A funny thing happened when I went home to Arkansas a few weekends ago. I was having lunch with a friend from high school when we got to talking about my job and my classes. Obviously, I couldn’t not mention Media and Environment to him. The conversation went kind of like this:

Him: What’s up with that weird polka-dot can in your purse? Do you carry that thing everywhere?

Me: I don’t want to have plastics leaching into my body every time I want to drink water! This aluminum can is cleaner and better for the environment.

Him: Leach? Is that the right word to use? Wouldn’t leach mean, like, sucking something out of you, not putting something into you?

Me: Shutup.

Him: So, is this whole environmental thing real, or is it just a fad? Is someone paying you to do this?

Me: It’s real! I’ve made a big turnaround the past year, because of my job, my classes and where I live.

Him: You’re a hippie now.

It’s a typical conversation with my friend, a comedian-type. But it made me open my eyes: These stereotypes really do exist. Before, I figured that people, especially young people, were catching on to the environmental movement faster than ever because of the exposure and education on it. But still, there are skeptics. I don’t think my friend is a skeptic, but just someone who has to be convinced. Of course, my shutup response to him wasn’t one of engaging conversation, but that’s kind of how our relationship is.

Maybe it’s not evident from the above, comedic conversation, but this class has taught my how to talk about the environment every day with people who care and people who could care. My friend is a smart, receptive guy, and we did get into a more intelligent conversation about energy use, the nuclear power plant in Arkansas and other green issues. I was taken aback by how I was able to roll with the punches in our 1-2 conversation.

That same weekend in Arkansas, I was speaking at a high school journalism convention in Rogers (Rogers, Bentonville, all of where I’m from = Wal-Mart Country). During my stay at the Embassy Suites, I noticed that the Wal-Mart Sustainability Conference was going on as well.

Normally, I am unenthusiastic about anything that has to do with Wal-Mart (I come from a town that has three SuperCenters and a Neighborhood Market, so you can see how refreshed I am living in Lawrence where there is SuperTarget and local business), but I was intrigued by this conference. Of course, I wasn’t able to sneak in and catch a glimpse of Adam Webach or any other Wal-Mart SuperHeroes, but I was impressed that I knew that if I did run into somebody like that at the hotel, I would be able to have a conversation with a little depth.

And that’s the biggest, most important thing that I will take away from this class: The power of conversation. Not lectures, not discussions, not talks. Conversation. From Wiki:

Conversation is the verbalization of concepts involving abstractions and concrete objects which make up the world we live in.

A conversation is communication by two or more people, or by ones self. Conversations are the ideal form of communication in some respects, since they allow people with different views of a topic to learn from each other.

I can’t wait for these conversations to catch fire even more. It’s going to be an exciting adventure in the world of environmentalism. Soon, “the world” will be able to mean the same thing as “the world of environmentalism.” I’m so happy to have had a running start because of this class. We just need to keep the conversation rolling.

My best,

Kim Wallace

I’m just going to come out and say it: I heart John Mayer.

Photo by Kim Wallace | I waited four hours in the rain to get to the front row to see John at Uptown Theater in Kansas City in 2005. In 2006, I saw him in St. Louis (but not as close). I’m planning to see him in Mountain View, Calif., this summer, if all goes as planned…

Now, you may be thinking, “What the heck does this have to do with our environmental blog, Kim?”

Well, I’m a crazed fan, and I really like to keep up with what he’s doing because he’s my favorite musician. I read his blog, his fan blogs and any other JM-related stuff. Laugh it up, chuckles. Laugh it up.

So of course it caught my attention when I learned that John was getting all emo eco on me. He played at Live Earth and partnered with Reverb, a non-profit that “educates and engages musicians and their fans to promote environmental sustainability” for his 2007 summer tour. He designs and sells eco-friendly (but expensive—that’s another post) tote bags on his website.

But John’s newest venture got me wondering a bit.

He’s partnered with ReProduct, a green greeting card company that prides itself on the reuse of its cards. John designed a collection of cards that are “made from environmentally healthy plastic.”

Does that even make sense?

But it gets better: Instead of chucking the card when it’s time to clear what you’ve hoarded and pack-ratted for months, you can send the card back to the company so that it may be re-purposed into Shaw carpet tile backing.

That means that USPS is going to be driving a ways back and forth and around to redistribute these babies.

I’m just not sure that the supposed eco-friendliness of this product outweighs what can easily be done with conventional, recycled-paper cards: Receive card. Take out money. Put card in recycling bin. Take recycling to the curb/to Wal-Mart recycling center. Spend green on shoes.

