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Spring 2008 NewsletterDear Ecology Center members and friends, This edition of the Ecology Center newsletter contains an update on our work, with ideas for building community, protecting the environment, and creating justice. The Ecology Center has provided free, non-commercial information to the public since 1969. We help people make informed choices about issues that affect them, others, and the planet. To this end, we make the EcoCalendar, the EcoDirectory, and this Newsletter accessible and free to all. Please support us and the services we provide by becoming a member of the Ecology Center. Visit our website at ecologycenter.org. Ecology Center programs and projects highlighted this issue:
1. Three Fantastic Women Join our Food and Farming Programs
HuNia Bradley, Co-Manager of Farm Fresh Choice
HuNia calls her cooking style “vegetarian soul,” specializing in reinvented classics like greens cooked without meat and barbequed tofu instead of chicken. Currently, she whips up school lunches for the ASA Academy in Oakland and is also frequently asked to provide meals for church health ministries, as well as events sponsored by groups such as the American Heart Association. She firmly believes that healthy eating has a broad impact on the community well-being, not only in terms of preventing chronic illnesses but in enhancing its collective “behavior and attitude.” Not only do well-fed kids perform better in school, she says, but “If you eat bad food you tend to have more headaches, you don't feel as well, you're grouchy and grumpy. If someone steps on your toe you have a different reaction, if you have a whole community of folks not feeling well.” HuNia says that one of her goals for Farm Fresh Choice is to supply students with many samples of fruits and vegetables in season and also to show how they can prepare these foods at home. “We can do vegetable stir fries, we can lay the foundation for soups, we can do some pretty awesome salads right on the spot. Given the right situation, we can do a version of a smoothie,” she says. In addition, she says, Farm Fresh Choice supplies students with practical information about where their food comes from, how to shop for produce and how to read labels. “We are training young people around food justice and getting them to look at food systems and how they operate, and really understanding why bad food is cheap and good food costs more, but it's better for you in the long run.” Getting young people to taste new foods is only half the battle—the other half is winning over their parents. “We pass on our eating habits to our children” says HuNia, and often, those habits are based on convenience and fatigue. “A lot of it's habitual—like they come home from work and they don't have time to make all that stuff, so they stop by McDonald's or somewhere real quick.” She's had to battle with parents of the students at the ASA Academy who swear that their children will never eat certain foods that she's already seen them happily devour that day at lunch. The important thing, she says, is to start getting kids used to a variety of tastes early, before peer pressure about food kicks in. “Once they start filtering other people's opinions it becomes a challenge,” she says. “But if their taste buds have already been hit they're like, ‘I don't know what you're talking about—I like broccoli. My mama makes it like this and it's delicious.'” For families with hungry kids, she says the best snacking policy is to provide a no-limit supply of fresh fruit and veggies. As she told her own kids, “You don't have to ask for fruit or a vegetable—just go and have at it and I'll keep it coming.” (Excerpted from Terrain Magazine article by Kara Platoni)Tami Loeffler, Operations Manager for the Berkeley Farmers' Markets
Her first job as a teenager was at a local family-owned farm, and she continued to work at another local farm throughout high school, college, and after. Tami learned how to harvest tree fruit, corn, melons, and tomatoes, to drive a tractor, disc the fields, move irrigation pipe, and prune trees. “I found the work completely exhausting and would often come home from work and fall asleep with my boots still on, but I loved it,” says Tami. “Being out in the green fields at the height of a hot humid east coast summer day or the barren orchards in the dead cold of winter, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the end of a day and looked forward to a new one. It was with pride that I explained to the customers who came to the farm stand that everything we sold had been grown on the land directly behind them.” In the summer of 1998, Tami took part in a cross-country community-service oriented bike ride that served as a fundraiser for the different community groups they interacted with along the way. “In Minnesota,” she recounts, “our group was hosted by a small family farmer who was