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Health & Fitness

Good, Glorious (Nutritious) Food!

Low Carbon footprint food — right here!

What time is it, Boys & Girls?

It’s time to start our gardening and growing season, East Enders!

But, first, let us recognize and congratulate the profoundly visionary, practical, and trend-setting work of our own , just awarded the prestigious, National Green Ribbon Recognition School as a green LEED-certified school! As in all community efforts, there are so many, many people involved to appreciate and thank for working every day to improve our lives. BRAVA and BRAVO to every single pair of hands, kids' and adults' alike, hours of time, meeting, organizing, and brainstorming that sends a resilliant supercharge into the lives of us all.

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The Good Ground Community Gardeners enjoyed a fun-filled Corned Beef & Cabbage St. Paddy’s Day Fund-Raising Supper, let more people know about our (their) garden, and raised some $3,000 for new beds, and for our planned Good Ground Community Garden Greenhouse.

Experts like Dr. Vandana Shiva (1993 Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) and the 2010 Sydney Peace Prize), continually remind us that small, non-fossil fuel-dependent; non-industrialized mono-cropped food production, which means organic (most pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers are made from fossil fuels), local, and nutritious; is what will provide the diversity of food we need to feed the people on Earth today. http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/05/02 Growing numbers of scientists, economists, world leaders, farmers and educators agree.

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A recent trip to the supermarket to buy celery, broccoli and onions cost me $9. (That’s NINE DOLLARS.) These weren’t even the organic choices! Who can sustain these prices? As Vandana Shiva points out, in addition to the price at the cash register, how much chemical (fossil fuel-dependent) pesticide, herbicide, fertilizer, water and gas miles did these three vegetables require to get them to the supermarket? Our tax dollars subsidize this BIG AG chemical-fix, so we pay for that on TOP of what we see on the store receipt. As gas prices rise, so rise the prices at our supermarkets, where EVERYTHING is trucked in.

Now that we are past peak oil, peak soil, and peak water, this only gets worse. World food prices have increased 40% and keep rising. Nobody and no nation can sustain this trend for much longer. Is it or is it not a basic human right to have access to affordable, nutritious food? Commodities markets and international trade law-makers do not think so; and greedily sell out to the highest global bidder, as 1 billion human beings each day on Earth, starve.

How do we assure that we have access to affordable, nutritious food in our community? Many ways! Our LEED certified Middle School building itself, our Good Ground Community Garden (now in it’s second growing year), and the fabulous efforts of our administrators, teachers, students and volunteers, are glorious accomplishments of a powerful, low carbon footprint way forward.  And, we’re gonna need it! Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm http://www.localharvest.org/csa/, join or start a local community garden (Good Ground Community Garden: jmoran@hbschools.us or jleopard@hbschools.us shop at the local farmers markets and farm stands.  

Another idea: Instead of spraying those dandelions in our yards to kill them … do we realize how nutritious and delicious their greens are? Instead of mowing up acres of grasses that demand excessive chemicals and water to survive … how ‘bout carving up a section and growing our own greens, carrots, beans, tomatoes, squash, potatoes and herbs, and save hundreds at the supermarket? Sure, it is work, and due to our neighbors, the deer (who also love these foods), investing in a deer fence is important…but it is a one-time expense that will pay off in good food and good health for us and our entire community, for the rest of our lives. And if you cannot do all the labor in your garden, why not call in a CROP MOB to help? http://cropmob.org   http://cropmob.org/find-a-mob-near-you, visit the Food Revolution Summit calendar page.

Happy gardening, happy farm marketing, and learn more:
http://cleanfoodearth.blogspot.com  
 

All hands in the dirt!  Hey, We’ve All Gotta Eat!!

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