ReProduct could have saved so much paper by NOT encouraging the mailing cycle, and could have refused “healthy plastics” by using recycled paper—there’s enough of it to go around, right?

But did John think of that? I just wonder how schooled he is in the pros and cons of the sustainability market. Sure, I’m no expert, but it seems that if I was a famous person, I would want to think before I added my name to something “eco.” I won’t stop loving him for this, but I just wonder why he couldn’t have just designed a cool e-card for Care2 and said to hell with all tangible greeting cards, paper or plastic?

Do you think some celebrities are as schooled in the environment as they need to be? John doesn’t claim to be an eco-hottie, but you could put him in that category for the different things he’s been doing.

What do you think about the pros and cons of the sustainability initiative? Is it really give and take, as it seemed to be with the LEED video we watched in class, as well as this ReProduct company? Can anything EVER be zero-waste? Should companies be allowed to claim “zero-waste”? Tell me, tell me, tell me!

-Kim “I-Wish-I-Was-An-Eco-Hottie” Wallace

Taken from mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY

1. To no one’s surprise, Vanity Fair’s annual ‘Green’ issue wasn’t very green at all. Condé opted out of using recycled paper and no mention of VF’s environmental practices was made in the magazine. Frank Locantore of the Magazine PAPER Project pointed out to Folio: that Every Day With Rachael Ray, by contrast, uses 85 percent recycled paper.

2. Women’s Health is bulking up its environmental content. The mag will be teaming up with the Environmental Media Association to appeal to environmentally conscious advertisers and will debut a new column, “In Focus Planet”, written by Alexandra Cousteau. Cousteau — the granddaughter of explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, will see her column debut in the July/August issue.

-Kim

The Baker University Wetlands, South 31^st Street and Haskell Avenue, is home to more than 250 birds, more than 400 plants and 20 frogs, reptiles and amphibians.

Photo by Kim Wallace

What if I told you that, at any given moment, you could spot a bald eagle soaring through the sky or a fallen branch packed with monarch butterflies fluttering around the ground? What if I showed you a sweet spot to take in a Lawrence sunrise or sundown, where you could sit undisturbed and take in the magnificence of what nature offers us here in town? Would you think that this place exists only in the forests of Clinton Lake State Park or somewhere else that is a drive away?

If I tell you this too late, then you could be right—this wonder of plants and animals would be a drive away—a 10-lane drive away. This beauty that exists in our own backyards is that of the Baker, or Wakarusa, Wetlands, at 31^st Street and Haskell Avenue.

Old-school Lawrencians know the argument front and back: Those for “growth” see this area of land as a perfect stretch to connect the South Lawrence Trafficway, which currently deadens at Iowa Street near Toyota and Hollywood Theaters, around to K-10—a straight shot through land that many Natives consider sacred and holy. Those who are “no-growth” oppose the “unnecessary” traffic that the highway would create—creating more problems in addition to the 23^rd Street traffic mess rather than alleviating it. For a city of Lawrence’s size—a projected 107,349, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA—“no-growth” Lawrencians feel that there is no need for additional traffic routes in a city of 28.7 square miles.

But, whether you are “growth” or “no growth,” Native American or not, you should feel connected to the land. It doesn’t have to be for religious or spiritual reasons. The simplicity of this land, which is home to 255 species of birds and 417 species of plants, offers a serene space for escape from bustling University life and the “go, go, go” mentality of today’s busy person. If you must consider how you can benefit from this area before you consider the sacredness of others, I offer you this:

Serenity. Enjoy a sunset or a sunrise by the marsh while you listen to chirping crickets and birds. Watch snakes glide through the water while butterflies fly through the sky. Breathe fresh air into your air-conditioned lungs.

Space. Take time to think alone or with a close friend. Absorb the silence that this space in the wetlands has to offer, and reflect upon your day and future days while you take in sights that are not part of your normal routine.

Sound. Trek through the lands and step on crunchy leaves, or wiggle your toes in newly grown grass. Listen as the wind sings and chimes make their beautiful, wind-blown music.

This is a place that offers a kind of harmony that is untouched, unparalleled, to any park, nature center or exhibit out there. You don’t need a tour guide to tell you how to take in the depth of beauty here—it’s to each his or her own, and every one will experience it differently.

