TAP WATER -  .02 cents  per GALLON

IF YOU  PAY $1  PER  16  OUNCE  CONTAINER,  BOTTLED WATER ADDS UP TO APPROX. $8 PER GALLON.

Turn on the tap instead and save big money … and the environment.

“…..if you’re a moderate water drinker who downs just one 16-ounce bottle a day, you’ll spend about $80 for just a three months’ supply, or 11 gallons worth, of bottled water.

Meanwhile, that $80 will get you at least a year’s worth of filtered tap water……”

The Story of Bottled Water

“……….1.5 million barrels of oil per year, which is enough to fuel 100,000 cars for that same year, are required to satisfy Americans’ demand for bottled water.

Many of these disposable plastic bottles sit forever in a landfill…….

Why You Should Stop Drinking Bottled Water, PLEASE

A little over a week ago while reading Rod Guinn’s post on Avoiding Bankruptcy, I recalled a restaurant in Vermont that had turned to it’s community to support needed growth by selling certificates redeemable for food.

It’s The Bee’s Knees
Morrisville, VT.

The term avant garde evokes thoughts of a major metropolitan area like New York City, but, avant garde is occurring in this small Vermont village in the person of Sharon Dietz and the citizens of Morrisville.

Sharon had a small cafe called The Bee’s Knees in Morrisville, (pop. 2000 +), and it needed more space and major renovations if it was going to survive. That was going to cost a bundle. She considered selling it. The community wasn’t having any of that and local residents have pitched in with $1,000 investments which will be paid back over three years in the form of restaurant discounts.

My chat with Sharon left me with the impression of a woman who cares as much for her customers as one would for a family. She greatly values the relationships that have sprung up and the connectedness that has evolved between her enterprise and the residents of her community.

The cafe features music, art, and comedy, as well as serving as a social hub.

A short drive north will put you at the doorstep of another CSR.
.
Hardwick, Vt

Claire’s put’s about 70% of it’s food purchasing dollar into locally produced foods and the Chef, Steven Obranovich, is very involved with local farmers and processors according to an article written by Robert Smart, and another by Zachary D. Lyons.

I spoke with Mike Bosia, affable co-owner of Claire’s, who teaches comparative politics and the politics of food at St. Michael’s College.

Buying and sourcing locally can be a financial challenge to the bottom line but he said the restaurant is not so much about making a profit as being a social and community hub. Being a contributing and active partner in community growth and nurturing personal, rather than just business, relationships is the foundation Claire’s is built upon.

Bosia said the community model, discussed in Claire’s blog, New Vermont Cooking, was patterned after Robert Fuller’s Bobcat Cafe, (since sold and not operating as a CSR) and they have built other community relationships such as The Center for an Agricultural Economy.

David Goodman wrote extensively about his experience with Claire’s in an article titled Building a Healthy Food System in Rural America.

Eating as a idealogy

Unlike the other two, considerably more rural locations, Tabella’s is located in Amherst, Ma. a community of 35,000 + / -, and a fairly large student population.

Tabella’s approach to CSR is one of philosophical intent, and is all about about sustaining regional organic food production and they believe that there are plenty of ecologically minded patrons that agree and will support their efforts by pre-purchasing.

Tabella’s Member Accounts are:

Member Accounts are yearly pre-purchased meals, prepared foods and gift certificates.
Your membership dollars will be held in account form, at your disposal to spend as you
choose. We will honor a yearly purchase for 18 months.
Currently we offer three levels of Membership:
Discounts and Benefits:
$500 level: 5% discount on all Tabella products
$1000 level: 10% discount on all Tabella products
$2500 level: 15% discount on all Tabella products
$5000 level: 20% discount on all Tabella products
All levels:
To-Go food off menu
Tabella Market Option: This exclusive option gives you the ability to buy
housemade bottled sauces, salad dressings, marinades, patées, smoked fish,
cheeses, meats, house blends of locally roasted fair trade coffee, etcetera through
the restaurant.
$2500 member: Same as ‘all level’ plus:
1, 4~person off menu multi course take home dinner once a month (four
days notice)
$5000 member: Same as ‘all level’ plus:
2, 4~person off menu multi course take home dinner once a month (four
days notice)

I think the most striking aspect of these businesses is that the foundation of them is the symbiosis between the restaurant and it’s community that surpasses the proprietor / customer roles and moves toward family / friend mutually supportive involvement.