directly experiencing the results of the loss of his community and the resulting loss of culture and way of life as more and more small family farms were being sold.” Tami continued her work in agriculture as an Agriculture Extension Agent in the Peace Corps in Gabon, Central Africa. “I lived in a small village and worked with the women from that village and surrounding ones – certainly not teaching them how to farm, as their expertise, know-how and knowledge far exceeded mine – but proposing alternatives to slash & burn agriculture, alternative methods to ameliorate the soil and introducing improved breeds of chickens and goats to the breeds already present in the village.” After the Peace Corps, Tami continued her studies in Rural Development, with a focus on subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, and obtained a degree in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Andrea Willems, Assistant Manager for the Berkeley Farmers' Markets
“It's true the Farmers' Markets are wonderful and necessary outlets for small farms,” says Andrea. “It's not easy today to do. Our support is needed for these incredible people growing, making, and crafting such spectacular delights. My awe, in part, stems from the stark juxtaposition I experienced; just before going to work in Vermont, I lived in Manhattan, where I worked at a small vegan organic restaurant call Angelica Kitchen. There, I was able to meet a number of amazing people who shared their knowledge of New York City's past and present states. Like most big cities, it's multifaceted, with a million different worlds co-existing – some with, and some without the awareness of the others. It's a tough place to sustain; therefore it's continually changing and renewing itself, which can be a beautiful thing. I, on the other hand, could not afford such changes and felt a need to learn how to be more sustainable and to see what needs to be done – what care needs to be taken and given so we are able to have and keep it all going. I'm hoping to put this green thumb back to work and learn a bit more about all the very different beautiful plants, vegetables, and fruits that are growing here, in this paradise-like climate. This warm climate was a main motivation for my move to the west from the arctic conditions of New England. The other half of my motivation came from the other kind of warmth felt here – in the people, in the warmth you all share.” “Paradise” was not exactly what Andrea experienced the first five or six markets she worked, which took place in torrential downpours! “After a while,” she claims, “it doesn't seem so bad. I'm looking forward to getting more involved and meeting all these warm individuals that make this organization so great. It's both exciting and humbling to now be included in this lovely community.”
2. Stop the Aerial Spraying for the Light Brown Apple Moth
3. Terrain article: Oily Bird Blues, Birders got busy while officials fluttered...
I first saw the news about the Cosco Busan oil spill in the November 8 edition of the Chron. I wanted to believe the lack of disaster its headline—“Crunch!”—implied. Yet a nugget of anxiety began to form. I remembered that the Exxon Valdez disaster had generated concern about how devastating a spill in the bay would be, but I also knew that extensive emergency response plans had been put in place. A friend emailed, telling me not to worry, and that official wildlife rescuers would respond. But the next day, that same friend called with news that help was needed at the Berkeley waterfront. Apparently dogs were chasing oil-covered birds. On my way, I stopped at the Seabreeze Market to check out the tiny beach just behind. I hoped I wouldn't see any oiled birds, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't. But when I picked up a Styrofoam cup at the water's edge and my hand came away sticky with dark black grease, I began to worry for real. As I arrived at Shorebird Park, I could smell oil in the air. I didn't see any dogs chasing birds, but a small circle of officials—from the State Parks Department, East Bay Regional Parks Department, and OSPR (the state's Fish & Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response)—stood in a circle discussing how to put on and take off a HazMat suit and latex gloves. I sneaked into the circle. There could be serious health risks to anyone touching birds covered in oil, one of them admonished us over and over again. He estimated that there were perhaps a hundred oil-soaked birds between Shorebird Park and Golden Gate Fields. The man from State Parks asked if everyone in the circle had signed the sign-up sheet. I hadn't and asked if I could. “Did you attend the four-hour training session this morning?” he asked. I hadn't known about it but said that I would like to volunteer anyway, explaining that I had years of experience rehabbing injured birds, including cleaning oiled birds. “Not until you take