"Who" Is Slow Food?

What you put into your mouth goes into your body.  Everywhere in you body.  I am not being sarcastic but pointing out the obvious that we should all think about when we peel off that plastic wrapper imprinted with unpronounceable words and shove it into our mouths without looking at it.



"Slow food" is a direct counter balance to the fast-food culture. Instead of eating fries while driving one-handed through traffic, it means taking the time to enjoy good food raised in clean, safe conditions and sold at a fair profit for the farmer. It means taking the time to know the food you eat is healthy - for you, for the people who produce it, and for the land. According to USA Today, SlowFood "claims to be everything that fast food is not."

SlowFood is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Just 30 plants feed 95 percent of the world's 6.5 billion people, according to Slow Food, which is encouraging a global effort to broaden that diversity.

Many foods we love (specific grains, vegetables, fruits, animal breeds) are disappearing due to the overwhelming amount of convenience food and industrial agriculture. What's grown by industrial agribusiness is based on what's hardy, easiest to grow, and easiest to ship across the continent - not necessarily taking taste, health and variety into account.  Like the proposed square banana or genetically engineered or modified food. 
 
Some people are tired of the degraded flavor of our foods and of health issues raised by an industrialized food supply, so they find the "slow food" message appealing. Preserving our resources, tradition and culture ensures that food is produced for taste and variety. This is ultimately what makes food enjoyable.

The Daily Green embraces the Slow Food manifesto that promotes taking the time to teach and share the rewards of raising and eating food that is good, clean and fair.

To read the first chapter of Michael Pollan's book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma," which explains where food comes from, check out: www.michaelpollan.com.

In researching this post, I found the following links to be excellent reads:

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/blog/

http://michaelpollan.com/todays-link/


http://green.blogs.nytimes.com


http://civileats.com/

woodland home

recycled tp~ what’s that all about?

Did you know that most toilet paper is made from the virgin pulp of old growth trees?  Ecologically valuable forests full of old growth trees are being cut down so that we can have soft and lovely paper to wipe our tushes with.  Not only are ancient trees being destroyed, but massive amounts of chlorine are also used to achieve the pearly white color that we’ve come to expect when buying toilet tissue.

‘Ancient forests are the planet’s old-growth and original forests. The world’s ancient forests maintain environmental systems that are essential for life on Earth. They influence weather by controlling rainfall and evaporation of water from soil. They help stabilize the world’s climate by storing large amounts of carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. These forests also are home to around two-thirds of the world’s land-based species of plants and animals.’  This site will educate you on where these forests are and why they are essential to our planet’s health. They also offer ways to get actively involved.
I found this article that lists brands of toilet tissue that have a nice percentage of post consumer recycled content.  Recycled doesn’t mean tough and horrible. We made the switch over a year ago, after learning about this issue and we haven’t missed the bleached white stuff one bit.  The two things to look for when buying eco friendly bathroom tissue are 1) a post consumer recycled content of at least 40% and 2) chlorine free processing, labeled as (pcf or ecf).

Rebloged from: http://blog.ecoetsy.com/2011/02/recycled-tp-whats-that-all-about/html

What Is Slow Architecture?

If you’ve never heard of “Slow Food,” you’ve probably heard of “Fast Food.” If you’ve never heard of “Slow Architecture,” you might have heard the phrase “McMansion,” referring to cookie-cutter suburban sprawl. Slow Architecture is a movement toward building homes that are space- and energy-efficient, attractive, that harmonize with the surrounding area, and create a smaller carbon footprint.

What makes Slow Architecture “slow”? Literally, Slow Homes take time to build. Just like it takes time to cook food that honors the native flavors and ingredients of the region, homes that work with their environment take time to design and build. The main idea behind Slow Architecture is careful consideration of what both the home owner and the environment need. John Brown, the founder of Slow Home, says that Slow Homes are homes that people can afford. He holds that living within one’s means, rather than trying to buy the biggest house possible, is slow living. Therefore, the Slow Architecture movement is a movement away from size, and a movement toward quality and durability. It takes time to build quality, durable things.
A facet of Slow Architecture is reusing existing structures and objects instead of producing new ones. For instance, Slow Architects prefer filling in existing urban spaces to building up lesser-developed suburban areas. You’ll find many creative uses of old objects inside Slow Architecture houses. Used wood and recycled building parts might all become part of the structure of the house. Home furnishings might be made from creatively-used found objects, like tables and chairs made from cast off wood.
Slow Architecture aims to harmonize with the environment. “Harmonize” might sound flakey, but a home that agrees with its natural environment is the most cost-efficient option. Maximizing natural light and building a home that is appropriate to the climate can save you thousands of dollars in heating, cooling, and lighting bills. Just like there’s nothing hippy-dippy about a slow-cooked pot roast, there’s no shame in building and furnishing a home in a way that it will last for generations and serve exactly its purpose, with no frills.

Content Credit: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-is-slow-architecture.html#ixzz1CABl6d00

Bamboo....did you know?

I have talked about bamboo before, but I am putting out a little more information.


Ok...here we go...... DID YOU KNOW?

Bamboo is better for you:

• Fabric made from bamboo is incredibly soft That's just the way it is, naturally. Wearing a bamboo T-shirt for example, is like wearing cashmere, but for next to the skin. 

• Bamboo fabric is smooth and luxuriously comfortableAt a microscopic level, bamboo fibre has a round surface.  Because of this, it’s very smooth and sits perfectly next to the skin.  Petrol based synthetic fibres can sometimes irritate the skin and they also start to smell really quickly

• ‘Bamboo Dry’ – absorbs and evaporates sweat in a split second.  It doesn’t stick to the skin.  Its extraordinary natural breathability keeps you comfortable and dry for longer.

