and not to mention the natives so called (lugareños).

I have being volunteering here with my brother for 2 weeks now and I would love to help Sr. Martin to achieve all the goal and ideas to this wonderful place called Ulaa.
Volunteer at Ulaa Patagonia
Geff Alves

And his brother, Zaca, agreed. His experience getting to know his brother again, in a place like Ulaa, has been wonderful. His words are in Portuguese:

Estava passando por um mau momento, meu unico irmao que nao conviviamos por mais de 10 anos retornou ao Brasil.
Para mudar a rotina, comecamos a buscar uma maneira de vivermos juntos com mais tranquilidade.
Atraves do WOOF descobrimos Ulla e decidimos nos voluntariar.
Fomos muito bem recebidos pelo Sr Martin e um voluntario da Espanha chamado Chavier.
Noutro dia fomos colher batatas e foi muito divertido, conheci um nativo que vive em Ulla chamado Charlo muito gente boa tambem.
Martin nos disse sobre a intencao de mudar o conceito para Ulla Tribe, explicou-nes certinho e achei muito interessante.
E para mim viver em Ulaa esta sendo muito bom, estou aprendendo muitas coisas e para mim sera excelente fazer parte desta nova etapa.

Zaca

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And this is what taking personal challenges is all about. These people decided to take a risk to improve their lives, lend a helping hand to someone else, and learn from the process. The volunteers have learned how to farm organically, live off of local resources, and live in a environmentally sustainable way. They have also met really fun people from different countries, and share laughs together. And their volunteer committment has been a huge help to Martin in developing and expanding the organic farm.

Check out Ulaa’s Facebook fanpage!

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Tags: agritourism, alerces, alternative energy, animals, argentina, biodiversity, ethical business, Farming, patagonia, ulaa
Posted in Conservation, Farming, Volunteering | No Comments »

Community Gardens and Eating Locally

May 20th, 2009

Yesterday, I talked about the danger of Swine Flu and its relation to the industrial food chain. Raising animals in dirty conditions will cause those animals to become diseased, and the antibiotics given them end up in the food we eat. And every now and then certain bacterias will mutate and become immune to the antibiotics and create new disease outbreaks. This is, of course, simplifying the whole idea, but you get the point. You could eat all your food from these industrial sources if you like, and you may never suffer from any food-borne illnesses. But that is a risk that is up to you. One way of decreasing the odds that you are exposed to such illnesses is by buying and eating locally.

There are tons of reasons to eat local food. First and foremost, you are keeping your money within your own community. Your neighbors will appreciate you shopping at their establishments and supporting local operations helps your community prosper. In addition, eating locally cuts down on greenhouse gases. Typical food travels thousands of miles to get to your plate, releasing pollution into the atmosphere. Every piece of produce you get from some far away place means more pollution into the atmosphere. Furthermore, and maybe the point that is the most relevant considering the recent news, eating locally ensures healthier food. If you are eating food from a small farm in your town or state, there are better chances that the food has not been injected with hormones, pesticides, or antibiotics. Of course, you may have to do some homework to confirm that, but a typical farmer’s market will be organic food.

Now, who has time to do that? Who has time to drive around to farms just so that they can eat locally, especially when Safeway has everything you need? There are plenty of ways that you can eat locally. First of all, as I said, you can find a local farmer’s market in your area. And that’s really easy. Log on to Local Harvest and just simply type in your ZIP code and that’s it, it will bring up a list of farmer’s markets in your area. You can also filter for eco-friendly restaurants, farms, and co-0ps in your area. It’s easy and a great way to eat fresh local food and support your community.

One huge obstacle to eating locally is the change of seasons. How do I eat fruit in the middle of winter? Well, I admit, this is difficult, and I often can’t follow this rule myself. But, if you can commit to eating just some of your meals using local, seasonal ingredients, then you can make some progress. That means strawberries and tomatoes in summer, pumpkins in fall, and potatoes and in winter. It’s tough to do, but it also exposes you to different types of fruits and vegetables that you might not have previously known about. Once again, this might seem like a lot of work, but a great way to facilitate this practice is joining a CSA. What’s a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture is a system in which you pay a farmer a certain amount of money up front, and then you get a certain amount of produce incrementally throughout the year. The advantages of this are allowing you to eat fresh, seasonal food throughout the year. CSAs are also good systems for urban-dwelling foodies. If you live in a city, chances are farms are not very close. CSAs allow you to get this fresh, local produce, without the hassle. It also provides the farmer with capital to work with, and a secure market in which to sell his crops. Win-Win.

