Green Horn

Teaching Kids How To Eat

onegreenhorn — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:05:28 +0000

Photo from The Kitchn

What? I’m not crying, I have allergies. There’s something in my eye. Or you caught me watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on ABC. This equally disturbing and inspiring show documents Jamie Oliver’s quest to change the eating habits every kid in America’s unhealthiest and fattest city, Huntington, West Virginia. Jamie’s TED Prize wish was to teach every child about food. You can watch his speech here.

This month, the Child Nutrition Act, which could vastly improve the health of our country through school lunches, is up for re-authorization. Last week, The New York Times wrote an editorial about the importance of supporting this act. Time for Lunch, part of Slow Food USA, is also trying to make sure that all people, including children, have access to clean and healthy food and they have lots of suggestions on how you can help on their website. Learning about food, like language, is best taught at an early age. We have the chance to change an entire generation of eating habits that will hopefully trickle down to following generations. Watch the show and sign the petition to get The Child Nutrition Act passed.

Thinking Big For Warmer Months

onegreenhorn — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:59:30 +0000

Ready for Spring! Roses from my friend, Lisa's shop, pot & box in Ann Arbor.

Besides losing this muffin top I accumulated from solstice to equinox, I’ve got some big goals for the summer time! I’d like to start making some themed posts that highlight places in Chicago. Some categories I’d love to start with would be:

Local businesses (Is this too broad? Should I break up into coffee shops, clothing, etc?)
Community Gardens
Farmer’s Markets
Bike Shops

This idea has been nagging me for quite some time. Every time I visit a local business where the service is outstanding and the people are friendly, I’d like to leave them with more than a big tip. I’ve been using Foursqaure and Twitter as mini shout outs but I’d like to do more write-ups. Plus, it’s a great way to keep the blog more Chicago-centric. I would love love love feedback on your favorite places around the city or more category suggestions.

Flower Power!

onegreenhorn — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:17:54 +0000

Finding a natural, quiet place in the city can be difficult. So can finding sustainable local produce. Gardens like the 2655 Thomas Community Garden in Humboldt Park fulfill both these needs. The garden is part of NeighborSpace Organization and is open to the public 24/7. It houses herbs, perennials, and vegetables.

This is what volunteer Kim Werst told me:

“Almost always the neighborhood kids come by to assist as well. We put them to work watering the beds and helping move soil, etc. I hope to have them help transplant actual plants this year so they get a taste for growing sustainable foods even if they live in the heart of a major metropolitan city. My personal opinion is that the garden is a place where people go to have a peaceful break in their day of concrete and noise. They can be inspired to green up their households, or live vicariously if that isn’t an option in their current situation. Every time I went there last summer after work to prune tomatoes or water the plants, someone would come up to chat about the garden. I never anticipated the number of lives engaged by the garden. There are many others around Humboldt Park as well – so it’s lovely to see them as part of the makeup of such a diverse area in Chicago.”

So inspiring! I know there is a number of community gardens in Chicago but it would be a great resource if I could create a list of these gardens. Maybe it’s already out there. Someone let me know. In the meantime, make sure to stop by the garden and get dirty on April 24 for Earth Day Work Day from 12-3pm followed by a potluck BBQ until 6pm while they try to raise $2,010 for 2010.

2655 Thomas Facebook and Flickr

World Water Day 2010

onegreenhorn — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:28:24 +0000

In honor of World Water Day, watch this short little well-done video and you’ll never buy bottled water again.

How Far Must You Go To Eat Locally?

onegreenhorn — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:22:52 +0000

Cupcakes from Bleeding Heart Bakery, 3 miles from my apartment

The Eat Well Guide is an online tool that’s helps users find locally, organically, and sustainably produced food in their area. You can search by zip code, key word, or city. A really cool feature is the Plan a Trip option, which is MapQuest for good food; you type in your starting point and destination to find places to eat along the way. As test run, I put my zip code (60614) in and whoa! I have 6 bakers, 2 c0-ops, 5 farmers, 11 sustainable organizations, 31 stores, 1 butcher, 47 farmer’s markets, 2 personal chefs, 3 wholesale sellers, 9 caterers, 4 educational centers, and 30 restaurants within 10 miles of me! This tool is officially inducted into my highly persnickety bookmark bar.