For those who are not interested in taking in the sights and sounds of this wonder, consider the historical value of the wetlands: Native Americans performed “49s,” or war journey dances, on these very grounds during the early days when Haskell University was a boarding school for runaway Natives. This 49 tradition started in the heart of these wetlands, and 49s are still an integral aspect of Native American culture. Children who died more than 200 years ago are marked on the grounds of the Wetlands, but the whereabouts of these bodies—whether they are buried in the heart of the wetlands or closer to 23^rd Street—is still unknown and undocumented. Preserving the land for the sake of respect to those who passed is just another reason why these lands should be precious to all, directly connected or not.

Native American spiritual beliefs center around respect for all land and natural entities. This land symbolizes a sacred place for these people—much like a church, a cross, or any other mainstream religious symbol may mean something to you. This land is not something Natives visit once a week; it is something they tread on day in, day out, and it is where they reflect while offering others the same opportunity to reflect. Some Native American spiritual stories say that in the beginning, the earth was covered completely with water until an otter got mud in its paw and brought land to surface. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, this beautiful idea of interconnectedness that Native Americans hinge their earth’s creation upon showcase the highest respect for even the tiniest of creatures—and those tiniest of creatures can be found in the wetlands.

Those who are interested in environmental causes should know that besides the vast amount of plant and animal lives that call the wetlands home, there is also much to be said of this area for the Midwest region of the U.S. This area was identified as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1969 and a Natural and Scientific Area by the State of Kansas in 1987, according to Baker University. These wetlands have produced more bird biodiversity than any other area of comparable size in the entire Midwest. How’s that for bragging rights?

But, this could all be gone if the Kansas Department of Transportation continues on with a plan to build 10 lanes of traffic through the area. The proposed remedy would be to have a nature center or sound barricades to limit traffic noises, but the truth is that these barricades would never equal the peace of the sounds that exist there now. And to put nature in a glass box (or nature center, however you want to describe it) doesn’t foster the idea of enjoying nature in its purest, natural form. It reminds me of the song lyric, “Took all the trees, put ‘em in a tree museum/And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ‘em.” (Big Yellow Taxi/Joni Mitchell). We are to enjoy what we have here for free—land, sunsets, fresh air—and not package it up as a consumer product.

Visit the online home of the Baker/Wakarusa Wetlands to find out how you can act now to save this integral part of Native American, Lawrence, and ultimately YOUR history. Because Native American history is AMERICAN history.

“Dont it always seem to go that you dont know what you’ve got til it’s gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…”

-Kim

Stories and ideas of respect for land are passed down by elders from generation to generation in Native American culture.

Photo by Russ Stokes:http://www.flickr.com/people/schooksonruss/

If we page through our history books, most of us can find specific themes of intolerance and domination between Native Americans and westerners throughout the years: Land. Religion. Drug use. These misunderstandings(an understatement)have caused rifts that continue on today, as cities grow larger and communities grow older. Differences in ideas and inabilities to communicate and understand conflicts of interest keep the fire alive in the battles between western ideas of progression and Native American ideas of preservation.

Locally, the Wakarusa, or Baker, Wetlands, are one example of gross misunderstanding among Lawrence residents. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), as well as many Lawrencians, are in favor of a proposed 10-lane trafficway that would cut straight through the Wetlands and supposedly lessen heavy traffic on 23^rd Street. This traffic way would connect West Lawrence with East Lawrence, and get commuters back and forth between surrounding cities. What seems like a progressive move on the planning side is a perilous move on the emotional and environmental side.

To Natives, these Wetlands are sacred grounds that are home to spirits and spirituality. To non-humans, these Wetlands are home to 255 species of exotic and (some) endangered birds, including the American symbol of freedom, the bald eagle. Yet, to those who prefer convenience and growth, these Wetlands should be home to pound after pound of paint and pavement.

On a national and historical scale, these incidences are not uncommon. Court cases from the 20 years ago, such as Lyng vs. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association, document the strifes and misunderstandings that go along with any case involving Native Americans and land destruction. In that case, the government wanted to build a road through a national forest that was sacred to Native American religion, which “depend upon privacy, silence, and an undisturbed natural setting.” Similar arguments—intrusion on sacred land, prohibition on peaceful exercise of religion—were used then, suggesting that these Natives pass down, from generation to generation, ideas of preservation and respect for holy land that westerns are unable to grasp because of differences in appreciation.

