———————– ** Fresh Green Beans ** ———————– Grown in Kansas. Eaten Worldwide.

Visiting local farmer’s markets in Kansas City is a pastime that many people enjoy. What’s not to like? Buying fresh food from local farmers is cheap and it’s fun to see all of the various goods for sale.

This picture was taken at the City Market in downtown Kansas City. Picture courtesy of Google.

However, have you ever wondered what kinds of farms the food comes from? Well, there’s a good chance you could be eating produce that was grown at the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture or KCCUA.

This program was founded by Daniel Dermitzel, a German who came to Kansas City after working as a television news producer in Los Angeles. After working the O.J. Simpson trial in L.A., Daniel realized he needed a career change and that is when he first became interested in farming. According to the KCCUA Web site, Daniel is interested in increasing the productivity of his farm with advanced technology.

After speaking with Daniel, I learned about community supported agriculture, which is when a group of people invests in a farm, and then shares the produce in the end. By doing this, everyone shares in both the benefits and risks associated with farming. If instead you choose to buy food at the grocery store, the farmer carries the risk alone. And when the farmer has a bad season, prices skyrocket and everyone has to pay.

Source: Notes from field trip on 3.7.08

In conclusion, buying food from local farmers in Kansas City is a great idea. Not only are you helping out your neighbor, you can also feel good about eating fresh, locally grown products. If you are more interested in learning about the KCCUA, they have paid and unpaid apprenticeships, as well as volunteer programs. Just visit their Web site to get more information.

Lindsay Crupper

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A topic that has come under discussion recently is urban agriculture. The Web site Collective Roots defines urban agriculture as “the production of food within the boundaries of a city. Urban agriculture can be a pot of herbs grown on a balcony, backyard gardening, rooftop gardening, greenhouses, market and community gardens, edible landscaping, and even beekeeping.”

In today’s world with the constantly increasing food and gas prices, urban agriculture sounds like a great idea!

According to the Collective Roots Web site, the idea of urban agriculture is not a new one. During World War II, it was common for Americans to grow victory gardens in support of the troops. The idea was for people to eat their own crops so that more agricultural goods could be sent to the soldiers abroad.

And since WWII, as city populations have increased, so has the amount of city farming. According to the Web site City Farms: Journey to Forever, “it was estimated in 1993 that city farms were contributing 15% to world food production and it was expected to grow to 33% by 2005.”

Regarding population increases, the City Farms Web site also says that, “Cities cover only 2% of the Earth’s surface but consume 75% of its resources. Cities are black holes, they’re swallowing our planet. But, more and more, they’re turning green.”

An example of an urban farm in busy West Chicago. Picture courtesy of newfarm.org.

In conclusion, urban agriculture is a great solution. As the world’s population continues to grow and more people move into cities, we have a huge opportunity to take advantage of. Why not feed more people in a more economical and environmentally friendly way? People will save money by not having to pay for the transportation of food and local farmers would thrive because they could sell their goods to their own neighbors. Overall, this is a win-win situation for everyone.

Lindsay Crupper

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As the school year comes to an end, I find myself looking back on all that I have learned in my Media and the Environment class. I have to admit that when the semester first started, I was a little intimidated by the Internet component of this class.

Up until January, I had rarely heard the term blog, let alone actually written one. But after jumping into this task head first, I feel very comfortable with writing blogs. I even did a Google Search on myself and I found links to my various class blogs.

Not only will I be able to show off my work to my friends and family this way, potential employers will also be able to get a glimpse of my work on the web.

The main reason I signed up for this class was because I was interested in learning the adverse effects that climate change is having on our world. I also wanted to learn ways in which I could become more eco-friendly so that I could not only change my own lifestyle, but also the lifestyles of my friends and family too.

After taking this class, I am not only more aware of my own consumption, but other people’s consumption as well. There have been several times where I picked an aluminum can out of the trash and put it in the recycle bin just a few feet away. I even got my mother to purchase reusable bags for the grocery store and am very proud that she is actually using them!

