Category Archives: sustainability

I <3 Local Food from our (what’s a?) CSA!

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With all the rain lately, I find myself thinking of my childhood home, specifically the bathroom… You see, growing up, there hung these cross-stitch framed pieces in the bathroom. One said, April Showers bring May Flowers and the other, Save Water, Shower with a Friend and there was an image of 2 bunnies pulling a flower head over to have water shower from it onto their fuzzy bunny heads.  It’s silly, but I loved those pieces…not so sure if I’ll be showering with friends anytime soon…but…

What I am sure about is that April showers do bring May flowers and those flowers often turn into fruit, vegetables, herbs and other wonderfulness that farmers grow for us every year. And I am sure that sharing that food, once I get it from the Farmer with a friend is always much more satisfying than enjoying it alone!

And here we go- year 2 of Moraine Valley Community College participating in a CSA and year 2 of my friend Maura and me sharing the box of goods. So, what’s a “CSA anyway?” The acronym stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Small, food-producing farms (i.e., not industrial, mono-culture farms growing only one of corn, wheat, soy, canola, etc. to others for feed, processing, etc.) benefit from having capital on hand before the yield of the crop to ensure they have the funds for maintaining the soil, equipment, staff and so on to grow the food into saleable crops. Rather than going to the bank for a loan, many farmers have started offering this CSA as an option. Community members pay the farmer in advance of the crop. In exchange for their investment, they are guaranteed a set scheduled delivery of food from the farm as it matures. Sometimes this arrangement is referred to as buying a “share” of the crop or farm. More on the benefits for local economy, farmer independence, where to locate local CSAs or locally farmed food (ex., farmers markets or you-pick) can be found at LocalHarvest.org

For our CSA we get a box of different foods grown just down the road in St. Anne IL. It’s delivered to the College every week, with each week’s contents potentially different as it is dependent on the viability of the crops including weather, farming techniques, what was planted, what bugs are eating what, and on and on. Our Farmer practices organic and sustainable farming techniques, so dealing with Mother Nature is that much more challenging. Still, she has figured out the best way to manage pests, weeds and weather related challenges and is ready to deliver our very first box of the season!! I am so excited.

Each week we get an email update containing the musings of our Farmer- what’s happening at the farm; is there a new crop coming in; perhaps a deluge washed out the greens; or maybe the extra sunny days made the peppers come early… and then she includes what’s in the box. For giggles, here’s the first of the next 16 emails Maura and I and all the other CSA Members received:

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Eggs: This is week 1, so both weekly egg shares and half shares pick up eggs this week.  For those of you who signed up for bi-weekly eggs, please only take eggs on the odd numbered weeks.  If your name is not on the list for eggs, please contact me, but do not take eggs.  I will take care of the problem next week.

The rain has gone on its journey out of Illinois, happily for we farmers.  I would like a little warmer weather than we have today, but just to see the sun shine is a real treat.  Because it has been so wet, we have been ditch digging most days to drain the fields of water.  For the most part the water has flowed nicely, but I have seen a bit of crop damage due to the wetness of the soil.  It is all part of farming, being at the mercy of nature, but it can still be discouraging.   Almost all of our greens turned yellow or purple from too much water around the roots.  Some of the peppers curled up and died.  But, most things are fine and will come out of it just fine.  And, fortunately, I have enough extra plants that I should be able to replant the areas that died off, so we really do not have a loss there, just in the greens department.

I was able to pick strawberries today.  Hoorah!  I was worried they would be ruined due to the wetness, but they are mostly fine.  I do ask that you wash them carefully prior to use to make sure all the dirt is gone.   For those of you who were spring CSA members, Mr. Gray Bunny relocated to the berry patch and is very happily snacking on our strawberries.  And, I thought I hated the meeses to pieces, but the darn bunnies on this farm have gotten my goat!

I have started a new blog where there are little missives and the beginning of a collection of recipes.  Please feel free to contribute to our recipe list with original recipes.  I will send out recipes from cookbooks, etc via email, but not in the blog.  Here is the link to it. http://blog.genesis-growers.com/

Your box

  • Strawberries – please wash them prior to eating
  • Turnip greens – these are young and tender and can therefore be eaten raw as well as cooked
  • Asparagus – I heard an idea for asparagus and tried it – Ymmm.  Wrap bacon around the individual spears and then roast or grill. What a treat!
  • Rhubarb
  • Kohlrabi
  • Radishes
  • Loose leaf Lettuce head
  • Basil – I picked several different varieties.  The Thai is great for an Asian twist.  Purple and lemon are nice in salads, and green is your typical basil

