Project Green

A couple of weeks ago I cited some stories about the urban wasteland troubled city of Camden, NJ as an example of plans for an urban renewal gone wrong and proposed it as a candidate for a ‘civilianized’ version of COIN.

In the comments Adrian recommended taking a look at Rochester, NY is doing in the face of a fleeing population.   Now, it’s important to note that there are vast differences between Rochester and Camden.  Rochester is bigger, appears to have a much more robust economy than Camden and while it’s crime rate is twice the national average, it’s half of Camden’s.  While Rochester was listed as one of the best cities to live in Camden is regularly rated as one of the most dangerous in the country.

Still Rochester seems to be avoiding the siren song of massive projects in the hopes of transforming their city into the next megalopolis and rather is considering a strategy of ‘right sizing’ the city.

An emerging city strategy, dubbed “Project Green,” proposes just that — reconfigure 40 blighted blocks over 20 years, creating consolidated but more connected neighborhoods by removing vacant houses and empty streets and even relocating residents.

Rochester’s vacancy rate is 12 percent to 14 percent — the highest in city history. And Project Green might be the most integrated and comprehensive undertaking of any city so far. The goal: Shrink the city to fit the footprint of its smaller population, thus reducing the city’s vacancy to a healthy 5 percent.

Right-sizing and greening the city should reduce the cost of city services, make the city more vibrant, raise property values and the tax base, and attract investment.

It sounds pretty interesting although it would be nice to know if they considered more forward thinking proposals like converting that abandoned land to power generation or food production.  How about some allotment gardening (with the urban poor given priority for plots so that they could supplement their diets with freshly grown produce) or community gardening (with the produce being sold in farmers markets targeted primarily for areas that don’t have good access to fresh produce)?  The citizenry is then responsible for the land (and, in this case, the food it produces for them) as opposed to city workers or contractors giving them some material reasons to manage the land and keep it secure.

Check out the article here or the study it’s based upon here.

Cold fusion for food?

The Atlantic has a piece about a farm in New York that is doing some interesting work in terms of plant and fish production.  Vegetarianism is the least expensive (in terms of energy inputs) method of getting our bodies the fuel we need.  The old rule of thumb is that it takes 10 pounds of grains to make one pound of meat.  When you figure in many of the artificial products that have to be added to that system to make that one pound of meat in today’s industrial food system (fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, steroids, etc.) you end up creating a very large footprint to keep a very few people stuffed to the gills with Big Macs.  And given the tens or hundreds of millions of people who will be joining the ranks of the middle class throughout the world (*cough* China *cough*), in the coming years and decades, all wanting their own Big Macs we’ve crossing the line into unsustainable demand.

But, let’s face it.  Vegetarianism ain’t for everyone.  Heck, even I eat seafood (although I’m feeling increasingly hesitant given the serious overfishing issues) and, as in all complex problems, the answer isn’t likely to come in one, neat package but rather be a suite of measures with all address the problem in alternate ways.

So, how is this farm advancing that idea.  Aquaponics.

In aquaponic systems, fish and plants are raised together in a mutually beneficial environment. The fish produce fertilizer for the plants; the plants cleanse the water for the fish…estimates that at Cabbage Hill a pound of fish food is converted into a quarter pound of fish and eight to ten pounds of produce, a veritable cornucopia of chard, bok choy, lettuce, mesclun, beet greens, kohlrabi, tatsoi, basil, parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, sorrel, and rosemary. The tilapia, his largest fish “crop” by total weight, feed on a 100-percent vegetarian diet, getting around a major environmental hurdle faced by farmers who raise carnivorous fish such as salmon, which eat meal made from herring, sardines, and anchovies, which are currently fished to their limit.

And the bottom line…

Aside from food for the fish, the operation is almost totally self-contained. A small amount of solid waste from the fish is filtered out and composted for application to raised-bed gardens outside the greenhouse. Ferry has to add an occasional scoop of lime to buffer acidity, much as a terrestrial gardener sweetens his soil. The greenhouse’s resident population of ladybugs, midges, and parasitic wasps preys on plant-eating insects, eliminating the need for chemical pesticides.

The water, which would otherwise accumulate toxic levels of fish waste, was pumped continuously out into long, shallow troughs along the opposite wall. There, vegetables grew on polystyrene rafts, their roots dangling into the water, absorbing nitrites and phosphorous, purifying it before it was recirculated to the fish.

How cool is that?

