Response to Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
It wasn’t until I finished Omnivore’s Dilemma that I realized how much I appreciate this book and enjoyed it. And feel like everyone in the United States should read it. It is arguable that food and eating are the sole things that can unite people from all over the world, everyone has to eat! Therefore, everyone can relate, can find common ground in food, can realize that it is necessary for survival. However, Pollan’s book sheds light upon the fact that no one pays attention to where their food comes from. I usually don’t question my food (whether served on a convenient plate at the dining hall or neatly packaged at the grocery store), but now, I realize how absurd this ignorance acceptance is. Why don’t I pause to think about the source of my food?? The agricultural and food industries in the United States see my ignorance as a triumph; in fact, their entire businesses depend on the fact that I do not question.
Pollan’s willingness to literally chase his food down to its source was inspiring and made me truly think about the origins of my food. The stark contrast of his fast food meal and the hunter/gatherer one demonstrate the thorough nature of Pollan’s quest.
I now have a much better understanding of the food system in the US and I really want to try to buy locally grown food whenever possible. One of my long term goals for my life is to be more conscious of the origins of my food and the processes/ingredients used to make it.
I would recommend this book to everyone and I’ve been sharing it with my family and friends!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Fallen Fruit
On the bottom of page 398 in Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, there is a small footnote that really caught my eye: "*There's a Web site devoted to the principle of usufruct that offers maps to publicly accessible fruit trees in Los Angeles: fallenfruit.org"
It is an interesting concept in today's world of "my property, my trees" sentiment. People are generally not very friendly to gathering or what many consider "stealing".
However, I thought it was really fun and helpful, as I have seen many overhanging fruit tree branches with good food gone to waste.
Could be fun to go on a local fruit treasure hunt!
Check out the website!!
http://www.fallenfruit.org/
Here is a map of the fruit trees in Venice Beach:
http://www.fallenfruit.org/wp-content/uploads/FallenFruit_VeniceBeach_LosAngeles_California.pdf
It is an interesting concept in today's world of "my property, my trees" sentiment. People are generally not very friendly to gathering or what many consider "stealing".
However, I thought it was really fun and helpful, as I have seen many overhanging fruit tree branches with good food gone to waste.
Could be fun to go on a local fruit treasure hunt!
Check out the website!!
http://www.fallenfruit.org/
Here is a map of the fruit trees in Venice Beach:
http://www.fallenfruit.org/wp-content/uploads/FallenFruit_VeniceBeach_LosAngeles_California.pdf
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Brian Ellis and Project Update
A couple days after hearing the news about Brian's awful accident, the entire situation is still surreal to me. I just wanted to reflect on my time knowing him. I had Brian as a TA for this spring quarter, only 6 weeks. Fall and Winter quarters in the year-long Global Environment GE Cluster , he was just another TA, leading review sessions and sitting in the back of lectures. However, 6 short weeks was definitely enough time to see that Brian Ellis was such a special person. Brian was different than any other person I had met at UCLA mainly because of his love for the outdoors and all things considered to be unconventional in our lifestyles today. It was so refreshing to have Brian in our lives as a teacher, a role model, friend, and also a companion on our journeys toward sustainability. He was constantly coming up with new points and ideas to discuss in class (brewing kombucha, rabbits as sustainable pets, Earthships, etc), simply bringing new perspectives into our lives and causing us to reflect on ours. He was so passionate about the environment and wanted to share his knowledge with everyone, but he remained humble and open minded. Sustainability is now a very special and personal thing for me, and will always remind me of Brian. My positive thoughts and love are with his family and friends. He and everything he brought to our lives will be truly missed.
My project is still going well and Sustainable Youth has such a bright future! We met on Monday night to plan a Food/Gardening/Composting Lesson Plan. I was supposed to go to Nora Sterry with Tony and Stefania on Tuesday morning, but after hearing about Brian, I was too shook up to stand in front of the class, and didn’t go. After reading parts of Omnivore’s Dilemma and watching Food Inc. in class, I really wanted to try to teach the kids about healthy eating and where their food comes from. This was on the Sustainable Youth lesson plan from last quarter, but I realized that it is difficult to teach about and encourage eating healthy, locally, and organically, when many of the kids come from lower income families who often cannot afford these types of food. There is definitely a balance to be found.
We are looking for new members for Sustainable Youth in the fall—-please let me know if you would like to get involved! It’s a great club, rewarding experience, and with a really fun group of people.
