Food Dystopia

Firstly, sorry for the long Hiatus. I had been working on getting school andcollege applications together. I know I shouldn't have neglected you all, but school comes first.

Speaking of school, let's go back to your middle and high school years. Probably your college years as well. In your time, you've probably read some Ray Bradbury, be it his novels or short stories, or perhaps you read A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley or even the Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor just for fun.

Or maybe you can't remember any of that but you've watched certain TV Shows like the Sci-Fi Channel's epic miniseries Alice or witnessed the strange city of Ba-Sing-Se in Avatar: The Last Airbender. You've almost definitely seen the movie The Matrix. The list continues with movies like

Pleasantville, Battle Royale, and V for Vendetta (based off a Graphic Novel).

Think back long and hard to your English classes and you'll remember what all these things had in common.

The term for these worlds is Dystopia. Dystopia can be summarized by the components of the words: dysfunctional and utopia.

Let's break this down. Dystopian societies usually have a few things in common.

1. Power. There is generally one person or a small group of people in control. This power is absolute and driven by powerful desire such as money, influence, control of resources or the idea that they are absolutely right.
2. Illusion. There is always a way to make people think that everything is okay. Either by drugging them or by hiding the truth. The general public is kept somewhat safe and vaguely happy and the system continues to work.
3. Acceptance. And by this I don't mean the good kind. The people in dystopian societies accept the system. No questions are asked. Anyone who rebels is erased or made an example of.
4. Force. Dystopian leaders use brute force to enforce their system, keeping the people stupid and the rebels quiet--- or dead.

So what does this have to do with green living?

Well, my friends, we are living in a dystopia. Laughable you say? Well think about the way our food system works.

Here's the scary thing. A lot of people DON'T know how the food system works.

Did you know that almost 90% of the beef that we eat is sold by a huge conglomerate that has over the years bought out small family farms? Did you know that Factory-farms keep cattle penned up so that they cannot exercise off the fatty diet they are fed, just so that they meat gets the delicious and desirable marbling? In addition, they can now fit ten times more cows onto the same amount of land.

Now, I am no vegetarian, but doesn't it startle you to think that people don't know this?

Did you know that in a side-by-side comparison, most people prefer grass-fed beef? Did you know that most of your beef isn't grass-fed?

Did you know that most of the corn farmed in America is inedible unless it is processed into High Fructose Corn Syrup (corn sugar I think those marketing people are trying to call it now). That's the same high fructose corn syrup making it cheap and tasty to consume liquid calories in the form of sodas.

So it's apparent that people don't know where their food comes from and how it affects their environment and economy.

What do you and your kids think a farm looks like? The ones you go to for fun with the petting zoos and the slides? That is not what most farms look like.

So now we're beginning to see dystopia.

1. Power: There are giant corporations controlling our food. They are often aiming for cost efficiency over environmental health. This affects the safety of our meat and our crops. Diseases spread quicker when everything is close together. Plants have to compete for resources when they are planted together--they can't move to where the soil has more phosphorus!
2. Illusion: That image of pastures and animal-nature harmony that we have when we think of food is an illusion. So to is the idea that people wouldn't sell things that are bad for us just to make a quick buck and the idea that saving five bucks on hormone-fed beef at the grocery store versus organic beef at the Farmer's Market is not going to cost you more somewhere else-- like your health.
3. Acceptance: We don't ask questions about our food. We don't read the nutrition facts or ingredients. We assume, when we do read the ingredients, that those weird chemicals are TOTALLY harmless. We often don't know what parts of an animal we're eating or where our crops come from. The entire seafood industry suffered along the east coast because we couldn't tell whether or not our shrimp and fish were coming from the gulf.
4. Force: The Big Food industry companies are buying out the smaller farms and killing their business with lower prices. When you sell more, you can sell it for less and still break-even. The need for food is already there, and when you're strapped for cash and finding organic food is like searching for a needle in a haystack, guess who wins? We may think we are making choices, but when you look at what there is to choose from, are we really?

So how do we break down this dystopian food system? Let's follow the dystopian story model.