These ideas of misunderstanding and disrespect for those who hold different things dear to their hearts is at the center of controversies that involve Native Americans and land. One side will always argue that what belongs to one in the eyes of the current law seals the deal—such as the case with the Baker Wetlands belonging to Baker University. The other side will always counter with the idea that common courtesy and respect for a minority that has always taken the short end of the deal since day one should be honored, or at least compromised with, in order to maintain community harmony and order. Whichever way the Native American story is sliced, almost anybody who barely paid attention in history should be able to predict the ending…unless you stand up and voice a powerful opinion now.

If you’re interested in preserving the Wetlands, let your voice be heard at City Hall, the local newspaper and in Wetlands cyberspace.

-Kim

Hi friends,

Remember my post about the magazine industry? I just read on mediabistro.com that one of my favorite magazines (and the one I worked at during my winter internship) is getting even greener. Women’s Health is pretty solid, and Rodale, its publishing company, is the same that published An Inconvenient Truth.

Celebs and green? Fine by me.

For your enjoyment.

-Kim (sorry, I couldn’t get the link to work)

Women’s Health to Up Green, Celeb Content

Lucia Moses

APRIL 14, 2008 -

Continuing an effort to increase its green-focused content, Women’s Health is teaming up with the Environmental Media Association to launch awareness-raising, celebrity-studded events and introducing a new column with Alexandra Cousteau, called In Focus Planet, with the July/August issue.

WH hopes that owning the green space will help it appeal to a wide range of advertisers (event sponsors Keen Footwear and Aveda are new clients). The goal also is to help the Rodale title grow by increasing its involvement with celebrities both in and out of book and thus grow its reach with influencer women.

Don’t expect to see stars on the cover, though; WH editor Tina Johnson said the magazine would stick with using fit and trim models.

NOTE: This is a makeup post from one of the weeks when I was gone. Please comment! —Kim

I am a magazine fanatic. I subscribe to seven (7!) lucky magazines that live in neat, organized stacks in my bedroom, bathroom, coffee table and other places around my apartment.

Each month, I squeal with delight when I find my mailbox stuffed with glossy pages of fashion, beauty and other photographic delights. It’s like getting a present each month, even though the present is basically re-gifted (does that count as green?) ideas from the previous month/season/year.

To make this monthly present really seem like a present (that you paid for in advance or keep getting $12 collection notices about, grrr), some publishing houses are taking it upon their marketing genius to encase their glossies in a fine cloud of….plastic packaging.

photo by kim wallace

Yay! So I get see-through wrapping paper, at no additional cost, to put all those annoying blow-in cards (you know, the millions of rectangular subscription cards that magazines pepper themselves with each month) inside.

Wrong. The additional cost is huge. Of the seven magazines I subscribe to, five of them are delivered to me in plastic each month. That’s 60 pieces of plastic packaging that ends up in the landfill from me, via these publishing companies, each year.

The publishing company’s only legitimate reason to send shrinkwrapped magazines, I think, is to save on postage. Most times, there’s always something extra in that packaging—a bill (ahem), a renewal notice (which leads to another bill), a solicitation from a sister magazine, or some other little “bonus” booklet from the magazine. (FYI, my “little bonuses” this month were renewal notices.)

In an effort to combat this waste that overtakes my bathroom trash can, I have devised a greening plan for the magazine industry that includes other areas of the publishing process.

Don’t use plastic packaging! If you really want me to feel like I’m getting a present each month, pay for a subscription for me (and offer me a job when I move to New York in a couple of years.)

Quit sending me renewal notices (and bills!). Switch to an all electronic system for notices, or if you must, offer switch incentives to people who receive paper notices.

Stop going crazy green only for your March/April issues just because Earth Day is April 22. Incorporate green, even if it’s just a column, every month, because face it: every day is Earth Day. Challenge your readers to try new green things, even if they are of the light green shade.

Consider soy or vegetable ink for your printing needs. Soy ink has low VOC (volatile organic compound) levels, which keep your book from smelling like death. And, soy ink produces just as rich and vibrant colors as conventional, toxic ink produces.

Promote the reuse and recycle aspect of the 3R’s with your publication. Encourage pass-along to your subscribers (this increases readership and will likely gain you Web traffic from curious newbies) and be more courageous with your recycling campaign than the “Please Recycle This Magazine” symbol on your masthead. Realize your power.

Incorporate that slogan at the end of each editor’s note (some readers idolize particular editors—if you can convince me to *buy $300 shoes, you can convince me to recycle a magazine!).

And, of course, do all the necessary office revisions (things us readers usually don’t see, unless of course, you’re in the magazine world): Use CFLs, stock your vending machines/kitchens with local/organic food, dim the lights (it makes for easier vision when your glamorous editors are hunched over their Macs) or try to use natural/New York City streetlights when possible.