My project is still going well and Sustainable Youth has such a bright future! We met on Monday night to plan a Food/Gardening/Composting Lesson Plan. I was supposed to go to Nora Sterry with Tony and Stefania on Tuesday morning, but after hearing about Brian, I was too shook up to stand in front of the class, and didn’t go. After reading parts of Omnivore’s Dilemma and watching Food Inc. in class, I really wanted to try to teach the kids about healthy eating and where their food comes from. This was on the Sustainable Youth lesson plan from last quarter, but I realized that it is difficult to teach about and encourage eating healthy, locally, and organically, when many of the kids come from lower income families who often cannot afford these types of food. There is definitely a balance to be found.
We are looking for new members for Sustainable Youth in the fall—-please let me know if you would like to get involved! It’s a great club, rewarding experience, and with a really fun group of people.
Monday, May 10, 2010
McGrath Organic Family Farm Pictures
Gotta love college....still taking fun field trips!
Here are some pictures from our day, Sunday, May 2nd, 2010.
Here are some pictures from our day, Sunday, May 2nd, 2010.
COMPOST!
I went home this past weekend and took some pictures of the compost in our backyard.
We have had it for about 6 years now. It’s a circle of thick, black, heavy plastic used to keep tree roots from spreading out underground and about 5 feet in diameter. Whenever the garden needs new soil, we “sift” the compost using a large wooden frame with chicken wire. The frame is placed over a wheelbarrow and then you shovel the compost onto the top, shake the frame back and forth, and the good, rich compost sifts through. The larger leftover chunks are put back into the bin for further decomposition. Usually, my dad does the sifting, but I now have a better appreciation for compost because of this class!! Compost piles are pretty sensitive. For example, you need to regulate the amount of water-—not too much or it will mold, but too little and the worms will die! Also, larger, moister items like grapefruit halves must be cut up. We put our kitchen scraps (no meat!) and rabbit’s droppings in to the compost, too. You can’t use a large shovel to turn and mix the compost because its sharp edge will cut too many worms in half!! Instead, use a pitchfork.
Enjoy!
The covered compost bin.
We have had it for about 6 years now. It’s a circle of thick, black, heavy plastic used to keep tree roots from spreading out underground and about 5 feet in diameter. Whenever the garden needs new soil, we “sift” the compost using a large wooden frame with chicken wire. The frame is placed over a wheelbarrow and then you shovel the compost onto the top, shake the frame back and forth, and the good, rich compost sifts through. The larger leftover chunks are put back into the bin for further decomposition. Usually, my dad does the sifting, but I now have a better appreciation for compost because of this class!! Compost piles are pretty sensitive. For example, you need to regulate the amount of water-—not too much or it will mold, but too little and the worms will die! Also, larger, moister items like grapefruit halves must be cut up. We put our kitchen scraps (no meat!) and rabbit’s droppings in to the compost, too. You can’t use a large shovel to turn and mix the compost because its sharp edge will cut too many worms in half!! Instead, use a pitchfork.
Enjoy!
The covered compost bin.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Week 3 of Sustainable Youth
This week’s lesson at Nora Sterry Elementary was Pollution. On Monday night, we met to plan the lesson; pollution is such a broad topic, and the hardest part was choosing how to define and present it. We decided to make a “fill-in-the-blank” vocab sheet to pass out to the class in order to organize the information and help with definitions.
Tuesday morning, Tony began the lesson, and like usual, reviewed the definition of sustainability and conducted a brief recap of the previous lesson about water. He then stated our definition of pollution as “the introduction of contaminants into a system that changes the ecosystem”. We distributed the vocabulary sheet to the class with this definition and also the four categories of pollution: water, air, light, and land. Tony presented a slideshow with pictures and examples of each type, while the kids took some brief notes.
Next, Stef led an activity that demonstrated light pollution. We brought glow-in-the-dark stars and taped them up all over the classroom white board and turned off the lights. The kids marveled at the glow and we explained that this simulates the stars at night without light pollution. Then, we asked them to close their eyes. When they opened them, Tony, Stef, and I were shining flashlights onto the glow stars---you could no longer see their glow! City lights and light pollution seemingly “dim” the stars; we discussed why this is harmful, and then moved on to give an example of light pollution’s negative effect on animals.
Stef explained that when baby sea turtles hatch during the nighttime, they automatically look for the moon’s reflection off the water in order to know which direction to crawl. However, they get confused if there is light pollution coming from all directions!
We had the kids close their eyes while Stef stood in front of the room, holding a single flashlight. They were instructed to act like baby sea turtles and when they opened their eyes, point in the direction of the “water" (Stef’s light). This was easy, as there was only one light. Then, we repeated this, but Tony, Stef, and I all stood around the room in different corners holding our lights. When the kids opened their eyes, they didn’t know which direction was the “water”!
