Eating for Sustainability: An Experiment Pt. 4

Meals kept truckin' along this week, and I think I'm about out of the woods when it comes to heavily processed foods in my pantry. Super Bowl Sunday should take care of that once and for all, don't you think? As for my grocery bill this week....$150! Yes! And that even included a store-bought carrot cake for Kyle's birthday dinner, because, frankly, presentation just isn't my thing. All in all, I feel good about the food we ate this week.

Our CSA share contained lots of interesting items but the funny thing is, eggs and sprouts were the only totally unprocessed items.

Bread, cheese, eggs

Pesto (local ingredients from summer, frozen), Whole wheat gnocchi (frozen)

Old fashioned bologna, sunflower sprouts, minestrone soup (frozen)

I was really excited to see a frozen soup choice from Saint Louis University (SLU), but the family reported it was bland (it had seemed like the perfect thing to serve on a cold night when I had to leave for a meeting). I will try it myself before passing judgment. I really hope it can be spruced up, because one of the major issues for viable small-scale food systems is processing. The other biggie that I see is packaging. We need processing and packaging operations that accept product from small farms and distribute to local retailers. So, even if nutrition trumped flavor in this instance of locally grown and processed, I'm still glad that SLU has emerged as a leader to fill some gaps in St. Louis's emerging local food system.

 Most of my favorite dishes this week were meatless (as usual), but the carnitas made from a pork roast were divine so I'll include that recipe at the bottom. Another that I've included is Chick Pea Stew--really nice, and very inexpensive. Scroll down for recipes of dishes that turned out much better than this, this...dear God, what is that? Seriously, when I look at the picture below I feel sick (or like laughing hysterically), and I wonder why in the world my family ever requests that I cook more meat. I'm so sorry, cow--I wish I could've done you justice!

 Stuffed shells were much nicer, I must say--in both looks and flavor!

The sides that went with the carnitas were also lovely and delicious. I was very excited to learn that ricotta can be used with Mexican-inspired dishes and not just Italian. We like to mix it up a lot.

And finally, simple salads and roasted root vegetables (this week, just two kind of taters) have become staples around here. They're just so fast to put together, I like to have the greens, and the kids like the roasted veggies. No mutinies on these yet, so that's a good sign!

So, I'm wondering from those of you who have read this far (thanks!) and already minimize unprocessed food in your diet, what have you used to replace processed snack food like chips or energy bars? Do you have any gems that aren't too time-consuming to make, affordable, and/or purchased but you feel good about? We have been eating a lot of popcorn cooked on the stove, but I'm sure that will get old one of these days.

Thanks for reading, everyone, and I hope your week ahead is full of fun food adventures!

Chickpea and Spinach Stew (from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone  by Deborah Madison)

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 t. paprika
1 t. fresh or dried minced rosemary
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 c. peeped, diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
3 c. cooked chickpeas or 2 15-0z cans, rinsed
salt and pepper
2 bunches spinach, stems removed
garlic mayonnaise (the cookbook calls for making the mayo from scratch but I just mixed about 1/3 cup low-fat mayo with 2 big cloves of garlic that I put through the ringer with my mortar and pestle)

In a wide saute pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, paprika, rosemary, and half the parsley Saute for 2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft, about 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, season with salt and pepper, then over and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the spinach to the chickpeas, taste for salt, and season with pepper. Plate it up, add a spoonful of mayonnaise to each dish (this is key, kicks the flavor WAY up, and garnish with remaining parsley (also key, helping tone down the garlic breath!).

Oven-Fried Pork Carnitas with Guacamole and Orange Salsa (from Food & Wine An Entire Year of Recipes 2006)

I made this dish by the recipe, which used a lot of oil to cook the meat. It was good, but next time I will totally throw the pork roast in the slow cooker after marinating. Less fat, and less oil to figure out what to do with when it's all said and done.

