Tomatoes: Grocery Store vs. Garden

Let me put this right out there: I may be unqualified to make this blog post because I don't like tomatoes. Please don't throw any at me. I think colorful heirloom tomatoes are beautiful and look absolutely delicious, but I just can't stand the flavor. Sorry. That being said, grocery store tomatoes look terrible, don't they? I mean, look at those. I think this photo gives me a leg to stand on. The one on the top right looks like a Granny Smith apple! Boy, would I be disappointed to bite into that.

All you tomato lovers out there know the difference between a real tomato and a supermarket tomato. You can taste the difference, and if you're like my mother-in-law, you can even smell the difference before you cut into the juicy fruit. Many tomato lovers won't buy tomatoes at the store, and a recent article in the LA Times offers perfect reason: A new study has found that a "genetic mutation, common in store-bought tomatoes, reduces the amount of sugar and other tasty compounds in the fruit." Scientific proof that (store-bought) tomatoes taste bad. (This is my excuse not to eat them.)

The article went on to say, "Mass-produced tomato varieties carrying this genetic change are light green all over before they ripen. Tomatoes without the mutation — including heirloom and most small-farm tomatoes — have dark-green tops before they ripen. There is also a significant difference in flavor between the two types of tomatoes, but researchers had not previously known the two traits had the same root cause."

Don't get too excited though. Plant biologist and coauthor of the study, Jim Giovannoni of Cornell University, says a new tomato will likely not be developed. "'There will probably continue to be selection for uniform tomatoes,' he said. But 'now that it's known that this mutation has negative consequences, you may find that growers begin selecting for fruit that is uniformly darker green, rather than uniformly lighter green.'"

So what does this mean for tomato lovers? It means you'd better enjoy a bounty of garden and farmer's market fresh tomatoes this summer. Can them. Freeze them. Roast them. Do whatever it is you do with tomatoes and savor every fresh juicy slice you can, because cold temperatures are around the corner and then it's back to cardboard tomatoes from the store for a few months until those first little Sungolds pop on your green garden vines next summer.

-Steph

Is It Really Organic?

Do you know where your organic food comes from?

Earlier this year, we blogged about how our food gets to our stores, but unfortunately, sometimes it’s not as organic as you first thought. I recently came across an info graphic from a June 2009 Michigan State University research study showing the major food corps that own many of the "organic" and "natural" brands we buy.

When most people buy organic, they assume they are supporting small businesses and local farmers. What the info graphic shows is that most of your organic foods are processed and packaged by major food companies. Brands such as Boca Foods and Back to Nature are manufactured by Kraft Foods, Inc; Dean Foods owns White Wave, Alta Dena, Horizon Organic, and Organic Cow of Vermont.

What this means is perhaps the foods are not only processed more than you expect from an organic label, but also may not be produced in an entirely organic way. You may also may feel uneasy supporting a larger company that doesn’t practice organic food regulations on the majority of their other products.

E3Energy Envolved’s Facebook page suggests a few tips for eating healthy and organically. A label doesn't guarantee a product is natural or that it leads to improved natural health, fat loss, or energy! Review each product individually when making buying decisions. Don't make assumptions on the package.

Seven helpful tips:

1. The ingredient list is more important than the nutrition label.
2. The less total number of ingredients, the better.
3. The more ingredients you can understand as something real, the better; example dates vs. red dye #9.
4. If it contains artificial colorings or flavor, put it back on the shelf.
5. Only the USDA organic label on the package guarantees that a product has followed certain procedures that qualify it as organic, no matter what the label copy claims.
6. If processed or natural sugar of any form is the first ingredient, don't buy it.
7. Splenda/sucralose or soy: you're better off without it.

Remember, eating organic is not about paying more or buying a certain label. It’s about knowing what your food is made of and where it comes from. Sometimes you don’t need an organic label to know something is natural.

Check out our previous organic food blog: Is Organic Food Living Up to Its Name? for more tips on finding organic food. Or visit Philip H. Howard’s info graphic for more information and links to the research studies.