After, I led an activity called the “Seepy Sandwich”, from a lesson plan I had found online in order to demonstrate ground water pollution and chemical runoff. We split the class into three groups; each had a slice of bread which they held vertically. We put a few drops of red food coloring, or the pollutants, on the top crust of the bread and watched it seep down. Then, to simulate rain, we sprayed water on their bread and the water carried the pollutants all the way down to the bottom of the slice! I then presented information about pesticide runoff and other types of groundwater pollution, connecting it to health hazards and habitat loss. I also asked the kids if they thought it would be easy to remove the red food coloring from the bread, showing that these types of pollution are extremely difficult and costly to clean up.
Next, we divided the class into four groups and assigned each a type of pollution: air, water, land, and light. They had to create and present a skit to the class about their category of pollution and how to prevent it—they were really entertaining.
Finally, we discussed how to prevent pollution in our daily lives and concluded with a short writing activity about ways they can make a difference.
I felt like they gained a lot from our lesson, but this was the first week that we had some slight issues with classroom control. They get excited and loud when we do lots of group activities.
I really want to do a lesson on food and eating locally/organically/healthier, but watching “Food Inc” in class today brought up some good points. The lower income family featured in the documentary that got most of its food from fast food restaurants and chose not to buy the expensive broccoli immediately made me think of the Nora Sterry kids. It is difficult to encourage a healthier lifestyle when cheap calories are so much easier and less expensive and ultimately prevail in their lives. It would be a good challenge to come up with a lesson that addresses these issues.
Looking forward to next week!
Tuesday morning, Tony began the lesson, and like usual, reviewed the definition of sustainability and conducted a brief recap of the previous lesson about water. He then stated our definition of pollution as “the introduction of contaminants into a system that changes the ecosystem”. We distributed the vocabulary sheet to the class with this definition and also the four categories of pollution: water, air, light, and land. Tony presented a slideshow with pictures and examples of each type, while the kids took some brief notes.
Next, Stef led an activity that demonstrated light pollution. We brought glow-in-the-dark stars and taped them up all over the classroom white board and turned off the lights. The kids marveled at the glow and we explained that this simulates the stars at night without light pollution. Then, we asked them to close their eyes. When they opened them, Tony, Stef, and I were shining flashlights onto the glow stars---you could no longer see their glow! City lights and light pollution seemingly “dim” the stars; we discussed why this is harmful, and then moved on to give an example of light pollution’s negative effect on animals.
Stef explained that when baby sea turtles hatch during the nighttime, they automatically look for the moon’s reflection off the water in order to know which direction to crawl. However, they get confused if there is light pollution coming from all directions!
We had the kids close their eyes while Stef stood in front of the room, holding a single flashlight. They were instructed to act like baby sea turtles and when they opened their eyes, point in the direction of the “water" (Stef’s light). This was easy, as there was only one light. Then, we repeated this, but Tony, Stef, and I all stood around the room in different corners holding our lights. When the kids opened their eyes, they didn’t know which direction was the “water”!
After, I led an activity called the “Seepy Sandwich”, from a lesson plan I had found online in order to demonstrate ground water pollution and chemical runoff. We split the class into three groups; each had a slice of bread which they held vertically. We put a few drops of red food coloring, or the pollutants, on the top crust of the bread and watched it seep down. Then, to simulate rain, we sprayed water on their bread and the water carried the pollutants all the way down to the bottom of the slice! I then presented information about pesticide runoff and other types of groundwater pollution, connecting it to health hazards and habitat loss. I also asked the kids if they thought it would be easy to remove the red food coloring from the bread, showing that these types of pollution are extremely difficult and costly to clean up.
Next, we divided the class into four groups and assigned each a type of pollution: air, water, land, and light. They had to create and present a skit to the class about their category of pollution and how to prevent it—they were really entertaining.
Finally, we discussed how to prevent pollution in our daily lives and concluded with a short writing activity about ways they can make a difference.
I felt like they gained a lot from our lesson, but this was the first week that we had some slight issues with classroom control. They get excited and loud when we do lots of group activities.
I really want to do a lesson on food and eating locally/organically/healthier, but watching “Food Inc” in class today brought up some good points. The lower income family featured in the documentary that got most of its food from fast food restaurants and chose not to buy the expensive broccoli immediately made me think of the Nora Sterry kids. It is difficult to encourage a healthier lifestyle when cheap calories are so much easier and less expensive and ultimately prevail in their lives. It would be a good challenge to come up with a lesson that addresses these issues.
Looking forward to next week!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Project Progress Report
Being part of Sustainable Youth has been a great experience so far; I am excited to continue next year as well, not just for this quarter. Tuesday, April 27th was my second visit to Nora Sterry Elementary School and our lesson plan was about water. There are three of us, including myself, that work together in this classroom. We had been brainstorming ideas throughout the week (I often found myself Googling lesson plans for elementary kids) and met on Monday night to finalize the lesson agenda. It took quite a while—being a part of this group makes me realize the huge workload and responsibility that comes with being a teacher!