Creepy food

cauliflower2

Originally uploaded by iago18335

I spent the afternoon at my local CSA at their end of season ‘pig out’ where you can come their fields and take what’s left. While I won’t bore you with my new problem of what to do with more beets than I’ve ever seen in one place I will share this unusual cauliflower I got. It looked so alien and weird I was compelled to take some pictures of it.

Reading and listening

Three books I’d like to quickly mention…

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall: I saw McDougall on the Daily Show and heard about the Tarahumara while watching the show Last Man Standing.  This book came out during my fascination with my Vibram Five fingers (which I still think are amazing) and so may have been the target demographic for the book.  The author writes for Men’s Health and other magazines and you can definitely tell that from his writing style.  If you’re not a running enthusiast (not necessarily a hard core fanatic, just someone who enjoys running) the book might not appeal to you which is a shame because it goes off on two rather lengthy tangents that I think have a much wider appeal.  First, a discussion of how the running shoe-industrial complex came into being and has really bamboozled almost everyone with no proof that they improve a runner’s performance or prevent injury.  Secondly, is a great discussion about human evolution and an argument that humans have literally evolved to be running creatures.  Not running predators like cheetahs or wolves but rather persistence hunters.

John Dies @ the End by David Wong:  I picked this up on a whim and am very glad I did.  This book really defies any sort of summation but it is a horror-humor mix.  Allow me to quote one passage from the book to give you a feel for it:

A group of men carrying what had to be rifles stood around the vehicle, and John immediately reached out and punched the switch to kill his headlights.  Then it occurred to him that the lights suddenly going off might have been more noticeable.  So he punched them back on, thought he saw two of the men turn toward him, and then quickly turned the lights back off again.  Now he felt the stobing of his headlights was almost impossible not to notice; in fact, all of the men seemed to be looking up the hill at him.  The group might have either pursued him or raised their rifles to perforate his windshield had a gorilla riding a giant crab not leapt out of the woods and eaten two of them.

Dear readers, no amount of context would explain that paragraph.  The whole book makes you feel a bit disoriented like you’re just a bit thick and not getting it but its enjoyable enough to wait what passes for answers and resolution.  It elicited a dozen or so laughs out loud and a bunch of smirks so check it out if you want some light entertainment.

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman:  I’ve collected a small library of vegetarian cookbooks since going to the dark side way back in 1997 but this may allow me to throw all of them away.  It’s absolutely brilliant covering all the cooking basics, ideas for altering recipes and addressing all those vegetables you see in the supermarket and have no idea what to do with them.  The author assumes no cooking skill on the part (hence the instructions for making a green salad) but don’t assume the simple recipes are tasteless or boring.  I’ve done 5 or so meals out of this book so far (it’s massive at 800-900 pages) and each has been a hit.  In fact, I’ve officially made my wife a fan of cauliflower, something she swore she didn’t like at all.

Meatless Mondays

Here’s an entry in the Atlantic Food Channel today (well, awhile ago, I forgot to post this) that discusses the Baltimore school system which has instituted a meatless day in their cafeterias and the resulting outrage by the meat industry.

The Meatless Mondays program was launched to reduce the cholesterol and saturated fats in the lunch offerings and introduce alternate proteins and vegetables. (It’s also helped the cash-strapped school district cut some costs.) Geraci and chef/dietician Mellissa Mahoney say they don’t want to promote vegetarianism, just healthy omnivorism. On Mondays, beans and cheese are the main source of protein (along with vegetables and grains) and kids don’t lose out on a single gram.

Janet Riley, of the American Meat Institute, went on Lou Dobbs’ show on CNN last week to chastise Baltimore for depriving its students of key nutrients: protein. Her boss, the group’s CEO, has also written a public letter to Baltimore’s City Schools CEO Andrés Alonso, noting he was “disturbed” by the initiative and that “meat and poultry may be the only significant source of protein” in Baltimore kids’ diets.

First of all, need I point out how disturbing a title ‘American Meat Institute’ is?

Secondly, meat is the only significant source of protein?  Really?  Who believes that anymore?

At the beginning of the term, she said, students were a bit apprehensive about the new items. So she started putting out small samples of entrees like eggplant parmesan and veggie lasagna so kids could try them first.

Thirdly, what does this say about the diets of these children when they’ve never been exposed to things like eggplant or cauliflower?  Obviously, this is a result of our obsession with processed and fast food and it can’t be good that we have children who have a limited exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Can’t a vegitarian veteran get a little love?