Home gardens and community gardens are another great way to eat locally. It has been reported that home gardens are on the rise across the country for a variety of reasons: save money on food, environmental concerns, and food security concerns. If you can turn that useless plot of grass in your backyard into a home garden, you can grow your own produce (free and renewable), cut down on pollution (less driving to the store, less mileage on your produce), and your food will be healthy (no pesticides). Some may think that’s a lot of work, but some might find it fun to see something through from start to finish. Community gardens are also increasing in popularity. Unused grassy plots of land within the city limits can be converted into gardens. There are countless positives that come with community gardens. The ones I listed before (fresh, eco-friendly, healthy food), but also education. Teaching people about eating healthy, providing education and work opportunities, and teaching children about ecology and biology. I just read about the 7th Street Garden in Washington DC, a community garden in the Shaw Neighborhood. They turned a closed down school into a garden, growing all sorts of fruits and vegetables. They have gone through 2 growing seasons and produced 70 bags of fresh produce to disadvantaged DC residents, while teaching over 250 local children about gardening and nutrition. Pretty cool way to use an abandoned plot of land.

7th Street Garden in Washinton DC

Tags: agritourism, biodiversity, climate change, Conservation, csa, eating locally, green energy, local farming, non-profits, social entrepreneur
Posted in Conservation, Farming, Volunteering | No Comments »

Swine Flu and Growing Locally

May 19th, 2009

Swine Flu has taken the world by storm. Everyone has talked about swine flu for the past month, and there is no shortage of sensational headlines sprawled across the front pages of all the world’s newspapers. Just a quick search for swine flu yields these results: “Swine Flu Spreading Quickly in NYC”, “Japan Fears Spread of Swine Flu as Cases Rise”, “World Health Organization Raises Threat Level”. There has been quite a panic over the past month and Mexican citizens were even detained in China as a preventitive measure to keep Swine Flu from spreading in China. It all seems like a futuristic movie where disease and pandemics spread across the world, destroying everything and everyone, leaving ghost towns where there were formally bustling cities. BUT, a lot of this is hype and is not the reality. There have been relatively few deaths compared to other outbreaks, and Mexico has been praised for its response and and actions to deal with the spread of the flu. But what’s the real story here?

Industrial Pig Farm

Reports have come out recently that the outbreak of the swine flu has been traced back to an industrial pig farm in Mexico, owned by Smithfield Farms. Although this has not been confirmed, the fact remains that it would not be a surprise that a sickness has developed from an industrial pig farm. Afterall, on industrial pig farms, hundreds of thousands of pigs are densely packed into a building, without the ability to move around too much because they are literally on top of each other. They stand in their own feces, and when they get sick, which is inevitable in such an environment, they are injected with various antibiotics to keep them healthy. The problem is that with hundreds of thousands of pigs, and all the antibiotic injections, its likely that every once in a while a pig will contract a sickness where the bacteria develops an immunity to the antibiotic. And just like that, we have a new strain of disease, a mutated version that cannot be stopped with conventional antibiotics. This sickness can then spread, and cause havoc.

It gets worse when people then eat pork derived from these conditions. Over the course of time, though it’s not totally understood, chances are that such problems might occur in people too. If we are consuming pork with antibiotics, we may also come across the same problem. A sickness in which traditional antibiotics are worthless.

A new movie is coming out called “Fresh.” It’s about industrial farming versus natural farming. Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms is featured in the movie and I mentioned him in my blog post about Grass-Fed Cows. And his comment about the Smithfield industrial pig farm was telling, “I guess you saw where Smithfield has a 950,000 confinement hog operation in the locality at the epicenter of the outbreak. Strange coincidence.” The movie “Fresh” looks really great, you should check it out.

All this is further evidence of the need to eat locally and naturally. Industrial farming may be convenient for packing grocery stores full of meat, but the health concerns are overwhelming. Swine Flu may have been scary, but with business practices like the one at Smithfields Farms, you can rest assured that future outbreaks are inevitable.

Joel Salatin

: Naturally-grazing pigs

If people can buy and eat locally, you can feel comfortable in the fact that your food is not coming from horrific feeding conditions. If you know where your animals came from, you can know for sure if your animals were living pleasant lives or not. In in the process, you can feel secure that your food is safe and healthy. Tomorrow we will discuss this further.

Tags: animals, antibiotics, doing the right thing, eat locally, ecology, ecosystems, industrial farming, local food, non-profits, social entrepreneur, social entrepreneurship, social responsibility, swine flu
Posted in Farming | 1 Comment »

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