On Tuesday morning, Tony first reviewed the definition of sustainability, and also what we had discussed last week during the Energy Lesson. Then, we had the kids split into pairs and talk about wasting water (how they defined it) and guess where the water comes from when we turn on the tap. We then discussed their guesses and thoughts as a class. Tony then led the class in a slideshow that depicted our different water sources—the Colorado River, Sierra Nevadas, Owens Valley, rain, groundwater, etc.
After this, I led a really fun activity that I had thought of the week before. I wanted to make a point about wasting water while brushing teeth. We brought two large, clear basin buckets, two toothbrushes, and some toothpaste, and chose two volunteers. We started a stopwatch for two minutes and each of the two volunteers brushed their teeth over a separate basin while the rest of the class watched. One kid brushed sustainably (Stefania played “the sink” and poured water out of bottles that we brought only when it was necessary to rinse the brush). The other kid “wasted water” because Tony was the other “sink”, meaning that he continuously poured a steady stream of water into the basin for the whole two minutes. After the time was up, I held the buckets in front of the class and compared the large difference in water level. We told the kids to imagine this difference, but multiplied by millions of people. They really enjoyed this activity and I think it made a big impact as well. I challenged them to go home and turn off the tap each time they brushed their teeth, and share with their families!
After discussing about wasting water, Stef led another activity where we simulated the four regions where Southern California gets its water. The kids split up into four groups in the four corners of the room; the group sizes we proportional to the amount of available water in each region. Then, we shifted, and the number in each group was now proportional to water USE in each region. This demonstrated that Southern California has little available water, but uses much, much more than it can produce.
We wrapped up the lesson by discussing solutions to water wasting (shorter showers, planting native plants, collecting rain water, turning off the tap, fixing leaks) and new technologies like desalination and reclamation.
Finally, our writing activity tied everything together—wasting water, water sources, and sustainability.
Overall, it was a successful day. The teacher was also happy because she is planning a field trip to the National Geographic Water Exhibit, and our lesson was a good introduction.
I think that this project is really going well. It takes lots of time and effort to plan a successful lesson, but I feel like I am improving, as well as our dynamics of teaching together. I am becoming more comfortable in front of the class and understanding how they learn. The kids are excited about sustainability, and I hope that they continue to incorporate our teachings into their lives!
On Tuesday morning, Tony first reviewed the definition of sustainability, and also what we had discussed last week during the Energy Lesson. Then, we had the kids split into pairs and talk about wasting water (how they defined it) and guess where the water comes from when we turn on the tap. We then discussed their guesses and thoughts as a class. Tony then led the class in a slideshow that depicted our different water sources—the Colorado River, Sierra Nevadas, Owens Valley, rain, groundwater, etc.
After this, I led a really fun activity that I had thought of the week before. I wanted to make a point about wasting water while brushing teeth. We brought two large, clear basin buckets, two toothbrushes, and some toothpaste, and chose two volunteers. We started a stopwatch for two minutes and each of the two volunteers brushed their teeth over a separate basin while the rest of the class watched. One kid brushed sustainably (Stefania played “the sink” and poured water out of bottles that we brought only when it was necessary to rinse the brush). The other kid “wasted water” because Tony was the other “sink”, meaning that he continuously poured a steady stream of water into the basin for the whole two minutes. After the time was up, I held the buckets in front of the class and compared the large difference in water level. We told the kids to imagine this difference, but multiplied by millions of people. They really enjoyed this activity and I think it made a big impact as well. I challenged them to go home and turn off the tap each time they brushed their teeth, and share with their families!
After discussing about wasting water, Stef led another activity where we simulated the four regions where Southern California gets its water. The kids split up into four groups in the four corners of the room; the group sizes we proportional to the amount of available water in each region. Then, we shifted, and the number in each group was now proportional to water USE in each region. This demonstrated that Southern California has little available water, but uses much, much more than it can produce.
We wrapped up the lesson by discussing solutions to water wasting (shorter showers, planting native plants, collecting rain water, turning off the tap, fixing leaks) and new technologies like desalination and reclamation.
Finally, our writing activity tied everything together—wasting water, water sources, and sustainability.
Overall, it was a successful day. The teacher was also happy because she is planning a field trip to the National Geographic Water Exhibit, and our lesson was a good introduction.
I think that this project is really going well. It takes lots of time and effort to plan a successful lesson, but I feel like I am improving, as well as our dynamics of teaching together. I am becoming more comfortable in front of the class and understanding how they learn. The kids are excited about sustainability, and I hope that they continue to incorporate our teachings into their lives!
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