-Holly

USEE welcomes Roslynn Brain to 23rd annual conference

Dr. Roslynn Brain is an Assistant Professor, Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist. She researches behavioral theory and uses social marketing techniques to help foster pro environmental change. The key sustainability issues she focuses on include land conservation, recycling, and buy local initiatives.

To register for the 23rd annual Environmental Education Conference visit: http://usee.org/events/conference

USEE welcomes Johnny Lupinacci to 23rd annual conference

As agents of change, we all have both the capacity and the responsibility to make an ethical choice to examine and challenge how dominant Western cultural ways of thinking have isolated us from recognizing the realities of our ecological existence.  John’s work as an EcoJustice educator and activist focuses on how people learn to both identify and examine violent habits of modern human culture, suggesting we confront our assumptions about existing as individuals separate from and superior to the greater ecological systems to which we belong.

John Lupinacci is a doctoral candidate in the urban education program at Eastern Michigan University, where he is also adjunct faculty and teaches pre-service teachers using an EcoJustice approach. He has taught at the secondary level in Detroit and is co-author of the book EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse, Democratic, and Sustainable Communities. His experience as a high school math and science teacher, an outdoor environmental educator, and a community activist all contribute to examining the relationships between schools and the reproduction of the cultural roots of the ecological crises.  Recent accomplishments include: conference presentations of papers at American Educational Research Association, Association of American Geographers, and American Educational Studies Association; publications in Educational Studies, the Australian Journal of Environmental Education, and PowerPlay; nomination and acceptance to present a TEDtalk at TEDxEMU.

To register for the 23rd annual Environmental Education Conference visit: http://usee.org/events/conference

USEE welcomes Lance Newman to 23rd annual conference

USEE has three exciting keynote speakers attending this years conference!
The first we would like to highlight is Lance Newman:

Lance Newman is Professor of English and Environmental Studies at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, where he teaches Environmental Literature, Early American Literature, and Creative Writing. He has also worked as a river guide since 1991, leading rafting trips in Southeastern Utah and in Grand Canyon. He is the author of The Grand Canyon Reader (University of California Press, 2011) and Our Common Dwelling: Henry Thoreau, Transcendentalism, and the Class Politics of Nature (Palgrave, 2005). His poems have appeared in 1913, Dusie, Fringe, New CollAge, nthposition, otoliths, Pemmican, Zyzzyva, and many other print and web magazines. He is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Come Kanab (Dusi-e/chaps Kollectiv, 2007) and 3by3by3 (Beard of Bees, 2010), both available free on the web.

Lance's presentation at the upcoming conference is titled: Getting in to Grand Canyon through Stories

To register for the 23rd annual Environmental Education Conference visit:  http://usee.org/events/conference

The 23rd Annual Utah Environmental Education Conference is just around the corner!

The 23^rd annual Utah Environmental Education Conference is just around the corner!  This year’s gathering will take place at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge from October 4-6.  To register for the conference visit:  http://usee.org/events/conference

This conference is a great event for:

·         Formal educators

·         Curriculum developers

·         Conservation educators

·         Non-formal educators

·         University students, staff and faculty 

·         Any interested citizens

There will be:

·         Valuable professional development and networking opportunities

·         Constructive workshops

·          Exciting field trips

·         Great food

·          Inspirational speakers

Not to mention the fact that northern Utah in autumn is a gorgeous time of year!

Keep an eye on the blog this week for more information about Birgham City, the conference, and the keynote speakers that are lined up for this year!

Geocaching: A Modern Day Treasure Hunt

Today, let's talk about geocaching, a fun, free, outdoor treasure hunt. Have I piqued your interest? I hope so. If not, jump over to Geocaching.com and watch a quick, two-minute video to learn more about this great recreational activity that's fun for all ages, especially kids. What kid doesn't love a treasure hunt? And want kid doesn't love tromping around a park or a trail, playing, getting dirty, and just having fun outside? Geocaching. It's your family's next favorite activity.