1/2 c. tamarind concentrate
2 T. honey
2 T. sherry vinegar (I used white whine vinegar)
2 1/2 c. vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
2 1/2  pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
salt and pepper
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 Hass avocado, pitted and peeled
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 navel oranges
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 habanero chile, seeded and finely chopped (I just used a little jalapeno, that's what I had)
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 small plum tomato, chopped (I used up a little canned tomato I had in the fridge, drained)
1 jalapeno or serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
12 flour tortillas

1. In a large bowl, mix the tamarind concentrate with the honey, sherry vinegar and 1/4 c.  of the vegetable oil. Add the pork shoulder, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Let the pork marinate at room temp for 1 hour. Drain the pork and pat dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 375. In a cast-iron skillet, heat 2 T. of the oil. Add half of the pork and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until the meat is brown all over, about 6 minutes. Transfer to baking dish and repeat with 2 more T. of oil and remaining meat. Add two-thirds o chopped white onion and 2 c oil to the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
3. Meanwhile, wrap the garlic cloves in foil and bake for 1 hour, or until softened. (This seemed unnecessary--garlic flavor mellowed so much not sure how much it added to the guacamole. Next time, I'll just make my regular old guacamole which just mixes a little minced onion, some lime juice, S&P, and the avocado.) Let cool slightly, then peel the cloves. In a small bowl, mash the avocado with the garlic. Stir in 1 T. of the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
 4. Using a sharp knife, peel the oranges, removing all the bitter white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in segments. Squeeze the orange membranes to extract the juice. (For this step, I just peeled a few "Cuties", and chopped them up. Much easier than what this step sounded like.) Stir in the red onion, cilantro, and habanero chile and the 2 remaining tablespoons of lime juice. (Again, I changed it up. Didn't use habanero--I want the kids to at least try things!)
5. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the tomato, jalapeno and the remaining one-third of the chopped white onion. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Brush the tortillas lightly with oil, then stack and wrap them in foil. Heat the tortillas in the oven until warm. Drain the pork on paper towels. Pork, ricotta stuff, and guac in the tortillas. Orange salsa on the side. Delish!

Collecting Kids' Ideas at Tillman

So, I'm hoping this post will give you a snapshot of why I think what the Sustainability Committee at Tillman Elementary is doing is so exciting.  I always say that I am a school gardener, but what I'm a part of is really more holistic than that. My crew and I care about  the health of both people and the planet, we try to include as many perspectives as possible, and we are operating in a school where character education and service learning are huge parts of the school culture. The committee formed less than a year ago, and I feel like we've accomplished a lot already. A lot of that has been planning, and collecting long-term sustainability ideas from parents, teachers, and students. On a recent blustery and cold day in the polar vortex, the sustainability committee hosted a design charrette, in which the opinions collected were the kids'.

How cool! First, that the school administration (thanks, Lisa Greenstein and Maria Stobbe!) was so supportive. They stand firmly behind the idea of teaching the school community about sustainability, and they were ready to let kids venture outdoors in really cold, snowy weather! For those of you that haven't been in the public schools in awhile, this may not seem avant garde at all. However, times have really changed, and kids and schools aren't prepared for outdoor recess in all but the best of weather anymore. Kids often don't have hats, gloves, boots, etc. for cold weather and "blacktop only" days are frequent during the muddy days of spring and fall. So, for even some of the classes to go outside when temps were in the teens was amazing. And those who didn't venture out? The technology support staff created a "virtual tour" of the campus so there was flexibility in how to participate!

Second, first-hand recommendations from a group of kids is always so exciting. Any time that groups work to include many voices in decision-making, it's great. But when kids are asked, their collective insight can be particularly inspiring. This is what I felt when I read my friend, Margaret Sadicarrio's report from her point of view in the charrette. She talked to most of the 550 kids at Tillman as they came through the cafeteria during the charrette, and listened to their ideas about changes to make in the cafeteria that relate to the idea of sustainability. (We had folks positioned all around the school listening for ideas, and we asked teachers to record observations as they facilitated class sustainability discussions as well.)  Below is what Margaret heard, in her words. It's just one volunteer out of many who listened to kids that day, but it is so inspiring and so reminiscent of what I've heard from kids throughout the last few years that I just had to share. I'll post a link to the full results when we compile everything, but for now I hope this gives you a taste of why me and so many others are hooked on outdoor education, school gardens, and changing food systems for the better for kids! And why working with a school that is behind kids' innovation and leadership can fill one with so much hope. I can't wait to tell you more as the "planning phase" ends, and the "doing phase" begins...