Let us know what you’re doing to be green! We love hearing this positive stuff, and it encourages us, the readers, to be more like you—trend or no trend, light or dark green. Your power is ENORMOUS and what you do influences us all. Make sound, thoroughly researched choices.

—Kim

*I have never actually been swayed into buying $300 shoes, though I’m sure millions of women, with the power of Visa, have!

One thing that struck me as I was viewing different families’ weekly food consumption around the world was the lack of fruits and vegetables at the Americans’ table. Both the North Carolina and the California families displayed different colored food at each respective table, but those vibrant colors came from punchy packaging and wild ink splashed across cardboard and plastic. At tables across the globe, greens and other earth-tones showed up on the cutting board, reminiscent of diets lower on the food chain and, seemingly, less expensive on the wallet.

The time-old argument that “Americans eat junk food” almost always falls on deaf ears–we’re immune to this chastisement over and over again because these words are never personified–until now. Without the images attached to the copy, this post would have been just another chart and comparison of eating habits around the world. But, seeing the smiling faces of people with different skin color, clothing and shelter really makes you stop and think about what the food really means in a culture.

For example, look at the Japanese family. They are sprawled out on cushions on the floor, surrounded by fresh fish, steamed rice and juicy fruits. I bet their kitchen always smells good. All for $317.

Fast forward to the North Carolinians. They are seated comfortably on dining chairs with food spread about their kitchen counters and dining table. Bright bursts of red, purple, yellow and blue dominate the image–but these colors come not from delicious fruits and vegetables, but from saturated inks and dyes on paper and plastic packaging. This comes at a cost of $348–and maybe a few extra pounds.

The Mexicans look like they have it best. They have a whole table devoted to bananas, watermelons, avocados, tomatoes and other fresh goodies. I’m not sure if they’re going to turn that into delicious guac or salsa later, but the fact that it will be by their own hands instead of by a machine’s is enough to convince me to dine on some salty chips and guacamole. This, plus other goodies for a week, is earth-shatteringly cheap–$189.

This photo project definitely put how the world eats in perspective, especially for those who have never been abroad. For me, coming from an Asian-American background and having been to my mother’s home country, Vietnam, looking at this post gave me more insight to non-Asian countries as well as European countries and their eating habits. Sure, you can rely on the stereotypical “Germans eat Franks and Japanese eat sushi” food typing, but with pictures, you can see that it is so much more. I’ve always joked that if you could take a look at the different food I was raised on, as a multicultural American, you would see a t-bone steak and a bowl of rice.

What would I see from you?

Kim

Food logs are so embarrassing. I don’t want people to know what kind of crap/fast food I’ve fueled my body with just to get through the day. I’m too chicken.

Yup, that’s me.

Luckily, today has been OK, though I’m still a little shy to share. Here’s what I fed myself today:

Breakfast, 7:30 a.m.: Tully’s Kona blend coffee with a little bit of Horizon Organic non-fat milk and three tablespoons (I have a sweet tooth) of non-organic sugar. I think that non-organic sugar cancelled out the goodness (organic, non-fat) of what I fed my body.

Grade: C I should have eaten breakfast. (I have a delicious organic cereal, but I’d rather feed myself 10 more minutes of sleep than feed myself food.)

Breakfast part II, 7:50 a.m.: Arrive on campus and decide that I’m starving. Considering I will probably need my lunch break to finish up a short response paper for my 1 p.m. class (I’m behind in class), I decide that I should just eat a little something to hold me over until I get to go home. So, I head to the Underground and grab a Chik-fil-A chicken biscuit and inhale it before I get to my First Amendment class at 8 a.m.

Grade: F I should have eaten breakfast at home! What a waste of$2 and 420 calories. I could have gotten some fruit. That would have been too healthy, though.

Class, 11 a.m.: Finish up my short essay that I was planning on doing at lunch, but decide that I should probably eat with my friends at the Union. Good thing it was an individual workshop day, so I wasn’t being too much of a bad student by quietly typing away on the computer in class.

Lunch, 12:35 p.m.: I hate days when high school seniors or other random visitors are on campus and like to flood the Union at lunch. It’s already crowded in there. I wanted to get something very unhealthy, such as nachos, but opted for a spicy chicken sandwich with vegetables (non-organic, I’m sure) and baked Lays. I washed it down with a Vault, the ridiculous energy soda that has enough caffeine in it to kill a small child.

