Louisville Community Supported Agriculture: News

Sustainable City Series: Climate Change - From Bali to Louisville

The fourth Sustainable City Series: Climate Change – From Bali to Louisville was held Tuesday May 13, 2008 from 6:00 – 8:30.

Keith Mountain, Associate Professor of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Louisville, was the first guest speaker at the forum. He began by discussing the basic questions surrounding climate change: 1. Is there such a thing as global climate change? Mountain argued that there is no longer any debate on this issue. 2. What is the cause of such change? 3. What will be the response of the global ecosystem, including humankind?

Fundamental principals to the debate are that the Earth and its atmospheric and hydrologic systems are closed systems. According to Mountain, no one in a reasonable state of mind disputes these principals. The atmosphere, constantly in motion, is a very narrow band that does not take much to be impacted. Climate change is not just temperature – it has many variables.

Evidence for climate change is based on both instrumental records and reconstructed records. Climate change can be proven based on the application of solid scientific evidence. Glaciers are studied for multiple reasons: 1. They are global in extent. 2. They contain a long historical record within their ice cores. 3. Multiple climate elements are captured in the stratigraphy. 4. They have a direct connection to the climate system. 5. They have modern day analogs, which means that the way they were formed and behaved in the past is the exact same way they behave now and will behave in the future. Every glacier that has been observed is retreating. There is no denying that the climate is moving to a different state. Greenland is melting faster than any models have predicted. Even Kilimanjaro is melting – the temperature is not changing, but other climactic processes are causing it.

In Louisville people do not see the differences as profoundly, but the average temperature is going up. Overall the planet is undergoing an unprecedented rate of change that has never been seen before in the ice cores. The prediction in Louisville for 2020 is that precipitation will not decline overall, but snowfall is continuing to drop. We need to know why.

Mountain concluded by saying that the burden of proof should be moved. Instead of asking for proof that the climate is changing and why, we need to put the burden back on the doubters to prove the scientific community is wrong.

The second speaker was Art Williams, Director of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District. He began by discussing the history of the political environment surrounding environmental issues. A key point in this discussion was that the US has still not ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and refuses to do so until developing countries like China and India agree to sign.

In 2007, the IPCC released a synthesis report on Climate Change. The report said that the warming of the climate is unequivocal. Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperature since the mid 20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in human-caused change. There is high agreement and much evidence that with current climate change mitigation policies and related sustainable development practices, global greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions will continue to grow over the next few decades. Continued GHG emissions at or above the current rates would cause further warming and induce many changes in the global system during the 21st century that would very likely be larger than those observed during the 20th century. Anthropogenic warming could lead to some impacts that are abrupt or irreversible. Many impacts can be reduced, delayed or avoided by mitigation. Mitigation efforts and investments over the next few decades will have a large impact.

Williams stressed that public policies should follow the "Precautionary Principal", which means that we should do the smart thing and pursue reasonable policy options. Even pulling climate change out of the equation, fossil fuels are finite. Plus, from an energy security standpoint it makes sense to be self reliant.

At the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, China and India agreed to nationally appropriate mitigation actions. This prompted the US to agree to this post-Kyoto agreement.

Locally, in April 2005, Mayor Jerry Abramson signed the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. This agreement says that Louisville will reduce the community’s GHG emissions by 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. In December 2006, the Climate Change Committee was formed as part of the Partnership for a Greener City. The Committee is open to the public and welcomes new members. Its first goal is an inventory of Louisville’s GHG emissions, because we cannot figure out how to make reductions until we know exactly where they are coming from. This report is due in July, 2008.

Reusable Produce Bags

By Tina L. Meredith

Last Saturday when I was making purchases at the Bardstown Road Farmer’s Market, I noticed that at the end of the transaction the farmer automatically pulled out a plastic bag for me. While I’m a little embarrassed that I’ve gone so long without a good collection of reusable bags, I was proud to finally be able to say, “No thanks. I’ve got my own.”

I’ve collected large canvas bags from stores like Whole Foods or Kroger over the years, but they’re so bulky that they never seem to make it out of the car or even off the hook where they hang inside the basement door. I always remember to take a large canvas bag with me to pick up my CSA share, but then I use the smaller plastic bags provided by Misty Meadows to separate out particularly dirty potatoes or to keep my salad greens separate from my Swiss chard.