Reporting Notes from Design Charrette, from Margaret Hill Sadicario, Tillman Sustainability Committee Volunteer:

First, water was really a big issue.  They want at least a water fountain in the cafeteria...how about a berkey water filtration set up?

http://www.amazon.com/Berkey-BK4X2-BB-Filtration-Filters-Fluoride/dp/B00BWIX1EQ

They were also interested in just more things to drink: mint tea, any tea, OJ, hot chocolate, organic milk.

Electric Juicer?  (bicycle powered juicer? 

http://www.farmtoschool.org/CO/media.htm

Smoothies were also requested, along with MORE fresh fruit, strawberries in particular, which could be be a big project in the garden.

They want round tables.  Assigned seating.

Music.  (Some classes even suggested live music some times on the stage.)

Colorful painted walls.  (They said that the cafeteria has no "life."  Someone even said a red carpet would liven up the room.)  They want plants in the room.

Flowers on the tables. (from the prairie??)

Food:  They wanted soup: Cheddar brocoli, chili, chicken noodle (but good quality, they said that the quality of the food in the kitchen was "fake" and "bad". 

They wanted stir fry, and real mashed potatoes (not the ones from a box, they can tell the difference.)  Homemade pizzas and quesadillas.

Bigger salad bar with (again) more fruit.  They were open to eating more salads.

They really want to eat outside during nice days...this should also be a priority. 

They want the windows to open or at least be uncovered to let the light in.

They all said that they would like to cook in the kitchen and help prepare food.

They want organic and a gluten free option and some said a vegetarian option (time are changing and the cafeteria needs to adapt.)

A switch from white bread to whole wheat - this can be done now.

There was a desire to get rid of the disposable plates and use ones that can be washed and cups that could be washed.  (we would then need to get a dishwasher.  Lori in the kitchen said that there would be room.)

No packaged fruit, but fruit that was fresh.

Posted expectations in the cafeteria. 

Compost that STAYS on campus or comes back at the end of the year.

Recommendations:

The cooking staff needs more education about cooking healthy fruits and vegetables from scratch.

Juicer

Berkey (with real cups for anyone who wants to drink from it.)

Dishwasher

Dishes and cups

Paint and decorations

Coat rack

Overall, the room needs more love, color and life.

Margaret Hill Sadicario

Eating for Sustainability: An Experiment Pt. 3

This week has been really enlightening. I know what's in my crisper drawers. I'm saving most things before they go to waste. And I'm using up pre-packaged snacks and meals left and right. I certainly don't feel like I've had to spend excessive time cooking, so that's fun. I feel good about getting a lot of highly processed food out of my house. And I created a few meals from scratch. Some of the week's best recipes are at the bottom of the post.

So what did we use up this week? Cheese and crackers? Check. Cans of tuna languishing in the back of the pantry? Gone. Trader Joe's mushroom risotto? Mmmmm, it rounded out an all pre-processed and pre-packaged meal. Spinach mushroom quiche took center stage for an easy, tasty...and mostly local dinner. Jack had the idea to make teeny-tiny little bites of fruit pies using some leftover pie crust and jars of jelly. And a spontaneous potluck with the neighbors resulted in a delicious, nutritious Indian feast. We were so hungry and it looked so good that I forgot to take pictures.