What do you need to begin geocaching? You'll need either a GPS receiver or a GPS-enabled mobile device. If you decide to go the mobile device route, click here for a great article on choosing the right GPS app for your phone. Once you're set up with GPS capabilities, you punch in a specific set of GPS coordinates, then hike, bike, walk, kayak, drive (or run if you're that excited) to the location, and look for the cache, usually a weather-proof container hidden at that location. Usually you'll find a cache register (no pun intended) or log book that you can sign, and small trinkets or treasures. One rule of geocaching is if you take something from the cache, leave something in its place for the next person to find. Put the cache back in its hiding place, and set off on your next hunt.

Geocaches, according to Wiki, can be found in 200 countries and on every continent and the International Space Station. It's estimated that two to three-million people geocache. The first known geocache was placed by Dave Ulmer of Beavercreek, Oregon on May 3, 2000. In a mostly-buried black plastic bucket, Dave included "software, videos, books, food, money, and a slingshot." Within three days, the cache was found twice. Oregon Public Broadcasting's Oregon Field Guide program featured geocaching in a February 2010 episode, and visited the site. A memorial plaque now sits at the actual site, the Original Stash Tribute Plaque.

 
Geocaching is really simple. You can choose the level of difficulty. Visit Geocaching in Utah to sign up (it's free and fast!) and to learn about all the caches in a city near you. They may be in your local park, on your main street, or along a trail, but most importantly, it gets you outside and gives you a little exercise. And to your kids, there's nothing cooler than a treasure hunt!

Guest Blog - Bioneers Conference

From Jack Greene:

As an engaged member and supporter of Bioneers Education For Action (EfA) program, I would like to invite you to join us at the national Bioneers Conference October 19-21^st in San Rafael, CA where educators will be rewarded with a greatly reduced registration fee, a special networking dinner, and attendance at the regular conference with many of our planet's most brilliant visionaries and practitioners on all aspects of sustainability.  

You will be furthering our purpose of networking and empowering educators, both formal and non-formal, to get our students and program participants involved in creating the future we all desire – one of healthy relationships with each other and our biosphere. I frequently use the Bioneers resources in my A.P. Environmental Science workshops, at environmental education conference presentations, and as a guest lecturer at Utah State University. The Bioneers plenary speakers are from all ages, ethnicities, and economic/societal levels. As education for sustainability leaders yourselves, you will be interacting directly with many others during the conference.

I plan to attend the NAAEE conference in Oakland, catch a bus especially arranged to LA for the AASHE conference, then hop on the return trip to Oakland for the Bioneers Conference. The bus ride will offer excellent opportunities for networking as well. I refer to it as the “Networking for Sustainability Bus”! http://conf2012.aashe.org/venue/alternative-transportation-option

For your reference, here is an overview of the Ecological Literacy Education Track programming happening at the Bioneers Conference. And here is an overview of the various options for steeply discounted tickets being offered to educators and students.

See more information attached, prepared by Shana Rappaport. Also, see Shana’s TEDx talk at this website - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8UevNKDFKU as the Bioneers Education for Action Program Director. You will get to know this wonderful young lady well during our time together!

You are welcome to contact Shana directly any time, at srappaport@bioneers.org, with questions or to learn more.

Guest Blog - The Perseids are coming!

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Hi all - 

Check out the blog below from Outsidemom.com.  Lindsey Wilson, the main blogger, is a great friend and former USEE staff member.  She and her co-blogger, Olivia, put together fantastic blogs with wonderful science info and tips.  Read on!

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The Perseids always fall around my mom’s birthday, and growing up I remember many a birthday party that involved clambering into the car and getting away from city lights.  The challenge was to see more than Dad.

We’d make dutch oven Gingerbread with Peaches and serve it with ice cream, kept cool under a brick of dry ice.  This weekend, my husband and I will be throwing a mattress out on the back lawn and sleeping under the stars (if the monsoons stay away, that is–cross your fingers!).  Join in the fun!