the class,” he snapped and went back to discussing the suits and gloves. I asked when I could take the class, but no one seemed to know exactly when or where the next one would be held. As they continued talking, a distraught elderly kayaker ran up from the water carrying a surf scoter dripping with oil. At that moment I understood that the spill was much worse than reported. Both man and bird reeked of bunker fuel. As the leader of the group screamed at the kayaker to wash his hands, a woman in the group blurted out: “Are you guys just going to stand here talking while birds are out there dying?” The officials ignored her to point out how the bare-handed kayaker was a perfect example of why the public should not be involved in rescue operations. I could see why they were concerned, yet after thirty minutes of discussion about how to wear a HazMat suit, I felt I knew enough about suiting up. Meanwhile, Patty Donald from the Shorebird Nature Center (already in her HazMat gear) left to help the kayaker and the bird. As the officials still chatted, I saw the kayaker go back out to rescue another bird. When two young HazMat-suited guys drifted away from the official group carrying a couple of pole nets, I decided to tag along. Cardboard animal rescue boxes had been delivered from Berkeley Animal Control, and I grabbed a few in case the guys were able to catch birds. One whispered to me, “The four-hour training was worthless.” For several hours, I trailed the two, watching their bird-catching techniques and bringing the birds they caught to the nature center. Catching oiled birds with pole nets isn't easy, particularly if the birds are close to shore. By the time I returned to the nature center, the circle of officials had dissipated, and the woman who had asked the question of the day—whose name I learned was Nancy Powell—was trying to coordinate chaos. A volunteer from Albany, she had stepped into a vacuum, taking charge by directing would-be volunteers to drive birds to Fort Mason, where the initial intake station was set up. (By the next day, the intake trailer was moved to the Berkeley waterfront, but all birds, wherever collected, had to be delivered to the washing facility in Fairfield). Several of us, including a nurse and a former firefighter trained in HazMat response, started talking about what appeared to be an understaffed, inept response—and that volunteers were being turned away, despite the “official” response seeming almost nonexistent. As dusk fell, we decided to reconvene the next day at the same spot. I went to buy some pole nets. The situation wasn't much different on Saturday morning, the third day after the spill: a few officials were wandering miles of shoreline with a few pole nets. We found some HazMat suits and gloves and decided to head out on our own. Several of our group had previously been HazMat-trained but would not have been allowed to help because they hadn't been retrained for this specific spill. Many of us had handled birds before as volunteers at wildlife rehab centers, but that didn't count either. On the Albany shoreline, homeless people were catching birds with their bare hands. We gave them some nets, gloves, and boxes and set off for the Richmond shoreline, which we suspected was receiving even less attention. Perhaps the oil had not moved that far north. Unfortunately, we discovered that the Richmond shoreline was taking a huge hit. On the Richmond Bay Trail, one of our first efforts was using pieces of driftwood to drag a glob of oil the size of a large man out of the water—not an easy feat for three smallish women. Somehow we got it (and the now-contaminated driftwood) into black plastic trash bags and hauled it up to the trail. We were desperate to get rid of whatever oil we found because we knew what it meant for birds that came near, and because there was no one “official” cleaning it up. Later that day, Contra Costa HazMat pulled up and offered us fresh suits and gloves. They told us that had they been notified sooner—and allowed to buy a boat—they could have installed floating booms off the entire Richmond shoreline and kept it from being contaminated. Our ragtag team of volunteers—now joined by a few others—split into groups of two and three and spread out along the Bay Trail between Point Isabel and Barbara and Jay Vincent Park. In the Richmond marshes and riprap, we found oiled grebes, surf scoters, loons, cormorants, ruddy ducks, coots, even a Canada goose. We weren't great at catching them, but we got better as we went along. We avoided going after large groups near the water's edge, because they would immediately flush into the bay and we didn't want to stress them more than they already were. We caught the low-hanging fruit: birds huddled away from the others, hauled up high on the marshes, or hiding in the riprap—birds already in big trouble. For every one we caught, we saw at least ten similarly covered in oil.