With all this culling of processed food and emptying of crisper drawers, you'd think my food bill would have plummeted. However, this week I spent a whopping $280 on groceries. Whoa!  I knew my earlier estimate of $200 was low, but that smarts. I still think my weekly average will be way below $280 and here's why:

• I stocked up on lots of things this week: yogurt, milk, butter, Velveeta and Rotel for the Super Bowl ...all the important things. 
• I factored in the cost of the pizza Kyle ordered one night to supplement a protein-lean dinner. What can I say? I knew when I left for my meeting that the kids were going to eat most of the leftovers before Kyle got home, and I hoped that he would have eaten a big lunch at work that day to tide him over. It's weird, he can eat one big meal and not need to eat for the rest of the day.
• I brought my kids to the store with me this week (yay for snow days!) and they helped me pick out cereal. Lots and lots of cereal. Three weeks' worth, easy. And yes, I let them each pick out one box of junk. 

 But back to eating better for less...

Here's our share from the CSA this week:

Spicy mustard, canned peaches, spaghetti squash, ground beef, potatoes, tofu, garlic, bread, apples, sundried tomato tapenade, and rice (yes, rice!)

CSA add-ons: pasta sauce, chips, buffalo stick 

We got our share of the hog this week! We bought it from Kami and Jamie, of Brook Cherith Farm about an hour south of St. Louis. I love their philosophy on farming, they model their farm after Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm. Joel Salatin is one of my heroes--he's a very successful farmer and businessman, kind to animals and humans, and a true steward of the land. If you're in St. Louis and looking to buy meat that has had a good life, check out Kami and Jamie's website.

Kami and Jamie of Brook Cherith Farm, so nice of them to deliver so close to home on such a blustery day!

Our share of the hog, excluding bacon and ham (that takes longer due to the curing). So far I've got lots of pork chops, spare ribs, roasts, and sausage. Can't wait to see how much bacon we get!

The cost of the pork averaged out to $5 per pound, and I'm just going to add this cost in each week as I use up the meat from the freezer. I've got a kitchen scale, so that's pretty darn easy. This week we tried only the pork chops, but they were delicious with a glaze made from some pineapple preserves in the fridge. Yeah baby, usin' stuff up! And happy to have a freezer full of happy meat!

This project is already so fun, and I've had lots of moments of gratitude as I prepare and eat good food with my family. I'm thankful to have the time to cook, and the means to eat well. Here's to next week, more good food, and a lower grocery bill!

 White Bean Soup with Pasta and Rosemary Oil

from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

The Rosemary Oil 

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T. finely chopped rosemary or 2 T. dried
2 garlic cloves, sliced

The Soup 

2 cups cannellini, navy beans, or mixture
2 T. olive oil
1 T. chopped rosemary or 2 t. dried
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 celery rib, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/3 c. chopped parsley
1 c. diced tomatoes, fresh or canned, with their juices
salt and pepper
1 c. dried small pasta
Fresh parmesan

Slowly warm the EVOO with 2 T. rosemary and 2 garlic cloves until the garlic begins to color, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside until needed. (I didn't use all this on the soup, but it makes a nice dipping oil for bread too.)

Cover the beans with boiling water and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. (I soaked these overnight instead.)

Heat the oil with 1 T. rosemary in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until the onion is softened and starting to color in places, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and parsley and cook for a few minutes more. Drain the beans and add them to the pot along with the tomatoes and 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, then simmer, covered, until the beans have begun to soften, about 1 hour. Add 2 t. salt and continue cooking until the beans are completely tender, another 30 minutes or so. 

Puree half the soup to give it some body--or leave it thin. 
Cook the pasta. Strain the rosemary oil. Ladle soup into bowl and add some pasta to each. Drizzle some of the oil over each bowl and add pepper to taste. Cover with shavings of Parmesan. 

Serves 8 to 10 

Simple Egg Curry

from Gourmet Indian in Minutes, by Monisha Bharadwaj 

2 T. sunflower oil
1/2 T. cumin seeds
2 large onions, chopped
1 T. ginger-garlic paste
2 T. tomato paste (I used a little more of each paste, just to get more sauce for the eggs, it's delicious!)
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t chili powder 
1 t. garam masala
salt, to taste
8 large eggs, hard-boiled (can leave whole or cut in half)
Handful of cilantro, chopped

1. Heat oil in a large pan and add the cumin seeds. As soon a they darken, add the onion and cook to soften.
2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and tomato paste, and stir. Add the spices and salt. (I always have to add water here.) Blend until mushy. (Immersion blender comes in handy for this.)
3. Gently place the eggs in the curry and pour the milk or cream over them. Heat through and serve, sprinkled with cilantro.