The stars are aligning for a perfect weekend star party:  The moon will be tiny and coming up late in the evening, the weather is warm, and it’s a weekend!  Time to throw out some blankets and stare at the night sky.
And the best part?  It’s free.

The universe is conspiring to create some fireworks (a.k.a. The Perseid Meteor Shower), and the best time to see them will be Saturday night (the peak is apparently Sunday at noon, but, that won’t work for obvious reasons).  There should be 50-100 meteors per hour (don’t be disappointed if you don’t quite see that many).  The meteors are tiny fragments of thousand-year-old debris associated with the Swift-Tuttle Comet.
Check here for more info on the meteors and other things astronomical.

Watching meteors is a great family event that develops focus in little ones.  Want to share the night sky with your kids?

Here are a few pointers on getting set up:
1)  If they’re young, begin with longer afternoon naps.  Or let them fall asleep and then wake them up once the sky is completely dark.
2)  Find a dark place away from the city and with a wide-open view of the sky.
3)  Bring blankets, pillows, mattresses, and sweatshirts.  Even in the summer the night can feel chilly.
4)  The best time to see meteors is 11:30 or later.

And here are some pointers on keeping them entertained.
5)  Provide special drinks (hot chocolate or maybe some ice cream packed in dry ice?) and special snacks to keep them excited.
6)  Make it a challenge to see who can see one first.
7)  Point out constellations, and tell them the stories associated with each.  There are many versions of course. This one is complete, but each story is short, so you’ll have to embellish.    These are also short, and have different endings than the previous.  But this one is far and away my favorite, with complete stories, and notes on each of the stars comprising the image. Be warned, some stories are weird.  And finally, wikipedia has a wonderful entry on all things Constellation.
8)  Make up your own constellations, and stories to go with them.
9)  Teach them the difference between meteors and satellites, and show them planets and double stars with binoculars.  Mounted on a simple camera tripod, most binoculars offer some clarity, and you can occasionally see moons around the larger planets.
10)  Get and read this book, and talk about some of the ideas with your kids.  How I love this book.  Here’s an example from it:  If the universe is infinitely large, why isn’t the night sky blinding white, since each point should have a star in it?  Read the book to find the answer.  Did I mention it was written by the author of the Curious George books?
11)  Check out the stars using an app on your smart phone.  I’m not a great lover of mixing technology and my outdoor experiences, but learning about the stars by using my phone is great fun.  Though it does ruin your night vision.

Happy Birthday Smokey!

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The venerable Smokey Bear turns 68 this week, and I think we should celebrate with a candle-less birthday cake followed by some defensible space-making and maybe even a quick check of your fire extinguishers. It's what he'd want. To commemorate our nation's fire prevention mascot, let's learn a bit about him.

Smokey Bear came to be in 1944, when the U.S. Forest Service needed a new mascot. Prior to that, Walt Disney allowed the Forest Service to use Bambi for a short time. They chose a bear and named him after "Smokey" Joe Martin, a New York City firefighter who was badly injured during a 1922 fire and subsequent bold rescue.

Shortly after Smokey was created, an orphaned bear cub was discovered in the burned area of a large forest fire in Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico in 1951. After nursing him back to health, Smokey was flown to Washington, D.C., and lived out his life at the National Zoo for 26 years. According to the Smithsonian Institution Archives, he was so popular "that he received more than 13,000 letters a week and was granted his own zip code. He developed a love for peanut butter sandwiches, in addition to his daily diet of trout and bluefish."

Over the years, Smokey has had innumerable ad campaigns with posters, postage stamps, and radio, and TV spots, and now a website. In nearly every Forest Service ranger station across the country, visitors will find badges, plush Smokey dolls, flat-brimmed Smokey hats, and books and pamphlets of his remarkable story spanning nearly seven decades. His image and slogans have changed slightly over time, but his message remains the same: "Only you can prevent wildfires." Happy Birthday, old bear.

Visit smokeybear.com for loads of Smokey stuff, including fire prevention tips, kids' games and teacher resources. Take a walk through Smokey's journey, where you'll find vintage posters and ad campaigns, as well as radio spots with Art Linkletter, and TV commercials over the years.