Vicki
Genesis Growers
8373 E 3000 S Rd
St Anne, Il  60964
815 953 1512
www.genesis-growers.com

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I canNOT wait to get my hands on those fresh berries and the greens and the kohlrabi and… well, all of it! I know for sure that basil is getting chopped with the turnip greens & loose leaf lettuce and topped with hunks of roasted asparagus and radishes for a robust, flavoral dinner salad. I’ll make a vinagrette-0oo maybe with some of the strawberries!- and drizzle the salad that will accompany my rhubarb corn muffins. The kohlrabi, you ask? I’ll make that into pickles. Mmmm…what a yummy, summery dinner I have to look forward to this weekend! [FYI: these links are not my own recipes... I'll probably use a few to inspire my own work]

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, and experienced myself, folks explain how local food is so fresh it’s really a different experience than grocery store food. Try it yourself and then tell me all about it on Facebook or email me @ sustainability@morainevalley.edu. Not sure where to start? Check out LocalHarvest.org to find your own amazing summer dinner fixins’…Happy Summer, y’all!

TLC Event Video: My Enduring Sustainability Journey featuring Stephenie Presseller

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A new video that is part of our TLC event.
Walking the Walk: My Enduring Sustainability Journey
Stephenie Presseller
Childhood places, experiences with inspirational people, and life choices push us in new directions in life. Stephenie Presseller takes us on her ongoing journey that has led her to become the first sustainability manager at Moraine Valley. This is an amazingly beautiful, challenging, and winding road that invites us all to come along and walk the walk toward sustainability.

Public school swaps chicken nuggets for tofu, becomes first all-vegetarian cafeteria

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WOW! This really goes beyond Meatless Monday. I would love to hear a response to this… could it be done at Moraine Valley? Or a local K12 school? Why or why not?

REPOST: By Elizabeth Chuck, Staff Writer, NBC News Braised black beans and plantains. Tofu roasted in Asian sesame sauce. Falafel and cucumber salad. These aren’t menu items from a high-end restaurant; they’re lunchtime grub for students at a Flushing, Queens, public school’s all-vegetarian cafeteria, the first in New York City to nix meat and believed to be one of the first public school in the nation to serve only vegetarian fare. … full article linked below

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/01/17999627-nyc-public-school-swaps-chicken-nuggets-for-tofu-becomes-first-all-vegetarian-cafeteria?lite%3

Film Blog from Library full of Eco-Flicks!

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The Moraine Valley library has several themed blogs, which anyone can find them on its homepage. Of particular interest to me lately is the Film Blog series posted by Moraine Valley Librarian, Sarah Ando. Sarah has been reviewing several films on food, carbon & climate change. Check it out!

Or if you’re interested in personal liberty and freedoms of expression,  Librarian, Troy Swanson has a really interesting piece on Bassem Youssef of Egypt and his fight for free speech.

Librarian Jen Kolan wrote about “a breakthrough in hydrogen fuel production” and its potential impact on how we might fuel our vehicles in the near future. Jen also directs readers to more books and resources that can be found in the Library to learn more on the topic.

I share all this to highlight the Library, the great resources within (including the Librarians!) and to also show how integrated sustainability topics are in our current events, in research and in the Moraine Valley culture. Check out the blog to learn more or peruse the Center for Sustainability website to find out what Moraine Valley is addressing to ensure a sustainable today and tomorrow.

Dumpster Diving gets a New Look!

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Wow, I really like this idea. As someone who has furnished nearly 95% of her apartment with used, often curbside/alley found, objects I think this see-through bag would revolutionize my dumpster divin’ scores.

“Whether it’s that purple vase your sister-in-law got you, or that particular coffee-pad-loving coffee machine (you know the one) that’s been lying in the basement for ages; everybody owns items that are no longer of value to them,” says designer Simon Akkaya on the WaarMaker website.

What do you think? Clever, eh?

“Extreme” Is the New Normal

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Heat, Flood or Icy Cold, Extreme Weather Rages Worldwide: The growing incidence and intensity of extreme weather events is a sign that climate change is not just about rising temperatures.

This article highlights 2013 weather anomolies only 10 days (at the time of post) into the New Year; it is really quite alarming. Read the full post here.

“China is enduring its coldest winter in nearly 30 years. Brazil is in the grip of a dreadful heat spell. Eastern Russia is so freezing — minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and counting — that the traffic lights recently stopped working in the city of Yakutsk.”

Extreme is the new normal.

“Each year we have extreme weather, but it’s unusual to have so many extreme events around the world at once,” said Omar Baddour, chief of the data management applications division at the World Meteorological Association, in Geneva. “…— it’s already a big year in terms of extreme weather calamity.”