1. Get Educated: The more you know about your food, the easier it is to gain back your freedom of choice and understand what you are doing to your body, your family, your economy, and your planet. Try some excellent Documentaries such as Fresh, Food Inc., Supersize Me, and King Corn. Google topics such as Factory-farming, monocropping, agricultural waste, etc.
2. Spread the word: Tell more people about the manipulation of our food, and naturally, our people. Studies have shown that if 10 people ask their grocer about including more organic options, the grocer will follow through with the requests. Grocers are more likely to stock organic foods if they know it's going to sell.
3. Make better choices: This one is pretty hard. But baby steps are good. Try to cut out sodas with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Learn what's in season so that your food doesn't have to cost us the emissions of airplane fuel or the danger to the earth when we over work it. If it disgusts you that people can eat something, stop eating it yourself!
4. Beat the System: Don't go doing crazy things like bombing the offices of Lobbyists. Win legally and legitimately. Grow your own food, start a buzz, host discussions on food, have events on growing locally and helping farmers, push for more organic school food, or even lobby congress for more help to the farmers who practice sustainable farming.

Real change happens from the bottom up.

Recycled mailers!

I absolutely love snail mail. (In fact, I wrote my college essays about how much I love it). Now, call me old fashioned, but I think it's just so much more meaningful. Unlike email and facebook, it requires paper and gas to get things from point A to point B, so I know that I'm going to get some backlash for this. "Dear Harper, I can't believe you are cutting down trees and burning fossil fuels because you're sentimental! You're a stupid bitch." But if I want to send more than just a message, I send it with mail.

Facebook is great for a "wanna come over saturday at 5? We're watching Moulin Rouge" and asking what the homework was, but when you want to send tangible things like a real handwritten letter and a mix CD, it's all about snail mail.

Last June, my friend Allie graduated high school and now she's a college girl. I couldn't find her in the blue-robed swarm that was my high school's campus and so, she didn't get her graduation present, a book on things to do before leaving college. It was a joint gift from me and my younger sister. I waited for her to send out her mailing address, and then we wrote her our letters. Then I had to go out and get a mailer to send it in. I went to the local Staples.

I was looking for something a little padded so that the book corners would tear the thing open. I was about to go for the traditional bubble-wrap mailer for $1.29. Luckily I continued browsing and doubled back through the aisle. There, on the other end of the aisle, were these lovely mailers, made of recycled paper, padded with recycled paper and unbleached. They were the same price, better for the environment, and I didn't have to buy those sticky address labels that are super cool, but eight bucks for a pack of fifty-- and I needed WAY less than fifty. (Forty-nine less, in fact.) Given that I'm broke and trying to be greener, this looked like a pretty sweet deal.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

I am a kid in America and I can honestly say that I do not think that I have learned enough in school about nutrition and cooking in school-- and I took home ec and actually paid attention in health class. Health education is not made relevant enough in school-- All we do is fill out sheets on what we ate for a week and get told to eat our fruits and veggies and cut back on the sweets.

I don't really know how to cook a healthy meal. I don't really know where to get good produce or how to tell when things are ripe. Not everyone learns those things at home and I wish my schools taught me early on to be more involved in my food choices.

And that is what Jaime Oliver's food petition is all about. He wants to send the president a message about how many Americans want their kids to know more about where their food comes from and how to make healthy choices in an active, engaging way. You'll notice that we have a new eco badge in the right hand bar. That's for signing the petition! click that or the link above to sign it too!

The website also showcases recipes and restaurants that he thinks live up to his ideas about fresher, healthier food.

Urban Growth

I am a huge fan of urban gardens and urban farming. I've yet to start my own garden at home but rest assured, seed catalogues have been ordered and my parents are great gardeners, my grandmother, an expert. Hopefully they can help me along the way as I try to grow things on my own (I'm starting off with watercress!).

MNN just did a feature on several beautiful and creative urban gardens which you can see here.

Some of them are space-saving vertical gardens-- plants growing sideways off of walls and buildings. Check out this tutorial on Modish to learn how to set up your own vertical garden of low-maintenance succulents.

I also enjoyed reading a copy of a magazine called Urban Farm which talks about growing methods, techniques, and stories about urban farmers, from tips on starting a community garden, to where to buy supplies, to inspiring stories about eco-inspirations like Anna Chan, The Lemon Lady. I would really love to get a subscription to this.