Applebee’s is doing something really nice for Veterans Day this year.  Any veteran or active duty member of the military will be entitled to one of six free entrees.  Pretty nice…

But allow me to take a good long look in that gift horses mouth…

All of the dishes involve beef or chicken.  While I will be the first to admit that us warrior vegetarians are an extremely rare breed, it is possible that someone might want some fish or no meat at all.

Still, my criticism is rather petty.  It’s a great gesture…

If you read only one thing about the food industry…

…you probably shouldn’t make it this post.  BUT, I will try to provide some interesting information nonetheless.

The Atlantic has a very enlightening post by Marion Nestle about Cal Poly.  They had invited Michael Pollan (author of the Omnivore’s Dilemma and which is worth the read) to speak at the university.  Well, apparently one of their donors (representing a beef company) threw a fit and threatened to withdraw $500,000 in donations.

Nestle includes two letters in her post which I recommend checking out.  One is from the University president to Mr. Wood (the donor) and the other is Mr. Wood’s reply.  I especially recommend reading Mr. Wood’s reply in its entirety which is nothing less than an attempt to force the university to establish and enforce a strict industry friendly party line among all the staff.

For too long now, those intimately involved in production of agriculture have silently allowed others (academics and activists) to shape their future. Not any longer! The views of elitists’ like Michael Pollan can no longer go unchallenged. Agriculture cannot allow the Pollans of the world to shape societal expectations (and ultimately policy makers’ decisions) regarding the production practices that can or cannot be employed by those whose livelihood depends on the continued development and adoption of modern agriculture practices.

Yes, because the poor, poor agriculture industry hasn’t had decades of lax regulations and friendly legislators to ensure that meat production can conducted in unsanitary, unsafe and immoral ways.

And what does Pollan say (you just know Mr. Wood was muttering things like ‘godless communist’ under his breath as he was writing that letter) that so upsets Mr. Wood?  Here are a few of Pollan’s comments that Wood finds particularly heinous.

• “To keep the animals healthy on that corn diet, you have to give them lots of antibiotics, they won’t survive otherwise.”
• “I don’t eat industrial meat anymore. I eat grass-fed beef, organic chicken from a place I know. It is more expensive, and as a result I eat less meat.”
• “Not so compelling is the biological logic behind this cheap meat. Already in their short history, CAFO’s (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) have produced more than their share of environmental and health problems: polluted water and air, toxic waste, novel and deadly pathogens.”

Yeah, that is dangerous.  I think those quotes came out of Mao’s red book.  Now Mr. Wood doesn’t argue the truth of those statements, just the fact that they’re hostile to the meat industry.  Yes, let’s purge our universities of all ideas and thoughts that don’t adhere to societal (business) norms.

Which reminds me of another food industry trick that’s jerking my chain.  This commercial from ‘Americans against food taxes’ (i.e. Corporate hacks trying to appear to be concerned citizens – check out all the concerned citizens involved here).  Here’s their commercial:

First, my apologies for encouraging you to watch that crap.

Now, if you’re really concerned about having enough money to feed your family, maybe you should forgo the soda altogether.  Replace your soda with juice (real juice not that cocktail or drink crap) or if you really want to save money (maybe for something with a bit of nutrition in it to keep your kids from developing rickets or scurvy) drink water.  Trust me, it won’t kill you and businesses can keep working by putting tap water in little plastic bottles and selling it for a huge markup.

Time to change the menu

I’ve always described myself as a Pescetarian (one who avoids all meat other than seafood) but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain that position in light of the horrendous overfishing going on.  The latest:

Fish stocks across the world are in retreat because of over-fishing. One study suggests oceans will be stripped clean of all fish by 2048. Bluefin is imminently at risk of commercial extinction. The wildlife charity WWF forecasts that breeding stocks of the fish that migrate from the Atlantic to spawn will be wiped out in the Mediterranean by 2012.

Apparently the Mitsubishi corporation is buying huge amounts of tuna as a hedge for when the population crashes and is no longer commercially viable.  Then, they can sell the fish for top dollar since it’ll exist no where else.

I don’t think I need to give up all fish however.  It just looks like I’m going to have to do a bit of homework to see what populations are healthy and what can be maintained in an environmentally sustainable way.

May I recommend some squid today?

Raise your glass

I was in Napa Valley this past weekend to try a little wine tasting.  I usually classify my palate as being slightly more sophisticated than your average goat but I was able to make some distinctions between the good stuff and the rutgut.