Quiche

I think I learned this from epicurious.com, but not totally sure. The best way I've found to make sure you've always got a quiche that sets up well and is totally delicious is to follow two rules:

1. To each egg, add enough dairy to have 1/2 cup of egg + liquid mixture. You can use any combo of: milk, cream, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese--depending on what you've already got and how rich you want the quiche to be.

2. Cook your vegetables before putting them in the pie to bake. It gets all the water out, so you don't end up with mushy eggy thingy.

I've found that I don't have to blind bake the crust, which saves time if you're in a hurry. Cooking temp and times can vary a little. Sometimes I consult a resource to see what temp to start and finish the quiche at. But this week I just threw it in the oven at 350 and watched it off and on til it looked done, not sure how long. 45 minutes, give or take? Quiche is a great go-to when I want an easy meatless dinner or to clear out my fridge. I just saute a bunch of veggies, mix some eggs with whatever dairy I have, and add any shredded cheeses that I can get my hands on. Then pour it in a crust and bake. Sit back, relax, and let the kids come up with dessert!

Eating for Sustainability: An Experiment Pt. 2

Last week I embarked on an adventure to track food expenses and cooking habits to see if I can cut costs while increasing consumption of local and organic food. My focus this week has largely been to use up as much perishable food already in my house as possible. Next week, the focus will shift to more accurately tracking expenses.

After some good math and some guessing, $170 is a rough estimate for last week's grocery costs.  That number seems low, and two dinners and a lunch out of the house may have factored into that. But I wonder--did simply declaring publicly my desire to cut food costs lead to less waste? I just read that Americans throw away 40% of their food on average, so I have to think that's possible. One thing's for sure--I dug deep in the crisper drawers this week because I did not want to have to report a higher cost this week than I originally estimated in part one of this series!

So...what did we eat this week?  Well, here's what we received from the CSA, and a good portion of it is gone already.

Acorn squash, blueberry jam, bagels, onions, mushrooms, eggs, popcorn, carrots, breakfast sausage, and chevre

Our meals broke down like this--

Breakfasts: Cereal, toast, oatmeal (nothing organic 'cept the milk, but all pretty healthy)

Lunches:

• Weekdays I eat leftovers and bits of whatever is in the fridge. I pack my youngest kiddo's lunches most days (sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, or leftover soups generally). I don't even want to think about what my high schooler eats everyday at school. Last I checked, it was toasted ravioli. Every. Day. Awesome. And my husband? I am pretty sure he eats lunch most days.
• This weekend for lunch we just snacked. Cheese, salami, fruit, peanut butter...can't remember but I know I didn't cook. It was great.

Dinners:

• A traditional lasagna, conventional in every way, including the ground beef. It was already cooked and half-eaten when the intention to eat better on less was declared. It stinks that the kids' favorite meal of the week is the one that I'm sort of embarrassed to record.
• Breakfast for dinner--95% of items from the CSA. 

  

  Spinach mushroom frittata

  

  

•  Spinach salad  + roasted root vegetables from the CSA. That was so yum. Except for the radishes--roasting was a last-ditch attempt to enjoy eating a radish. Still no luck. I really wish I thought to take a pic of this dinner. Much prettier than the breakfast!

• White Bean and Rosemary Soup and Homemade Whole Wheat Bread. The soup was a surprise hit--the kids even chose it on leftover night over quesadillas! The bread tasted great, but it cost about $4 to make. I thought homemade bread would be so much cheaper. Next recipe, please. On leftover night, we concocted a dessert that encapsulates the way we eat right now--a blend of hyper-local and completely conventional. We made apple-pear turnovers using store-bought pie crust filled with homemade apple-pear butter from my friend's bumper crop this summer. 