• ‘Bamboo Thermo-control’ – bamboo fabric is highly breathable in hot weather and also keeps you significantly warmer in the cold.  Keeping you more comfortable in all temperatures -  ‘Air conditioned clothing’

• Bamboo clothing is anti static, so it sits very well next to your skin, not clinging to it.  It's also UV protective (it cuts out 98% of harmful UV rays) and anti fungal, so it's just better, whether it's on you in the Alps or stuffed at the bottom of your bag for days on end.

And it gets better.....better for the environment:

• Bamboo is 100% naturally grown, without assistance from man. Bamboo is 100% sustainable

• Bamboo thrives naturally without using any pesticides or fertilizers

• Bamboo fibre is 100% biodegradable

• As the fastest growing plant in the world, bamboo grows to its maximum height in about 3 months and reaches maturity in 3-4 years.  It spreads rapidly across large areas.  Because of this, bamboo is known to improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas of land.

• As a grass, bamboo is cut, not uprooted, also helping soil stability.  Bamboo also can grow on hill slopes where nothing else is viable.

• The yield (i.e. the amount of product) you get from an acre of bamboo is 10 times greater than the yeld you get from cotton.  In an age where land use is under enormous pressure this is huge.That an acre of bamboo supplies about 10 times more fibre than an acre of cotton?  Without using any pesticides at all.  Or fertilizers.

• The water requirement for bamboo is minute, mainly just from what falls.  As opposed to cotton, whose water requirement per shirt's-worth is huge.

• If clothing made from bamboo becomes popular, it means more bamboo plantations, which means more photosynthesis and less greenhouse gas.  “The greatest challenge facing mankind” would get just a little easier.

In contrast.....

• Synthetic performance fabrics are made from petrochemicals, a non-renewable fossil fuel. They go to make clothes which get smelly really quickly. 

Clothing made from bamboo is nature's answer to our needs for everyday fabric, in an environmentally sustainable form.  It's just our luck that it's so much better as well!

My family wears bamboo clothing,  we use bamboo sheets and towels, I use bamboo batting and fabric in my quilts and bags that I make for Etsy.  If you visit my shop, you will  see that I also use organic cotton, hemp and linen.

Bamboo 101

I looooove this fibre....yummy and soft, no wrinkle, wash hang to dry....t shirts, sheets and towels.  Sweet!


Bamboo fabric (truly viscose-from-bamboo) is made from the pulp of bamboo grass. It's softer than cotton, has a gorgeous drape & a silky feel that looks luxurious but feels like pajamas! I do enjoy an occassional indulgence in the ultra-soft bamboo fabrics. Oh, how the soft fabric cradles my body and how it makes me feel...

Because it grows so fast - 1-3 feet every 24 hours - bamboo is one of the most renewable resources on the planet. It also produces 40% more oxygen than a hardwood forest on the same amount of land.

Bamboo is also "naturally organic." Bamboo grows like a weed (people who plant bamboo in their yard can attest to this fact after their yard becomes a bamboo forest!) and it doesn't need any pesticides, fertilizers or irrigation to enhance it's prolific growth. This is a huge step up from cotton, which requires the intensive use of pesticides & irrigation (even organic cotton - yes, organic farms still have to use pesticides, they just have to be approved. Not to mention the irrigation

Used in everything from flooring and construction to bed sheets, bamboo is quickly becoming a popular choice for environmentally conscious people around the globe.

But above all else, people continue to be amazed at how comfortable bamboo clothing is. Like a blend of silk and cashmere, viscose from bamboo feels great on the skin. Bamboo also has a benefit that silk and cashmere will never have... it's cruelty-free! That makes bamboo clothing perfect for vegetarians!

Thursday Rant!

Today,  I am reading the front page of our local paper about folks rebuilding homes destroyed in the the fire our town experienced on August 30th.  63 homes were lost and open brush area burned very fast.  Right into town.  On page A5 there is an article about a fire safety online petition having to do with funding of brush reduction on federal land adjoining the city.  Then there is the letter to the editor on page A4 asking the county to please reinstate the chipper service. 

This is a high-risk wild fire area.  We have 3 acres to maintain (which here in the foothills is not huge), however we must clear brush away from our homes for 100 feet (defensible space) or we are in violation of California Department of Forestry and CAL-Fire regulations.  In order to do this, Garth clears what he can with his chainsaw and tractor, then he drags it up to our road making huge piles of brush and tree limbs. The County Chipper Service comes by with a chipping machine that grinds all this up and shoots it back onto our land.  We then compost the chips or use it for mulch.  

If there is no chipper service then we are going to have to try to burn it bit by bit when burn restrictions are lifted.  Now....that sends smoke into the air, no compost or mulch for us and there is built-in risk of creating a wild fire....which is why we have to limb-out and clear our property in the first place creating these huge piles.  We could spray our property so nothing grows....only slightly better that setting the county on fire.



You can see that we have piles on either side of a road that runs through our property nearly 4 feet high!

So....why can't homeowners pay for this service?  We would gladly do so.  Multiply this dilemma by  thousands of homes and properties in Placer County and the result is a catch- 22 that I simply don't understand.  

Our county extends from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento.  Huge and diverse.  Chipper service is not a big deal in downtown Roseville or maybe Tahoe City where the money and political base resides. 

If I end up publishing this post it will be because I can't let it go.  I may send it to the county, the supervisors, the newspaper or maybe God, but this move is about the dumbest thing I have heard since this morning's national news.