Urban farming seeks to increase the local food supply in urban or even suburban areas by maximizing space and using innovative, creative methods of working with nature. I first became intrigued in the idea after watching an excellent documentary called Fresh where they showed a man named Will Allen who had created a farm in the middle of Milwaukee! I was inspired to find ways to do more to grow my own food. I want to start off with watercress and work my way up. My family already grows lettuce, spring onion, asian pears, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, and more in our backyard. I want to get in on this.

By diversifying our food sources and growing things more locally, we are ensuring our community's food security. For those of you all who don't know what that term is, it is basically the security of our food supply. This encompasses three main things:

Availability: Is there food? Can we feed our community with the food we have?

Accessibility: Can we get to the food? Can I pick it up at the local grocers? Is it affordable?

Utility: Is it nutritional? Am I eating more than just dyes and chemicals?

Believe it or not, Americans can be food insecure, and it's not just those living on the streets that face food insecurity. Americans living in urban areas are often in food deserts. (Wipe that smile of your faces guys, DESERTS not DESSERTS.) Think about availability: how much fresh food can you get? Accessibility: Is it affordable? Utility: That poptart you just ate? That hot pocket? How much nutritional value are you getting out of it? This is why urban farming is on the rise: protect the food, protect the people.

There are some great resources out there for people looking to learn more about gardening and farming. From magazines to newsletters to websites and documentaries. Go explore the world of urban farming and gardening!

Green Your Back to School : Terracycle!

Perhaps you've never heard of this amazing company called TerraCycle. TerraCycle collects trash sent in to them by collecting squads and turns the trash into treasure! They are so good at upcycling that they are even getting their own show called Garbage Moghuls premiering on National Geographic this Saturday at 7.

Not only does TerraCycle save thousands of tons of trash from hitting landfills (not today, Frito Lay!), but they also donate to charity! To date they've raised over 1.2 million dollars for charity.

You can help TerraCycle by becoming one of their trash collectors and get money in donations for it, too! They collect things from candy wrappers to drink pouches, yogurt cups to cookie wrappers, cellphones to Aveeno Bottles, gum wrappers to pens! Click here to find out what they collect and how to get in on the upcycling!

TerraCycle has a page dedicated to upcycled school products. Here are my picks:

Homework Folder : Drink Pouches

One-inch Three Ring Binder : Chip Bags -currently not available-

Mini Back-pack : Starburst Wrappers -currently not available-

Sketchbook : Candy Wrappers -currently not available-

Spiral Notebook : Candy Wrappers -currently not available-

Messenger Bag : Old Billboard

Purses : Candy Wrappers

They also sell toys, gardening equipment, home products and more!

carbon neutral!

I've been doing a lot of work around Adventures in Freshness and my other blog, A Dandelion Day. I've been tuning up the looks and the widgets and all other sorts of madness. One thing I'm really proud of is that I am making them both carbon neutral! All the emissions from my blogging are going to be cancelled out by a tree planted in honor of my little blogs.

Want to make your blog or website carbon neutral too? Or maybe you'd just like to read more about this initiative.

Click the link above!

Now I get to put this cute little badge on my blog. Check out the leaf in the sidebar!

Back To School Shopping!

With a new school year coming up and almost zero funds for new clothes, I have a mission for myself! This year I will try to gain all my clothes at second-hand stores or handmade.

Why secondhand?

Think of all the clothes that get thrown away every year. Tons of it. Literally hundreds of tons of clothing that is perfectly wearable! By getting clothes second-hand you are freeing up that space and reducing your waste. People have this mentality that if it isn't new, it's ew, but that's absolutely not true.

Try going to a thrift store-- although you have to dig through a lot of hideous old lady clothes and christmas sweaters, you can find some real gems. For example my $12 prom dress! Or you can find things that only need slight alterations, or maybe if you're creative you can do a whole decon-recon effort on it. You'll find that a lot of vintage clothes are built better than the stuff you get at American Eagle or Forever 21 that practically dissolves in the washing machine. They're stronger and will therefore last you longer.

There's also consignment. Consignment stores sell old clothes for other people at a fixed return rate. It's pricier than thrift stores but things are usually in better condition and more expensive -- designer dresses usually end up here.

Then there are yard/garage sales which can be iffy, but you can haggle which is pretty sweet. These can be hit or miss.