So there you have it. Week one of the experiment is over. I'm happy to report that we ate well, wasted little, and I know the contents of my refrigerator better than I have in a long time.

Planning Success and Engineering Fail: Winter Update for Tillman Elementary

It's January. Wow. Winter is in full swing, but spring will be here before we know it. Various member of the Tillman Sustainability Committee have met a few times since I last posted about planning and progress: A Vision is Taking Shape. Most of my efforts over the last few months have been in one one one conversations with folks who are involved or interested. And taking care of the beds that are trying not to stay covered this winter. Lesson learned: I am a people organizer, a gardener, and possibly even an educator--but not a builder or engineer. I was so so confident my low-tech low-tunnel would work with just some bricks and clips to secure the plastic to the frame. (Jenny Grabner, I miss your practical knowledge and skills so much right about now!!)

It held through one round of strong wind and light snow.

These binder clips do really work well. I think it's the fact that the plastic isn't taut on frame and more secure at bottom that is causing the problem.

Calling all engineering people....help!!

We need a version 2.0. 1.0 was no match for Snowpocalypse.

But on to the planning, which seems to go much better for me...

Just prior to Christmas, our committee met, planned a super-ambitious all-school project, and divvied up tasks. Part of my job was to get the word out to parents, and below you will see the two communications that are going out ahead of the Sustainability Design Charrette next week, which will glean ideas from all the students in the school as they walk and talk with the teachers around the school and campus.

Here's how it will work:
Buddy Groups (upper grade classes paired up with younger ones, a mentoring arrangement, they meet monthly) gather to tour 12 stations around the campus and in building to discuss ways to implement sustainability practices at Tillman

• ipads will be used to capture pictures, video, and audio 
• pen and paper will be used to take notes as well
• volunteers at each station will record any themes that emerged repeatedly throughout the activity from the different groups rotating through

 Here's the communication sent out to parents:

E-Newsletter pre-Christmas:

Over the last decade or so, schools across this country have begun to think about sustainability: what it means and what it might look like to integrate this concept into a school’s culture and curriculum. Initiatives and projects are as varied as the U.S. landscape. Many have started with gardens or changes in cafeteria purchasing practices, while others have looked at changes to the curriculum and even building design.

At Tillman, the idea of integrating sustainability practices into school culture has been percolating for several years now. We think the first champion for sustainability at Tillman may have been a recent Tillman grad who dreamed of a greenhouse on the school grounds and worked to get composting started at the school. Or was it a couple of teachers who have long held a vision for a prairie patch at the school? Or perhaps the parents who converse about the complex world their kids will inherit and the skills they hope their kids will have in order to rise to the challenge? No matter who was first, the ideas are flowing, momentum is growing, and we’re ready to take the next step.

Landscape architect Nancy Nafe is volunteering her time and expertise to draw up the Tillman community’s vision for sustainability. She will be gathering ideas from the students and staff at Tillman, and we want you to be a part of this as well. On Friday, January 17, please join us for a sustainability design charrette from 10-11:30 am. More details to follow but for now, please SAVE THE DATE!

If you are unable to join the fun in January, please send your thoughts about sustainability and what it might look like at Tillman to tillmansustainability@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Parent communication just after Christmas Break--sent out 3 ways to ensure maximum awareness

Sustainability Design Charrette for the Green Schools Quest

****Rain, Snow, or Shine

Friday, January 17 from 10-11:30 am

9:30 Sustainability Design Charrette: A Brainstorming Tour of the Campus and Building

    **The kids will be going outside for this activity--no matter the weather. Please send appropriate outdoor gear for this activity: hats, gloves, boots. Please send in extra gloves to share with classmates if you are able!

Parents welcome, and volunteers are needed. Please email tillmansustainability@gmail.org or text/call Lesli Moylan at 314-368-0500 if interested in helping.