While I realize that all of these steps are small, I feel good that I am slowly becoming more environmentally friendly. I think that large corporations are not going to change the world, but rather individuals who make that decision and then influence others. I am proud to say that I am now one of those kinds of people, and that hopefully, if we all work together, we can give back more than we have already taken from our beautiful planet.

Photo courtesy of Google.

Lindsay

In today’s day and age of celebrity obsession, it is hard to dismiss the power of celebrities because they are simply everywhere. Whether we are standing in line at the grocery store checkout or chatting around the water cooler at work, the hot celebrity topics seem to be constantly shoved in our faces. Not that I mind. I enjoy reading my US Weekly and watching Entertainment Tonight, but even I have to admit that sometimes it is just too much.

For example, I work for a morning news show in Kansas City. For about a month, every newscast we had included a Britney Spears story.

The newscast would transition from the latest local news story to Britney’s crazy antics. It was obvious that the anchors were also getting tired of having to read Britney stories day after day. However, there is a way to use Britney’s image in a positive way. Since it seems that celebrities are everywhere, why not use their popularity for good? And for that matter, why not use their popularity to help the environment?

Many people know that Hollywood has jumped onto the environmental bandwagon in some respect. For example, movie star Leonardo DiCaprio is a huge environmental activist who is a well-known friend and ally of Al Gore.

While many celebrities are seen driving hybrid cars and promoting the green movement in their own ways, why not get the celebrities more organized and use their popularity to the fullest extent. For example, find every green product out there and sign up willing celebs to be the spokespeople for it.

This sounds like a good idea initially. However, it could potentially backfire. For example, what if a celebrity that you absolutely hated became the rep for a new green product? Would you automatically turn against that product? Or what if another celebrity became involved in a highly publicized scandal? Would people be turned away from green products and issues because the celebs who represent those products are morally compromised? Or would people even care that much about their personal lives in the first place?

Lindsay

If you are from the Kansas City area, you have probably attended at least one concert at Sandstone Ampitheater, located in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Open since 1984, an announcement was made last September that the venue would close by the end of the year.

However, a new company just purchased the rights to reopen the venue and their goal is to make Sandstone as environmentally friendly as possible. According to the Sandstone Ampitheater Web site, a few of their ideas that have already been implemented include:

- Switching from paper towels to hand dryers in the bathrooms

- Using recycled toilet paper, napkins and plates

- Installing energy efficient lighting

- Setting up paper, plastic and cell phone recycling receptacles

- Planting a garden for caterers to grow veggies

- Allowing fans to park for free if they carpool or drive alternative fuel vehicles

Some of Sandstone’s plans for the future include:

- Installing solar panels and wind turbines

- Installing high efficiency toilets, urinals and faucets

- Attaining LEED Certification, which is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Source: http://sandstoneamp.com/

While all of these initiatives sound awesome, the question to ask is will they actually work? Do you think that more people will go to concerts at Sandstone because of these initiatives or do you think people will even care?

Also, do you think the owners of Sandstone will keep up on these initiatives? For example, what if they realize that they need more money and are forced to charge people for parking again? Or what if no one wants to buy the veggies because they would rather have a burger?

Jack Johnson will be performing the first “environmentally friendly” concert with special guests Rogue Wave and Neil Halstead on Friday August 15th.

If you are someone who would not normally purchase tickets to see Jack Johnson, would you be interested in going to the concert just to see the changes at Sandstone? Let me know!

Lindsay

When we think about companies that are becoming more environmentally friendly, Wal-Mart may not be the first company to pop into many people’s minds. However, Wal-Mart is now near the top of the list. In Dallas, Wal-Mart has just recently built an experimental store that is completely environmentally friendly.

Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0726-walmart.html

According to the mongabay Web site, the new store has a wind turbine in the parking lot, no flush urinals in the men’s rooms, and has incorporated other creative ways for saving heat, electricity, and water at the store. Wal-Mart admits that some of their ideas will ultimately fail, but it is important that they are making the effort in the first place.

Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0726-walmart.html

Wal-Mart makes a good point here. While it may be costly at first to make all of these environmental changes, what do they really have to lose? Not only will they be saving money in the end by becoming more efficient, but they will also gain the respect of their customers. While some Wal-Mart customers may not be sold on climate change, who wouldn’t want a company to be more resourceful. Also, with these new initiatives, Wal-Mart may garner more customers. They might take business away from competitors like Target, who have not made these essential changes yet.

However, despite all of Wal-Mart’s efforts, many are still skeptical. As many people know, Wal-Mart has a history of not being the best company to work for. Not only have they been accused of treating their employees badly (either by not paying them adequately or refusing health care), but they also sell a large supply of products from China instead of American made products.

However, others recognize that with the magnitude of its size and success, many other companies will follow in Wal-Mart’s footsteps. According to an article written for washingtonpost.com last September, Charles Fishman, author of “The Wal-Mart Effect,” is one of those people. “Wal-Mart is so large that when Wal-Mart changes how it does business, most businesses have to come along.”

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090602689.html

And so, whether Wal-Mart is turning green for the environment or for other selfish reasons is not important. What is important is that other corporations follow Wal-Mart’s lead and change their businesses to become environmentally friendly as well. I feel that when corporations from all over the globe step up to Wal-Mart’s example, everyone will benefit in the end.

Lindsay

Food Diary for Saturday, March 2nd, 2008:

Breakfast: One Krispy Kreme glazed dougnut from work.

Lunch: One grilled cheese sandwich.

Dinner: One order of calamari.

That might sound like an unusual food day for most people, but for me it was pretty normal. I hate doughuts, but I was late to a work meeting and didn’t have time to eat before I left.

I didn’t have any groceries at home, so after digging through my pantry, all that I could come up with was cheese and bread. I didn’t even have anything to drink with it.

And later that evening, when I went out to happy hour at the Hereford House, all that I could afford was an appetizer of calamari.

As far as nutrition goes, this certaintly wasn’t my best day. A sugar encrusted pastry is never a good way to start the day, and I had even forgotten that I gave up sweets for Lent.

While grilled cheese might be good for a growing kid, white bread is never a healthy option. For some reason, I just can’t seem to make myself enjoy wheat.

And even though calamari might be healthy by itself, when it is coated in bread, that has to take away from the nutritional value.

What I learned about myself is this–I definitely put more emphasis on budget and time constraints than I do on nutritional quality. If I had woken up just ten minutes earlier, I probably could have made myself oatmeal or cereal instead of eating the doughnut. If I had more money, I could have bought wheat bread for my grilled cheese instead of white. Or I could have bought a salad on the regular menu, instead of an appetizer on the happy hour menu.

There are two questions I want to ask. First, when we don’t have a lot of time and money, how are we expected to eat healthy?

And second, after reading the ethanol article , how are average Americans going to be able to afford feeding their families when it is obvious that the cost of food is definitely going to rise?

Lindsay

When I read the assignment for this week, I was actually pretty excited to see where I would rank regarding trash consumption. When I picked through my trash, I came up with three major categories: paper, food, and plastic and cardboard containers.

I realized that the majority of my trash was paper products. That wasn’t surprising considering the fact that the EPA says that two-thirds of total waste is paper. My paper products included a magazine, some old homework, junk mail, and newspapers.

I hate wasting paper so I have always been pretty good about separating paper products from the rest of my trash. I even found a Web site where it teaches you how you can recycle paper at home.

The next big item in my trash was leftover food. I already knew that food could be used in composte, but I learned that I could also combine food scraps with yard waste to make it easier to recycle.

The last thing in my trash were containers and packaging for things like milk jugs, cereal boxes, etc. One of the things that I’ve always liked doing is saving plastic containers, like for butter or sour cream, and using them as tupperwear. That’s my way of saving the environment and money at the same time!