-Steph

Black Gold

I didn't know anything about composting a year ago. I had a few misinformed opinions about it, including the belief that compost stunk and that it required a lot of worms. Boy, was I wrong. My husband and I were wandering through Costco one day when we came upon a compost tumbler. We thought it sounded like a cool idea, but kept walking. A week or two passed, and over that time, we realized just how many food scraps and vegetable peelings we were either throwing out or pushing down the disposal. And fall was on its way. An enormous sycamore stands tall in our front yard, and the leaves, we learned, would make perfect brown waste. We headed back to the store and came home with two tumblers, and since that day, the hardest part of composting has been assembling the tumblers.

We had a fresh batch of new, homemade dirt (gardeners call it "black gold") ready by this spring, and my garden is enjoying its nutrients like crazy. It's fascinating how banana peels, potato skins, newspapers, coffee filters, and apple cores turn into rich brown soil in a matter of months. But what's even more, is that all we had to do was dump our peels, filters, leaves, and papers into a tumbler, give it a good weekly spin (sort of like the big wheel on The Price is Right), and reaped the benefits a few month later. It's really that simple.

Composting can be done in bins of almost any shape or size. It requires the right ratio of brown waste (things like dry leaves, twigs, corn cobs, hay, pine needles, sawdust) and green waste (things like grass clippings and food waste). Air, sunlight, and moisture are also essential to composting, as well as a little patience and time. The resulting "black gold" is rich, smells wonderful (if you like the smell of clean dirt like I do), and makes your garden grow like mad. And even better, you won't have to buy topsoil, and if you're like us, you won't be hauling your trash or recycling bins out nearly as often as you used to. It's a win-win-win.

For tips on starting up your own compost bin, visit Composting 101.

-Steph

Recycled Crafts - From Trash to Treasure

Do you have a massive stack of magazines that you just can't part with? What about an old road atlas that once got you across the country on an epic road trip? Or hordes of newspapers you just can't bear to throw out? Stashes of souvenir sticks, rocks, and pine cones from a favorite camping adventure? With a little creativity, scissors, and glue, you can turn this stuff into treasures. You can make a bowl, a vase, a wall hanging, coasters, wearables, games, or even just little mementos or trinkets to accent your desk or bookshelves. And if you've got kids, get them involved too.

It's August, and many kids have one more month of freedom before heading back to school. And if they (or you) are anything like I was back in the day, by August, they've done everything under the sun by now and are completely bored, and let's not forget how hot it is outside. August is the perfect time to whip out a few recycled crafts. They'll keep the kids busy for a while, give them a great sense of accomplishment, and turn trash into treasures worth keeping.

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Kids young and old alike (read: me) are sure to find a recycling craft to love. Take these recycled map book covers for example. How cool are these? I'm a grad student, and although my instructors don't urge me to cover my textbooks like they used to in junior high and high school, I kind of want to, just for kicks. Or maybe slightly less nerdy, I'll cover a notebook or sketchbook instead. As a photographer, I've always got a notebook in my bag to jot down my F-stops, exposure times, film ISOs, and what type of film I've got in which camera. (I usually carry several cameras with me and it's hard to keep them straight!) I digress. Recycling or repurposing old maps is creative and colorful, and it's fun.

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Another great craft idea is to make these braided shirt bracelets. We've all got unused shirts hanging in the closet, right? Instead of letting them continue to take up precious space, cut them up and accessorize! You can also use old t-shirts for scarves, rugs, pillows, and quilts.

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Even your littlest monkeys can get in on some recycled crafting fun, with a craft like the discovery bottle. All you need are shakeable objects like dice, ribbons, beads, marbles, buttons, etc; and a plastic bottle, water, and hot glue. Let your child drop his or her favorite little shakeables into the bottle. Then you can fill it up with water, glue the lid on, and hand it over to your little shaker for some discovery time.

For more creative recycling projects, visit:
craftgossip.com
kidactivities.net
craftbits.com

-Steph