The difference now is that I’ve invested in a set of sturdy compact Envirosax bags ($37.95 for a set of 5 from www.reusablebags.com ). Each bag holds about as much as two traditional plastic bags, but they are stronger, have longer handles and they come in a variety of fun patterns.

The best part? They fold up into a pouch small enough to keep in a purse or you could stick an individual bag in your back pocket. If you always have one or more with you, it’s easier to remember to use them.

There are many other ultra compact bags that you could try – several friends swear by ChicoBags ($3.95 and up).

An even cheaper (read free) alternative is to make your own out of old t-shirts (http://www.marthastewart.com/article...ng-t-shirt-bag ). After all, who doesn’t have a tub of old concert t-shirts in the attic?

My very creative friend, English, used the Martha Stewart instructions as a starting point and turned her daughters’ onesies that she couldn’t bear to part with into produce bags. To make the smaller bags featured in the picture at the top of this article, she turned the onesies inside out and cut the sleeves off the outside of the seam starting at the shoulder. Then she sewed a hem across the bottom and flipped it inside out. The ones that have snaps on the neck give the bag a closeable top.

Apparently the farmers at her local market loved her homemade bags, although the girl at the supermarket wasn’t quite sure what to do with them.

You can find bags at several good websites such as www.reusablebags.com, www.ecobags.com, and
http://www.greenraising.com/Reusable-Bags-C1.aspx .

Sustainable City Series: Local Food & Agriculture

by Tina L Meredith

The event, hosted by Urban Design Studios, on March 25, 2008 from 6:00-8:30 at Glassworks was heavily attended. After checking in at 5:55 and receiving my nametag, I got in the long appetizer line snaking around the back of the room. There was a fairly impressive array of food, but I grabbed only an iced tea and a cookie and took one of the few remaining seats while I still had the opportunity.

Patrick Piuma, Director of Urban Design Studios, gave a short introduction to the series and the speakers.

First up was Susan Hamilton from the Louisville Metro Economic Development Department.

Hamilton discussed the Local Food Economy Work Group, started in March 2006. It is a multi-jurisdictional effort involving elected officials from multiple districts and private sector people and entities including Wendell Berry and Brown Forman.

It was funded by a grant of $75,000 from the Kentucky Agriculture Development Fund and a $75,000 match from partners. Its purpose is to assess current and potential production capacity of the local farming community, its infrastructure, and the current demand for products and the potential for expansion.

The work group created a team from Market Ventures, Inc and Karp Resources. They began a study in September 2007 that is expected to be completed in May 2008. They have compiled a list of concepts for further study. The concepts that are found to be most promising will be implemented in Louisville: 1. Add additional farmers markets. 2. Create an indoor, year-round, multi-vendor public market in downtown Louisville. 3. Support the establishment of more CSAs in Jefferson County. (The group found 8 operating in 2007.) 4. Create a wholesale farmers’ market. 5. Expand local presence in supermarkets. 6. Create a Workforce Development program to help staff farms and cultivate new farmers. 7. Create/expand local foods distribution in Louisville. 8. Focus on schools and other large facilities using public interest brokers. 9. Develop a food processing facility. 10. Support the creation of additional poultry and meat processing facilities. 11. Create a branding, packaging, marketing initiative. 12. Support agricultural tourism.

The next speaker was Ivor Chodkowski from the Community Farm Alliance (CFA), Grasshoppers and Field Day Family Farm.

Chodkowski said that global warming has impacted all the local weather averages. In all his years of farming he has never seen a stretch of wet weather that has lasted as long and consistently as the current spring. Finally today he was able to break ground.

He was president of CFA in 2005. One of the political action measures CFA was instrumental in helping pass was House Bill 611. This bill set aside half of the tobacco settlement funding for agricultural efforts in Kentucky to move KY farmers away from tobacco farming. A state Agriculture Development Board was established to distribute these funds.

He is currently a co-owner of Grasshoppers – a local food distribution company created to help bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. It will also help farmers who aren’t direct marketers and may only produce several items per season. These types of farmers aren’t large scale enough to focus time and energy on their own marketing efforts.