Eco Oscar

onegreenhorn — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:02:34 +0000

Happy Oscar Day! Ten movies for best picture?! All I really care about is assessing the outfits. I think the whole award ceremony thing is just a big back-scratching event but what better way to spend a Sunday than judging celebrities with friends and pizza. As I was tidying up in preparation for company, I started thinking, “I wonder if they’re making any efforts to make it eco-friendly?” Everything’s going green these days even if it’s just for PR but hey, at least it’s an effort. Turns out, I couldn’t find any articles about the actual ceremony doing anything but I found out about Global Green, which has been hosting green Oscar parties since 1994. This year, James Cameron, Orlando Bloom, Neil Patrick Harris, and Salma Hayek are all attending. But, let’s be honest, that’s not all that impressive. It’s a pretty vapid message considering it’s really just a bunch oblivious, ostentatious celebrities going to an unnecessary party for themselves.

The films themselves have a better chance of sending a message which, according to the Huffington Post, some have done this year. Food, Inc. and The Cove are both nominated. But it’s not just documentaries teaching lessons. Avatar, nominated for nine awards, is an obvious homage to the beauty of our planet as well a grim warning. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a story of revolt against industrial meat conglomerates.

Will you watch?

It’s That Time Again

onegreenhorn — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:29:46 +0000

The Family Farmed Expo is a huge three-day event focused on local eating and sustainability. It’s packed with chef demos, trade shows, panels and parties. I got the great opportunity to attend last year at the Chicago Cultural Center for free and thankfully, because it’s not cheap. This year it’s at UIC. But here’s a hint–volunteer! Trust me, it’s worth it. And there’s free food.

Sew, You Wanna Knit?

onegreenhorn — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:20:30 +0000

Knitting Tattoo from Craftzine

I got a sewing machine from my Grandma around eight years ago and every time I move, it’s home remains in the back of the closet. I’ve tried studying the manual, even paying for classes, but I consistently become frustrated and give up. Being able to sew is so useful and every time I see simple instructions for making throw pillows, curtains, or fixing an over sized shirt from the thrift store, I remember that damn unconquerable sewing machine. Well, guess what? This year will be different! I’ve decided the first step will be attending the free Sewing Rebellion at Mess Hall on Sundays in Rogers Park.

My second goal will be knitting. Every time I’m in nina in Wicker Park, it’s full of people and they have an incredibly helpful and friendly staff. I have some basic knitting skills but I’d like to learn more. nina offers classes but they’re not free. If you have the extra cash, go for it. Knitting Help has basically taught me how to knit. They have step by step videos that will teach you everything from casting on to advanced techniques.

I also recently discovered Reknit, a genius website that will take your old sweaters and re-purpose the yarn into things like scarves and hats. So if you give up on crafting, Reknit can do it for you. Meh. There’s always next year.

Do You Take This Hippy?

onegreenhorn — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:24:59 +0000

Etsy user TuesdayMourning

Although a wedding seems like the last thing I would have time to plan anytime soon, aren’t they fun to think about? A party with all your friends and family. What will we cook?! Where we will have it?! What will I wear?!?!? Oh. And should it be green? I get the chills when I think about a bunch of hippies in hemp potato sacks, walking down the aisle to “No Woman No Cry.” Is it possible to have a cool, green wedding that’s more bohemian and less hippy?

The other day, a friend showed me a wedding invitation he got that doubles as a plant! What the what?! You can actually plant the invite and it will grow flowers. After doing some research, I found a lot of places that actually do this. A simple Google search for “seed card” will point you in the right direction.

Bloomin Invites

Today, the boyfriend showed me recycled gold rings. You can even pay an extra tax to offset your CO2 footprint. He also showed me this. It was vetoed immediately. Let the tree hug me? Um, I so don’t roll that way.

What It Looks Like

onegreenhorn — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:47:48 +0000

Process and Culture by Adam Jahnke

You may, or may not, know that when I’m not stuffing my face with my culinary experiments or coming up with ideas for this blog, I’m writing (and reading) about art, especially art that is socially conscience in some way.

By Adam Jahnke

Adam Jahnke is a photographer that just won the ArtSlant Golden Frame Award. I don’t know how he does it, but he somehow gets into factory farms and documents the carnage in a disturbingly beautiful way. I lifted the computer right to my face because I couldn’t tell if they were staged for real or what. You can check out more on his Flickr.

-Whitney Stoepel