Grade: D Nothing about my lunch was good for me, though the caffeine did help me get through the day. The Union has an OK selection of organic options, but most of the items are snack foods or smoothie drinks. I usually get water or tea, but I was really craving caffeine today.

Dinner, 6 p.m.: Not really hungry. Too stressed out with the thought of the looming workload that this week has in store for me. Decide to make some Oolong tea to calm myself while I figure out what to eat. Still, nothing sounds good. Put a piece of whole wheat bread into the toaster, wait half a minute, then spread some non-organic Jif peanut butter and organic honey (from Mexico and Brazil, arrrrgh) onto my sad dinner plate. My dessert is a milk chocolate caramel Ghirardelli square. (Who eats dessert after eating peanut butter for dinner? Me. Told you, sweet tooth.)

Grade: Hell, I don’t even know anymore. It seems like my eating was kind of messed up today.

The night is still young. Knowing myself, I’ll probably continue to graze on random sweets or tea tonight as I finish up my work. My diet tells me that I am an OK food consumer who usually falls victim to fast food when faced with the time constraints and stress of campus life. And, I’m a chicken. I just looked through my freezer: frozen chicken breasts and frozen chicken tenders. I’m pretty sure they’re not GMO-free, either. But, I confess, they were either 1) cheap or 2) free.

On the days when I don’t go to school and am at work, I take time to pack a decent lunch of soup and snacks, and I am a mindful shopper—but I only like to get groceries every two weeks. So, when I’m running low (like I am now—if only you could see my sad refrigerator—I’ll try to post a picture), I tend to be running low as far as my dietary habits and health are concerned. I’ve worked in organic foods where I can, but the biggest problem is dining out and rushed eating.

How do you be careful about what you eat when you are in a hurry or going to a restaurant with friends? Not every chain has caught on to the organic food movement, so it has to be impossible for everybody to eat local or organic all the time. Any tips?

—Kim Wallace

Forge friendships while shopping for food at your local farmers’ market/ photo by Frank Thompson

Local farmers and artisans, please forgive me for this one:

After reading Local eating for global change, I thought that that tip number four, find your local farmers’ market, was a little too obvious. But then, it occurred to me—I’ve lived in Lawrence for close to four years, and I have yet to visit the Downtown Lawrence Farmers Market.

Guess I underestimated the power of being obvious.

It’s not that I don’t want to pay a little more for fresh, local-grown food. I usually allot more money for fruits and veggies, because I don’t enjoy licking pesticides.

It’s not that I don’t want to interact with enthusiastic members of the community. One of my favorite activities is strolling down Mass St. and seeing familiar faces. Lawrencians are also some of the most interesting people.

So what is it, then?

Local farmers and artisans, I’m biting my tongue at this one:

I never know when or where the markets are.

Guess I should have taken tip number four more seriously.

Sure, I know the market is downtown. But sometimes the locations change or hearsay gets the best of me.

Excuses, I know. Slap me in the face. Shake your heads at me. It’s only a Google search away. There’s probably a sign (albeit a small one) downtown. But somehow, someway, the DLFM is always an afterthought. But I’m willing to change that.

But then another thing catches me off-guard. As I continue to peruse the Web site, I notice something else that keeps me away from the market:

Come early to the Saturday Market and experience the ringing of the bell - the official opening of the market at 7:00 am.

I, and most college students like me, have never met 7 a.m. on a Saturday. Morning, to me, is about 11 a.m.—precisely when the market closes.

So what can students do to forge a connection with local produce markets? Last semester, a sociology class at KU analyzed reasons why students don’t make it to the Market. The primary concern was lack of information and conflicting time schedules.

Time schedules seems legit to me. But lack of information—that one baffles me now. The plethora of resources at my fingertips is amazing. I didn’t know other options for local food existed beyond The Merc!, the Market and Local Burger—but this is also coming from the person who never could pin down the right dates and times for the Market.

So, a solution?

KU students should reach out to the broader Lawrence community—which includes the Market. The DLFM should reach out to KU students—a niche group that is receptive to trends and the green movement. With the Center for Sustainability on campus and KU’s new focus on organic food in campus eateries, why not sponsor a Farmers Market day on campus this spring? Bring vendors to the heart of Lawrence—KU—to set up camp on the green in front of Stauffer-Flint or Fraser Hall. Then, start conversations with vendors and students so that the vital messages—location, time, season—gets across.

Maybe that would make that Market a little easier for students to find.

By Kim Wallace