If anyone knows of other CSR’s let’s hear about them.

One example of the incredible journey we’ve witnessed is that of the Internet and attendant technologies.  As recently as 1992 there were only 50 websites.

Our policies on farming,  food production, distribution, and health systems need to focus on the future.

FoodDeclaration.org is working toward doing just that.

.”………a healthy food system is necessary to meet the urgent challenges of our time. Behind us stands a half-century of industrial food production, underwritten by cheap fossil fuels, abundant land and water resources, and a drive to maximize the global harvest of cheap calories. Ahead lie rising energy and food costs, a changing climate, declining water supplies, a growing population, and the paradox of widespread hunger and obesity.”

Here is their state of origin:

Origins

The concept for the declaration began with Michael R. Dimock, the President of Roots of Change (ROC). He was the primary author of Slow Food USA’s first national statute and the founding Chairman of Slow Food USA. Mr. Dimock believed that it would serve the good food movement to collaborate with others on a declaration that could be used to spark the public’s action on national policy. In late 2007, he proposed to Anya Fernald, Executive Director of Slow Food Nation, that ROC could spawn a national effort to develop a declaration related to the farm bill and other food policies that would provide policy content for the Slow Food Nation event. He then proposed the project to ROC’s governing body, the Stewardship Council, in February 2008. With approval from both entities, the project began.

You can read more and endorse the effort here.

A bit further down on the same page you will find Food Democracy Now.

Their efforts toward sustainability are summed up below.  Please take the time to think about this.

Four specific problems to overcome

1. Current policy is mired in a 20th century industrial paradigm, where the primary goals are limited to production volume, efficiency of feeding, and ensured profits for commodity producers and those they supply, thereby, benefiting too few.
2. People, ecosystems, and rural economies are becoming less healthy as a direct result of current American policy.
3. The efforts to solve food and agriculture challenges are not being addressed to the degree required by the scale of the problems.
4. The last farm bill cycle confirmed that too few control the debate and they are focused on protecting the status quo rather than aiding the broader population of the nation.
   
5. 
   

Furthermore,  restaurants in the state have been ordered to stop serving the wine,  according to an article on MSN Money Central,  because of it’s salacious label.

Hahn Estates produces their wines  in the California,  Santa Lucia Highlands overlooking the Salinas Valley.

In seems that the reason for the decision, to protect the public from experiencing the potential trauma of seeing the bottles,  was that the label violated rules against displaying a person posed in an immoral or sensuous manner.

As we all know, wine and sensuousness have no common ground.

Howevuh,  seeins’ how I’m from New Hampsha,  I’d likely be rode out of town on a rail after being tarred and feathered if I weren’t to mention Boston Baked Beans from the get go.   So,  the first thing I did was to Google just that – Boston Baked Beans.   The very first link on the results page has a wicked good list of recipes for B.B.B and a pretty nifty history lesson to boot !  ( side note: Boston Baked beans – the candy you ate as a kid)

Kim Knox Beckius authored the article for About.com and has a whole mess of good stuff on her blog Kim”s New England Travel.

I digress.

Let’s start with the Wikipedia entry for beans.   Along with the usual history, cultural, and anecdotal information,  I found two notable references.

The first,  a link to the children’s ditty,  “Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit”,  noting that it correctly identifies beans as a fruit, and giving no less than 14 variations of the the damn thing which I can’t get out of my head now.

The second is to be found in the section titled “Flatulence” and mentions the addition of vinegar to beans.   I sprinkle it on my cooked beans to this day thanks to my grandmother Rose and her daughter Ruth,  who did this just prior to consumption at the dinner table.   It adds a wonderful counter-flavor to the beans.

I digress.

These specialty beans have unique flavors and textures.  I’ve had great pleasure exploring them- tasting and trying new recipes.  I offer the links below to help you find and experience new beans.

Heirloom beans have hit the big time and afficiandos are buying them up like,… well,… hotcakes.   Seed Savers.org offers certified organic beans for your pot and Rancho Gordo has a pretty good list, too.   Purcell Mountain Farms has 3 pages of beans,  with pictures, too.