Finally, swap-meets! Have a clothing swap party with a bunch of your friends! Invite your friends to your house to trade clothes. Ask them to bring ten items of clothing that they don't wear anymore -- maybe they don't fit right anymore, may they're trying to go for a new look, or maybe they're just sick of wearing it. Have tables set up to lay clothes on and let the swapping begin. Have somewhere available to try clothes on. You can to the same with accessories too!

Buy handmade/local

When you buy from a local seller you are supporting a real person, not a giant corporation exploiting massive amounts of resources. The materials come from closer, you can be sure that people are working for the money they deserve, and you develop an actual relationship with the people you're buying from. It's quite exciting. Buying handmade is great too. You can buy through sites like etsy.com and get some really unique stuff that isn't mass produced. You're supporting talent and skills that are in danger of being outmoded by soulless machines!

Need more ideas on where/how to get your eco-friendlier wardrobe?

Thrifty Chicks Thrifting Guide

MNN: 10 Places To Get Back To School Clothes On The Cheap

Blacksburg Farmer's Market

Today was the third time in two weeks that I have visited the Blacksburg Farmers' Market. I love it. I can't even eat most of the things there and I love it. Not that it isn't good and wholesome. I can't eat the food because

1. I am staying at a dorm for gov school and and so, I can't cook any of the grass-fed meats or organic produce.
2. I don't really eat fruits. the taste and texture haven't really grown on me. I'm fine with meat, greens, and grains, but I don't eat much fruit outside of oranges and avocados. It's terrible,I know, but it's something I'm working on.
3. We have one mini fridge for 6 people. Space is limited, as is chilling capability.

However, the fruit there tastes better than any I've ever had. Why? because it's all organic and locally produced. It's guilt free! In America there are very few people who have tasted an apple that is actually just an apple. They often eat apples filled with chemical fertilizers and coated in years of sprays containing god knows what.

But even though I didn't eat much there other than pastries (yummy!), there was still so much to buy!

For example, the lovely woman at Birdsong Farms sold such COOL STUFF. She and her husband sell beeswax candles, all natural bug repellent (and another version of the same for pets!), shampoo, soap, conditioner, lotion, and all kinds of other goodies. She told me all kinds of stuff.

Beeswax is AMAZING. Birdsong's beeswax candles are not made out of petrol by-products like paraffin wax. While Paraffin wax puts petrol chemicals into the air when it burns, beeswax actually CLEANS the air! Why use anything else?

I bought some of Birdsong's all natural bug spray. No chemical smell. No yucky taste on your skin! No gross get-this-crap-off-me! feeling. She uses natural repellents. For example, peppermint oil to repel ants, because they hate it! It smells like delicious herbs.

It's awesome. Over here there aren't a whole ton of bugs so I'm excited to field-test the stuff back up in the mosquito-ridden DC area. I'll give you all an update later.

She added me to her mailing list. I'm really excited about her stuff!

I also bought some lip gloss from Native Sprout Soap. It's great. Very soft, and smooth-- uncolored, all-natural and subtly flavored. I have honey and vanilla bean flavor. They also sell all-natural chemical-free deodorant which is great because your speed stick is probably clogging up your lymph nodes, which is how your body gets rid of some of its waste (through sweat). Chemical deodorants and antiperspirants have even been linked to cancer!

I also bought some locally produced honey from Delights Home Bakery (sorry, no website to link to!). Let me tell you honey is the best thing on earth! I'll write a separate post on that later. Anyway, I'm bringing that back to my lovely boyfriend. The folks who sold it to me also sell yummy breads and fruit marmalades and butters which they make using solar power! They pride themselves on their use of all-natural ingredients and their solar panels. They're a lovely little couple.

Although I've been to Farmer's Markets before, the Blacksburg Market is the first time I have fallen in love with the farmer's market. This is because instead of just buying things, I actually talked to the people there about what they did, how they did it, and why they did it. The nice thing about farmers markets is that you know where your food comes from. If you have a question, you can just ask. You form a bond with the people who grow your food. And it's refreshing in this world full of disconnection and nihilism, because we can form real, substantial, relationships with people who seem like strangers. You can work with them and talk and chat and smile and laugh. There's not that awkward i-can't-talk-to-people-i-buy-things-from feeling you get when shopping online or hitting the local Kroger's or Costco. It's a wonderful relationship that makes you feel less like someone's 213th facebook friend. It makes you feel all warm inside.

Also, I got an awesome Tshirt. I will post a pic of that later.