By far my favorite winery thought, both in terms of product and atmosphere was the Prager Winery and Port Works, a tiny little place that we would have passed had it not been recommended by an employee at another small winery.  The place was so small that only 10 or so people could fit in the tasting room at any one time but it had a great, relaxed vibe and I would have been happy hanging out there for a few hours.  If they had live music you would have had to blast me out of the place.

Their port was quite good and worth the $10 price tag for the tasting.  The guys with the bottles also didn’t seem to mind giving out seconds if you asked and didn’t get too greedy.  I’d especially recommend the 2005 Alyssa Golden Dry Port which had a great toasted almond smell and aftertaste (don’t pay any attention to the description on the link).  It was the only bottle I considered worth the hassle of travelling back home with and would consider a loss if I couldn’t get it at my local liquor store after covering ten wineries in two days.

Enjoy.

What to eat?

Well, Thanksgiving is rolling around again which means it’s time to re-evaluate my dietary choices.  As I’ve written before I’m a Pescetarian (which I pronounce as ‘Pesky-tarian’) which limits the meat part of my diet to seafood and animal products (dairy, eggs, honey, etc.).  I’ve traditionally made one exception a year for Thanksgiving turkey because the food is such a integral part of the holiday and possesses so many cultural and familial links that I found not having it gave me a general sense of unease and ‘uncompletness’ (if that’s a word).  Plus, I really like the taste.

But, having a turkey also left with a hypocritical taste in my mouth (usually doused with large quantities of wine) so I have not been able to find a good compromise.

So, as I’ve started thinking about what to do I was interested to see this article in the current issue of Newsweek by Peter Singer.  Singer has some serious chops when it comes to the animal liberation movement and he does go much further than I would but he does raise some interesting points.

Many people see this movement as a logical continuation of the fight against racism and sexism, and believe that the concept of animal rights will soon be as commonplace as equal pay and opportunities for women and minorities. If that happens—and I believe it will—the effects on the food we eat, how we produce it and the place of animals in our society will be profound…If this sounds radical, so did suffrage and civil rights a few decades ago.

Although, I just can’t get on board with this.

Even wilderness presents a problem. Are humans ethically bound to prevent animals from killing other animals? To contemplate interfering with the workings of ecosystems would be presumptuous, at least for now.

That’s just a mirror image problem who think we should remake the entire world into our personal toilet/Wal Mart/24 hour buffet.  I think the notion that we are somehow above the natural world around us and should start intentionally modifying it is wrong headed (yes, I know we modify it all the time but when we start talking about modifying animal behavior to align with human morality it seems to me we’re getting into bizzarro territory).  Just because I don’t eat meat doesn’t mean I should put my dog on a vegetarian diet.  Millions of years of evolution, after all, have made him into a carnivore.  That’s what he is.  And while it’s not practical to have him hunt/scavenge his meals, I’m not sure what the point is of messing with that.

Nature is a bloody business.  Animals eat each other.  That’s one of the factors that drives natural selection and has worked pretty good over the past billion years or so.  Let’s not muck that up.

I do believe there can be a case made for humans to eat meat although not under the current regime of industrialized meat production.  Our existing system distances ourselves from our food supply and contributes to both an unhealthy environment and unhealthy population.

I believe that we need to have some connection, even if largely symbolic, to our food supply.  Hamburger doesn’t come from a shrink wrapped Styrofoam tray, it comes from an animal.  If we can get the population to understand that they might begin to care about how that animal was raised, treated and processed, if not for ethical reasons, perhaps for selfish health reasons.

In that regard, I make sure that several times a year I catch and clean some of the fish I eat every year.  It brings me face to face with my decision to kill and eat something and makes me respect the food I eat much more.  If I ever get to the point where I can’t bring myself to do such a thing, I’ll need to become a vegetarian.  Likewise, I have respect for hunters (those who eat their kills, at least) much more than those who may never have killed an animal personally but can’t identify what animal their steak or chop came from because they’ve only ever seen it shrink wrapped at the local Quick-E-Mart.

In an additional bit of serendipity, this morning (I’m writing this on Friday, the 21st of November) on Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan (WTF?!) seemed to be decrying the treatment of animals in the food industry system and recommended the works of Matthew Scully (who has some work to do erasing the bad karma accrued for speechwriting for her whose name must not be spoken).

So, back to Thanksgiving.  My wife (who doesn’t share my dietary choices) and I discussed it last night and actually she convinced me that we should go turkeyless this year.  So, stay tuned for the final menu…