What is sustainability? In a nutshell, it’s prioritizing the health of the planet, its people, and its communities when making decisions. It’s thinking about how what we do today will impact those living seven generations down the road--and how to balance the needs of the future with the needs of today.

What is a charrette? Literally, it means “cart” in French, and in the design world it means an activity to collect ideas from many people for a specific project. Our design charrette will collect tons of ideas from Tillman students about changes to make our campus and building that contribute to the idea of sustainability.

What is the Green Schools Quest? This is a contest created by the Gateway (St. Louis) Chapter of the Green Building Council, challenging schools in the region to devise and implement sustainable practices for their schools. Our mentor and landscape architect, Nancy Nafe, will take the student ideas from this design charrette and create a landscape design for Tillman. This long-range plan will be a great visual for the community, and will be a great reminder of student interests and priorities as we move forward with outdoor and indoor sustainability efforts over the next few years.

I'm really excited about the charrette, it'll be interesting to see how it turns out. It's so neat to be in a school that truly is committed to student input, and with more than 500 kids churning out ideas next week....who knows what wacky and ingenius idea may be born! One week from today....

Eating for Sustainability: An Experiment Pt. 1

Is it possible to eat healthfully and ethically while on a budget? I can honestly say that I've never had to figure out the answer to that question. But I've wondered for awhile now about whether or not the local food movement is accessible to folks who can't afford to buy their meat from the farmer's market and who would balk at how much I pay each week for organic milk.  So...thanks to my sister-in-law's comment during a moment of New Year's susceptibility...here I go on a culinary and economic adventure:  I'm fixin' to track my food expenses and cooking habits to see if I can rein in my spending while strengthening my commitment to a healthy local economy, a healthy planet, and healthy (and hopefully tasty) food for my family. 

Currently, I would guesstimate that I spend $200 each week on groceries, for my family of four. Not all of it is local, organic, or unprocessed, but I do my best without making myself crazier than I already am.

•  I spend $50 each week on my CSA membership with Fair Shares*.  
• I buy organic milk at $6 a pop each week. 
• I buy pricey bread that has lots of fiber, $3-4 each week. And I'm hooked on expensive crusty bread. Maybe I'll learn how to make it myself.
• I'm an egg weirdo too, and spend $4-5 on a carton of free range eggs. 
• Sometimes I purchase a bag of chicken breasts in a moment of heavy-hearted weakness, but I purchase my meat directly from farmers as often as I can. Here in a week or two, I'll be purchasing 1/3 of a hog with a couple of neighbors. My cost will be about $300-400, but that should be enough pork to last me about a year. (Exception: BACON!! We are gluttons when it comes to bacon.) 
• Things like yogurt, cheese, lunchmeat, pasta, condiments, and canned goods are still beholden to big business from who-knows-where. Frosted Flakes and chips are concessions to my kids, who I feel bad for sometimes. But I'll be darned if I can force myself to purchase a package of Chips Ahoy. I'll make the cookies myself, thanks.
• I buy grocery store produce to supplement my CSA membership as needed. It's a mix of organic and non-organic. There's no real method to that madness--sometimes I can't bear to eat a strawberry that has been fumigated with pesticides, and other times I can't stomach the pricetag on the organic version. No idea why this varies each week, it just does.
• I will not track the cost of my adult beverage purchases. But I might talk about how much I enjoy cooking with a glass of wine in my hand.

So there you have it, a current snapshot of my shopping habits currently. From this starting point, I hope to be able to cut costs and continue to eat well. Who knows, maybe this will inspire me to forever give up bagged chicken breasts. Wish me luck!

*CSA=community supported agriculture. It's a food system in which consumers purchase subscription for a weekly allotment of food from a farmer. The consumers pay up front for a season's worth of food, and then they are at the mercy of weather and pests along with the farmer. If it's a bumper crop, good for everybody. If there's a drought, slim pickin's all around as well. Fair Shares is a multi-farm CSA here in St. Louis that includes meat, eggs, and dairy in the weekly boxes. It's been a really great way to get a variety of local food each week, and you can find out more about it at https://fairshares.org/