Read the full post here.

DIY gifts, save $ & the planet! (or at least decrease environmental impact)

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Repurposing otherwise obsolete items is a great way to recycle and decrease the environmental impact of waste. Sometimes it’s call upcycling. Whatever you call it- let’s do it! Upcycle craft ideas are all over the web and in light of the Holiday Season, I know many are still thinking…”What should I get for Aunt…” well, here you go. How about a cool caddy to keep wires and small electronics in place while charging? Have a baker in the family who always needs hot pads? Or maybe someone that would appreciate a book of tasty recipes? Check out

@Sierra_Magazine Who Asks: Want to save some green? Make these 10 DIY gifts to save and be green.

Happy Holidays, Y’all, take good care of yourselves and our planet!

 

Going green saves green for the students

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Going green saves green for the students

Dawn Countryman, Instructor of Anatomy & Physiology

 

With the college’s initiative to become more sustainable, the Biology department has worked to make our courses more sustainable. Recently, the department made a change to the General Biology I and II (Biology 111 and 112) lab manual, a required component for both courses, to reduce paper waste. Prior to the Fall semester 2011, students who took either Biology 111 or 112 needed to purchase one combined 2-semester Biology 111 and 112 manual. The combined lab manual was a total of 324 pages with 162 pages used for Biology 111 and 162 pages used for Biology 112. While this worked well for students who took both 111 and 112, it became apparent to instructors in the Biology department that a lot of paper was being wasted because most students do not take both Biology 111 and 112. Many students who purchased the lab manual for just one course ended up discarding the unused half.

 

In the Fall 2011, the authors of the lab manual, Gretchen Bernard and Edward Devine, made the decision to switch from a 2-semester combined lab manual to a separate lab manual for Biology 111 and Biology 112.  With each new separate lab manual containing 162 pages, it is estimated that this change saved over 500,000 pages (250,000 double-sided printing) during the period from Fall 2011 through Fall 2012. In addition to reducing paper waste, this switch has also saved students money because those that only take Biology 111 or Biology 112 are buying a lab manual at half of the cost they normally may have paid. For the Biology department, going green while saving the students money was definitely a win-win scenario.

 

 

MVCC Library Strives for Sustainability

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MVCC Library Strives for Sustainability – Terra Jacobson, Manager of Library Services.

This past year the MVCC Library has worked together with other campus departments to enact three major sustainability efforts.  In collaboration with the college Foundation, the Center for Sustainability, and our outside vendors we have achieved great success that reduces our waste and helps our bottom line.

Our first effort was completed using efficiencies available in our Library database system, with the direction of Library Assistants, Frank Hoak and Fran Kroll, and Systems Librarian, Marie Martino.  This past fall we enabled our check-out system to send overdue notices via email as opposed to printing and mailing them out.  This has reduced our printing from over 600 pages a month to less than 15 pages a month and has saved the college money in paper, envelopes, and postage.  Now all overdue and billing notices are auto-generated by our system daily and only those patrons without e-mail accounts receive printed notices through “snail mail”. All of our Library’s Circulation Desk employees work hard to make sure each e-mail address is up-to-date and accurate to have the maximum impact on reducing our paper consumption!

The largest effort towards sustainability is our Library book recycling program.  This was enacted at the start of the spring 2012 semester.  As our damaged and old books are removed from our library collection, we donate these books through a literacy partner.  In return we receive a monetary donation towards our college’s Foundation which they can use for scholarships and other programs.  Like they say,” one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Over 200 books have been reused through this program resulting in over $200.00 donated to our college’s Foundation.  This effort is made possible with the assistance of the campus shipping and receiving department and our Library’s Technical Service Department. Their extra effort really pays off for the Foundation and in our goal of becoming a more sustainable Library.

Our most recent sustainability effort was the collaboration with the Center for Sustainability.  The Center purchased duplexers for our Library printers to help reduce paper waste.  We recently installed these new duplexers in our machines with the assistance of the Help Desk staff and our printing vendor TBS.  Not only does this save paper, but it saves students $.05 for every two pages they print when they print back-to-back as opposed to single-sided. This system was recently installed in mid-July and is up and rolling for the new group of students this fall.  We do not have any statistics yet for this effort, but we hope to save on the amount of paper students’ use as a result of the new duplexing printers.

The Library is proud to do our part with sustainability efforts on our campus, and we continue to look for new ways to reduce waste and change our practices to be even more sustainable.  These little changes make a big difference for our Library, our patrons, and our bottom line.  We think it is important to be a good steward of the resources that the college provides us and our sustainability efforts have made that even more possible.