In the end, my one day trash consumption equaled less than one pound. When I tried to weigh it on my bathroom scale, nothing came up. One of the reasons I was so light was because there were a ton of paper products, but it would be interesting to see how heavy it would be on another day. At the end, I was glad to know that I was well below the national average of 4.6 pounds.

Lindsay

She’s got a ticket to ride—a bike that is! In the 1960’s when the Beatles released the song “Ticket to Ride,” there were not a lot of people riding—bikes that is.

In reality, the bike boom really seemed to take off in the 1970’s. However in today’s world, that trend has declined and Americans don’t really enjoy riding their bikes anymore. According to the League of American Bicyclists in 2002 less than one percent of the population, 488,497 people, used bikes to commute to work.

So what could be the reason more than 99 percent of Americans choose to spend money on an expensive and environmentally unfriendly car instead of a bike?

Lawrence writer Eric Farnsworth believes that the main reasons people don’t use bikes is because they are either unwilling or believe that their commute is too far. Eric believes that a manageable commute is four to five miles each way. He also says that the key to a good bike ride is to have a sturdy, comfy bike with working lights and either a rack or a basket of some kind to carry your things.

Before you head out, he adds that it is very necessary to check the thermometer and to dress appropriately. He gives the example of dressing as if you were going for a brisk walk. In the winter, make sure you wear a coat, gloves, hat and some kind of face covering.

In the summer, it is just important to ride slower, that way you won’t get to work soaked in sweat. On the other hand, if you pick up your speed in the winter, you are guaranteed to warm yourself up. And if the weather is rainy or icy, carpooling is a great alternative.

By following these steps, Americans (particularly those living in Lawrence) can do their part in reducing their eco footprint.

And if we teach our kids to start bike riding at an early age, hopefully they will maintain this habit the rest of their lives.

Lindsay

I am a 24-year-old graduate student who was born and raised in Kansas City, but had yet to step foot into Lawrence until I started school here in August 2006.

I went to college at Marquette University in probably my most favorite city in the world, Milwaukee. Don’t laugh if you have never been there because it is truly awesome. The people are friendly, there are tons of fun things to do, and there is literally a bar on every corner. My freshman dorm was closer to four bars then it was to class!

After graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism, I was pretty sure that people would be throwing jobs at me. Unfortunately, they weren’t.

I ended up meeting an ophthalmologist at the Royals Stadium Club (where I have worked for the past seven seasons) and was offered a job working in his office. After being there for two and a half years, I was very thankful that I had not gone into the medical field. On the upside, I did get free lasik out of the deal!

Last December, I got hired at Fox 4 as a production assistant and I absolutely LOVE my job. The only bad thing is that I have to wake up at 3 a.m. and go to bed at 6 p.m. There goes my night life.

Right now I am working hard to finish my thesis so that I can graduate in May and at the same time I am busy planning my wedding in September.  But I like being busy so it’s been kind of fun.

Some of my likes include reading US Weekly, taking my dogs for walks, going to the lake, and watching the Royals.

My dislikes include winter, driving long distances, Paris Hilton, and not getting enough sleep.

I absolutely love to travel and I just booked my first cruise for our honeymoon. I have been to Italy, Ireland, England, Canada, Mexico, and I lived in Australia for six months when I studied abroad one semester. I have been to 40 states and I hope to visit them all before I turn 30.

I am Catholic and recently gave up sweets for Lent so it was very hard for me to turn down the chocolate and cookies last week. I attended Catholic schools from kindergarten all the way through my senior year of college at Marquette. I even met my fiancee Tim in grade school when I was five years old.

And even though I aspire to be on television someday (I was on the Price is Right a few years ago and won a fridge) I sometimes get shy and kind of nervous when I have to talk to a group of people. So when I present in class next week, feel free to smile at me!

Lindsay