4. City’s Compost Free for All
As a garden advocate, I always encourage people to grow their own vegetables. One way that the Ecology Center helps gardeners out is to give away the city's compost twice a year at the farmers' market. The semi-annual city compost giveaway takes place this Saturday, March 29 at the Berkeley Farmers' Market. Bring two buckets or one large bag. Where does this compost come from, and why are we giving it away? It comes from our green carts. Grover Landscape Company in Modesto takes our plant debris and kitchen scraps, then grinds it, screens it, and piles it in long windrows. They turn it every three days, give it a sprinkling of water, and let the sun “cook” it into rich, fine compost in ten weeks. Ninety percent of the compost is sold to farms and ranches in the central valley, and 10 percent is given back to Berkeley to be used by the Parks Department and the school and community gardens. Last September, the City of Berkeley began to collect food scraps from households in the same green debris carts that contained yard waste. People have been encouraged to put such vegetable matter as orange peels, onions skins, stale bread – even meat bones and paper towels! – with their garden greens for pick-up once a week. Berkeley residents started participating immediately, and are already among the most ardent composters in the county. As you might expect, the collection of green waste has gone up dramatically, from 650 tons per month last year to 900 tons per month since the weekly kitchen scrap program began. On average, the city is collecting over 250 tons per month more than it was six months ago – a 40 percent increase in residential organics. Conversely, the amount of trash that the city picks up in our grey carts has gone down. On average, the city is collecting over 170 tons per month less than it did 6 months ago. When I take my cart out to the street for collection, I am amazed to see only half of it filled with trash, because I have either recycled or composted so much that used to go in my cart! Every pound of food waste you compost instead of landfill reduces greenhouse gas emissions. We Bay Area people are very conscious of the global warming trend, and all of us try to do our part in the greening of our city, state, and country. We can buy our foods at the farmers' market or other stores that have fresh, local and mostly organic items. But an even more direct way to ensure that your family has fresh vegetables is to grow your own! And at the end of March or October, come pick up your free compost at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, to get your garden off to a great start!
5. The Revolution Will Not Be Plasticized
I get asked some variation on this question nearly every day: “Why can't the Ecology Center pick up more plastics in the curbside program like other cities do? Why just plastics #1 and #2?” The answer: we cannot trace the non-bottles to finished new product. Where the #1 and #2 bottles are concerned, we can follow the bouncing ball from the curbside setout to the place where the materials are sorted and baled, to a buyer who purchases baled post-consumer plastic. And we know some magic happens and the stuff is reincarnated as non-recyclable plastic items such as lumber, textiles, carpet, and some marginally recyclable items with a trace amount of post-consumer content (such as PET soda bottles). When it comes to plastic films, takeout containers, tubs, lids, etc., the trail goes cold very fast. There are programs in other cities that pick up these materials, and/or accept them, but we cannot see what is happening with the collected materials nor trace them to new product. Large stores are now required to have collection bins for plastic bags in front of them – not so that the bags can be recycled, mind you, but to satisfy an assembly bill written to prevent litter. The bill was originally intended as an outright statewide ban on plastic bags but got watered down. It's the Saturday before Easter, and I've managed to make it out of a very crowded market with my wits and humor intact. I sit at my kitchen table and survey my spread of chips, dip, and beer with an eye towards recycling. I have not yet reached that elusive Zen state of being able to avoid all non-recyclables. As I sit and nosh on organic corn chips, dipping them into a wide-mouth plastic container of hot salsa I bought in a moment of weakness, this message stares me in the face: “Recycle this Container.” It's not printed on the beer bottle I'm sipping from. It's on the wide-mouth salsa container. Plastic keeps me awake at night. My name is Sara, and I am paranoid about plastic. A brief rundown of my morning's shopping reveals items that'll require a trip to the rubbish bin. Let's see how quickly they leap off the page:
So, that's roughly nine items destined for the landfill once they've outlived their usefulness. I can legitimize some reuse of the wide-mouth containers and the bags. But the corn chips bag was torn down the side when I opened it. There's a plastic cap on the salad dressing bottle. The studied assumption is that once all cities master food waste composting, the one item that will remain in the garbage is likely to be plastic. Non-recyclable plastic in all its various forms: bags, cling film, tofu tubs, toys, wide-mouth tubs, poly-carbonate, polystyrene, and more. That's a heck of a lot of polymer. The garbage will no longer be so odorous or full, but it'll off-gas. When did manufacturers cease to think of “plastic” as an epithet for junk, garbage, trash, fake, phony baloney, and useless? I can't remember observing that particular paradigm shift; I just know that seemingly overnight, there was more plastic in the waste stream. Throughout the whole recycling revolution, the focus has remained exclusively on dealing with waste at the end of the consumer game, rather than overhauling our shopping needs and habits to eliminate waste from the equation. Recycle? Absolutely. But you can also avoid some items in the first place. Alternatives to the plastic wide-mouth container:
Alternatives to the plastic produce bags:
Alternatives to the polystyrene and cling film-ensconced meat and fish items:
Alternatives to veggies encased like precious jewels in polylactic acid (PLA) containers:
Alternatives to aseptic containers, such as those used for soymilk and soups:
For more information on plastic than you can shake a stick at, here's a selection of pages to peruse: http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html
6. Spring Recipes from the Berkeley Farmers’ MarketSpring has sprung at the Berkeley Farmers' Markets. The beautiful weather and delicious spring crops are drawing people to the farmers' market. The markets are now open longer to take advantage of the lingering light. The season brings creamy avocados, crunchy asparagus, and our favorite edible flower bud, the artichoke. Strawberries are imminent. These green spring days are perfect for making the following simple recipes from the forthcoming Berkeley Farmers' Market cookbook. Avocado Strawberry Salad
2 cups mixed greens Whisk honey, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice together. Top salad greens with avocado and strawberries. Drizzle on dressing, sprinkle with nuts, and enjoy. Steamed Artichoke
4 medium or large artichokes Fill a medium-sized pot with water, oil, vinegar, herbs, and spices. Wash artichokes, trim stems, and place into pot so that stems are underwater. Steam at medium high temperature for 40 minutes to an hour, making sure to keep enough water in the pot to cover the stems. Taste the inner leaves for tenderness. When they are ready, remove from water, put onto a large platter, and serve with an assortment of dips such as melted butter with lemon juice, mayonnaise, hummus, or tzatziki. Have a bowl handy to discard the scraped leaves. Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice Preheat oven to 450°. Mix lemon juice, oil, and lemon peel in 15”x10”x2” glass baking dish. Add asparagus and turn to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus in oven until crisp and tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Shower with grated parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Did you know that you can call us with your environmental questions? Our Info Desk staff will give you referrals and provide information to help you make sound ecological choices. Email erc@ecologycenter.org or give us a call at 510-548-2220 x233. To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this newsletter, send a note to newsletter@ecologycenter.org. This newsletter can also be found online at http://ecologycenter.org/newsletter/20080327.html. The Ecology Center is a membership organization providing environmental information and direct services to promote sustainable living and a healthy, socially just world. Please support this community resource for the environment by becoming a member or making a donation. Support our work on-line at http://www.ecologycenter.org/donate/ [Photo credits: Light Brown Apple Moth by jomike] |
The Ecology Center welcomes three fantastic women to our food and farming programs, 
This January, Oakland caterer HuNia Bradley joined the 
Before joining the Ecology Center, Tami was the Foundation Coordinator at the Chez Panisse Foundation for 3.5 years, providing support to the Edible Schoolyards in Berkeley and New Orleans and the School Lunch Initiative. “I have a long history of involvement in all things agricultural,” says Tami. “I grew up on the North Fork of Long Island, NY, in one of the last agricultural areas to be found on the Island. As children, my sister and I had fun walking through the potato field that abutted our backyard picking through the dirt for the culls.”
Andrea Willems recently moved to the Bay Area after living and working on a small, certified organic, family farm outside Middlebury, Vermont. There, she learned self-reliance and what it's like on the other side of the farmers' market booth. “That place is still something I hold very close to my heart,” says Andrea. “It was a special experience to rise just before the sun every morning, tend to hundreds of plants and animals, and learn to nurture these things that in turn nurture us. I do recommend that everyone get their hands a little dirty sometime, and grow some food; it definitely changes your perspective of these wonderful things we sometimes take for granted.” 
Recently the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced plans to conduct aerial spraying in the Bay Area to combat the Light Brown Apple Moth. Aerial spraying of the pheromone-based product Checkmate over San Francisco, Marin County and the East Bay would begin in August. The spraying is controversial, particularly because the product has not been tested for this use and health reactions have occurred from recent sprayings in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. 
By Lisa Owens Viani, 
By Beebo Turman of the 
Diary of a Recycling Hotline Operator
This recipe is from Mary Vance, who is the Associate Publisher of the Ecology Center's 
This is how Julia MacMillan, the editor of the Berkeley Farmers' Market Cookbook, prepares artichokes.
This recipe is from the Berkeley Farmers' Market vendors of Stonehouse Olive Oil