Chodkowski stressed that everyone should join to help the effort. “Voting with your fork” is one way to become involved immediately, but it is not the only answer. Everyone should be involved and become better citizens. Grassroots community organizing is a way to make change. CFA is like open source software – more and better contributors mean more and better output.

The next speaker was Bill Huston from Urban Fresh.

Huston first discussed a Community Food Assessment conducted by CFA (http://www.communityfarmalliance.org). The results showed that West Louisville is a “food desert”. Most of the population of 75,000 is low income, 80% are African-American, and some 40%-70% have no access to automobiles. There are two grocery stores for the 75,000 residents, compared to the rest of Jefferson County, which averages one grocery store for 6,100 people.

These statistics show a nutrition gap. The residents spend more money on fast food and other restaurants. Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in this population. Both of these can be controlled through diet and exercise.

CFA found that one solution is to cultivate LIFE: Locally Integrated Food Economy. This will help reduce or eliminate the food desert in West Louisville.

Urban Fresh provides direct access to local residents. It is the West Louisville counterpart to Grasshoppers. Urban Fresh is active in several farmers’ markets, including the California, Spalding and Smoketown/Shelby Farmers Markets. The Smoketown/Shelby market allows residents to pay using EBT and WIC.

The final speaker of the evening was Chef Mark Williams of Slow Food Bluegrass.

Williams is the leader of the local Slow Food Convivium (www.slowfoodbluegrass.org). The Slow Food movement began 21 y ears ago in Italy. Its principals include good, clean, high quality, fair food.

The local chapter, comprised of about 150 members, focuses mainly on communication. They have many low cost or free events.

Sustainable City Series

Urban Design Studio has put together a series of forums on sustainability and the next one on March 25th at Glassworks from 6pm - 8:30pm will focus on Local Food & Agriculture.

Speakers on the panel include Ivor Chodkowski of Field Day Family Farm, Bill Huston of Urban Fresh, Susan Hamilton from the Louisville Metro Economic Development
Department, and Chef Mark Williams of Slow Food Louisville and Executive Chef at Bourbon Street Cafe. The event will be free to the public, but seating is limited so anyone interested must RSVP at http://uds.louisville.edu to be assured a seat.

The last two events held by Urban Design Studio at Glassworks had more than 220 people, with the first event being over 260 people and standing room only. They expect that this event will reach the limit as well.

Kentucky Farm Dinner Showcases Local Products

An article in the Courier Journal today discusses the upcoming Kentucky Farm Dinner. Click this link to check it out: tinyurl.com/2x3rpt

Recent Food Contamination

This summer has seen its fair share of food recalls. Some recent examples include:

On August 3, 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recalled canned green beans that because of botulism concerns. (www.tinyurl.com/39snhm )

On July 18, 2007, the FDA released a statement recalling Hot Dog Chili Sauce manufactured by Castleberry Food Company. The recall was later expanded to include a variety of consumer products made by Castleberry – even dog food. (www.tinyurl.com/3a9p65)

So you shake your head, tsk-tsk, and say it doesn’t concern you because you buy only organic products? Surely the extra cash spent on high-end snack foods is worth it. How about a little salmonella with that crunchy salty goodness?

On June 28, the FDA recalled the popular children’s snack, Veggie Booty from Robert’s American Gourmet. The Robert’s recall was later expanded to include Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks. (www.tinyurl.com/2y94h9)

Even avoiding processed foods is no guarantee against contamination as last summer’s recalls of fresh pre-washed spinach and salad greens illustrates. Joining a CSA may mean spending a little more time in the kitchen washing and preparing farm fresh produce, but the added effort more than makes up for any extra little unexpected ingredients.

Support Farm-Based Food Education When You Shop at Wild Oats

As of this week, the Food Literacy Project at Oxmoor Farm is one of the featured nonprofit groups in Wild Oats' Wooden Nickel Program. If and when you shop at the Wild Oats store at 4600 Shelbyville Road for the next six months, be sure to bring your own bags. Then you can use the wooden nickels you receive in exchange for each shopping bag saved to support our efforts to reconnect Louisville's youth with the source of their food. It's an easy way to support our work. Please let your friends and family know about this opportunity. Thanks!
Carol Gundersen, Director
Food Literacy Project at Oxmoor Farm
9001 Limehouse Lane
Louisville, KY 40222
(502) 413-5989
www.foodliteracyproject.org