Steve Sando’s book Heirloom Beans not only looks good on the coffee table, but has stories, pics, and some pretty fair recipes, too.

A very interesting article  “Tending a legacy – Gardener toils to save vintage seeds for new generations”

A tip for bean cookery by Mark Bittman can be found at The Zest in a post titled “Magic Beans“.

Aesop is quoted as saying,  ” Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.”

If you aren’t familiar with Ecoworldly, it’s a part of GO Media,  better known as Green Options,  a site you should spend some time on.  They have  clear and very helpful discussions about sustainability.

There were a number of factors cited in the study, published in 2000, including the lower incidences of red meat consumption and tobacco use.

Sea vegetables were given credit for contributing a very positive diet influence.  Sea vegetables may sound strange. but we have a closer relationship with them than you might imagine.  Carrageenan, (known as Irish Moss),  is a by-product of carrageen and is used extensively as an emulsifying, thickening and gelling additive in ice creams, jellies, biscuits, milk shakes and frozen desserts, even in some cosmetics and medicines !

Nori is the seaweed wrapper used for sushi and can be cut into strips, for instance, and added to salads and other foods providing textural variations for otherwise common preparations.

I found a great resource here at DMOZ for sea vegetables with extensive information and links. One of which,  Sea Vegetable Cuisine by Aveline Kushi,  gives examples of use and nutritional information.

Ryan Drum has compiled a lot more information including some health specific benefits to be found in sea veggies, and Wikipedia also provides a guide.

Seth Braun, writing for eCo Times,  talks about sea vegetables and superfoods as well as algae in a second article.

Please take a few moments to check out Michael Guiry and his seaweed site.  His links lead to even more material.

*************************************************************

“I also have a lot of preserved foods, things that will keep for a long time like dried fish, seaweed or lotus seed.”

Martin Yan

It’s seen on ponds and lakes the world over and generally taken as a common eyesore and a nuisance for swimmers.  As a child we heard all kinds of stories about the deadly things that built nests in the lake weeds and were horrified when our feet happened to touch it.  One certainly doesn’t cultivate it’s presence in the pool.  Read this article at MSN Encarta and you might begin to understand why so many people believe algae may well be the wave of the future.

Solazyme, a San Francisco company, seems to be using it to make things as disparate as brownies and jet fuel.  Other companies incorporate it into fertilizers, ink, food colorings, cosmetics, pharmceuticals, and sewage treatment products

The recipe for brownies is here on The Science Channel,  Episode 102,  of Brink,  featuring a story about Solazyme  ( You will also want to checkout Brinks souped up version of a pocket flashlight, same episode ).

If you are a sushi/sashimi fan you’ve enjoyed it in the form known as “nori”.  It’s used in ice cream and chocolate milk.  Several forms of it are eaten straight up as vegetables in China,  Japan, Chile, and Ireland  The darn stuff has been in use as a food source for over 2,500 years.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale published this Ethnobotanical Leaflet which outlines some historical facts and modern usages and Wikipedia has a lot to offer on why algae is being called a super-food by some.

There’s a lot of reading here in the links, but find a time when you’ve nothing really pressing to do and take a peek.  I promise you’ll find this interesting.

There weren’t many options, however.  The early faux trees were garish aluminum things, or one might consider the fairly horrid attempts at real looking trees.

Technology has brought us fake trees that look pretty good and I’m almost nostalgic for the tin trees of yesterday.

Living christmas trees are a great way to decorate for the season.   Friends of the Urban Forest offers two suggestions to green up for the holiday. The most intriguing  is Christmas tree rental.

There are factors to consider when opting for a live tree.  About.com , Clemson Extension , and wikiHow have advice on selection and care.

There are alternatives aplenty for lights, wrapping paper, decorations, wreaths, candles, and even gift giving in this Time Magazine article.

Meanwhile, I’m going to cast a fire on the grate and mull these ideas over with a mug of hot cider.

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Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”
~ Larry Wilde, author ‘The Merry Book of Christmas’.

Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance – each beautiful, unique and too soon gone.”
~ Deborah Whipp (1964-), web designer.