And these days we are always seeking environmentally friendly alternatives.  Back to school should be no different.  So, do your thing!  Get those supplies; the new backpack, the reusable water bottle, some new shoes and rejoice that your lunchbox doesn’t have to be a sack.

Laptop Lunches to the rescue. They have created a wonderful, washable, reusable bento-box style system that eliminates waste (plastic baggies, etc.).  We are in our second year of using ours.  We even used it daily during summer camp.  Coupled with our beautiful (and machine-washable) Happikins we feel like its been a fabulous solution for us. 

Obviously these are marvelous for adults in the workplace and picnics as well.  But don’t take our word for it.  If you are a Facebook user you can find over 6,000 folks sharing their experience, or visit the Laptop Lunches website or blog where you can join their RSS feed for weekly recipes.  Right now they are up for an award from SheKnows.com in the Best Lunch Box category – so vote if you love their lunch boxes! 

For those of you that would like to find the best deal on a Laptop Lunchbox, enter code SURFCITY to save 10%

The Collective Roots non-profit has two key initiatives: Garden Based Learning & Food System Change.  These missions enable them to educate and engage youth and communities through sustainable programs that impact health, education, and the environment. Since 2000 they have been working to provide these programs and curricula with a hands-on approach for kids from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Garden Based Learning

Collective Roots works with children, youth and adults to design and sustain organic gardens on school and community sites.  These sites are linked with kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum that meets California state science standards as well as health and nutrition curriculum that promotes school, community and state health/nutrition goals.

• Creating and managing the one-acre flagship garden at East Palo Alto Charter School, including integrated garden-based education for students in grades kindergarten through eighth;
• Running afterschool garden programming at Girls 2 Women in East Palo Alto;
• Conducting in-school and afterschool garden-based programming at Clifford Elementary School in Redwood City; and
• Developing a garden and garden-based curriculum for in-school and afterschool programs at the 49ers Academy in East Palo Alto.

Food System Change

Collective Roots engages residents and stakeholders in a full-scale initiative to increase access to fresh, local, healthy and affordable produce. Some of their accomplishments include:

• Operating the East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market for two successful seasons;
• Creating EPA Fresh Checks, an innovative coupon incentive program that makes fresh fruits and vegetables affordable to low-income families; 
• Sponsoring the EPA Regional Backyard Gardener Network, a group that supports the capacity of local residents to grow their own food;
• Implementing the Fresh Fest (Festival Fresco), a traveling suite of educational activities around fitness and nutrition; and
• Offering free cooking and nutrition classes for adults and children in partnership with Operation Frontline.

Wolfram Anderson, Executive Director of Collective Roots, states that “the city of East Palo Alto has not had a Supermarket or Farmers Market for nearly 20 years.  This has forced the community to rely on small neighborhood markets, liquor stores, or to leave the community for their food”. The direct result of this more consumption of processed, ‘fast’ food.

The city of East Palo Alto has not had a Supermarket or Farmers Market for nearly 20 years.  This has forced the community to rely on small neighborhood markets, liquor stores, or to leave the community for their food.

A food desert in East Palo Alto?  I may be too far away to frequent the EPAC Farmers Market, but I am encouraged to stop by to see for myself how this community has embraced change, and to find a way to help in some small way.

For more information about Collective Roots, the East Palo Alto Community Farmers Market, or to make a donation, visit http://www.collectiveroots.org

Caryn received her My First Organics Classroom Bundle free as part of our recent launch of www.RealFoodAction.org and the Real Food Action Campaign. Real Food Action is a culmination of years of research that we did on the topics of nutrition, earth science education, school food, childhood obesity, local food systems and much more.  We found that they are all tied together, and that U.S. children are having a disconnect from the concept of where their food comes from.  Real Food Action is a resource derived from this extensive research, a resource for anyone seeking guidance on how to get involved, get educated, and get going!  It’s a wonderful springboard that points you in the direction of numerous other organizations and individuals that can help you make lasting healthy changes for our nation and our planet.

Jamie Oliver

Our recent post on Jamie Oliver covered his acceptance speech for the prestigious TED prize.  The speech says volumes about Mr. Oliver and his dream.  Today we cover just a few of his achievements to date.  Let’s take a look at what motivates this young chef to help so many people.

James Trevor Oliver, born May 27 1975, was born into kitchen life.  His parents Essex pub (which you can visit today) was his playground and at age 16 he left school to attend Westminster Catering College.  After working several outstanding restaurants in England and the rest of Europe he was discovered by TV producer Pat Llewellyn and “The Naked Chef” was born.  The show was a hit.

Now a celebrity, he was asked by Tony Blair to become Britain’s ‘Food Tsar’, and approached by Nestle and Coca-Cola to endorse their products -- all declined in favor of loftier ambitions.  But he wasn’t waiting for a bigger deal.  He wanted to cook up his own destiny.  Jamie decided to instead create a new TV show and a charity.  The show, Jamie’s Kitchen, opened a new restaurant called Fifteen and a new commercial business with a purpose.  The shows premise was to follow the training of 15 disadvantaged youth in the field of catering.  The show was another hit, and there are now 4 Fifteen location: Amsterdam, Cornwall, London, and Melbourne.  The work continues to aid the youth in the employ of these restaurants under the arm of the Jamie Oliver Foundation, and profits feed their apprenticeships.

From here Jamie Oliver moved into a more public arena, launching into a new endeavor.  Creating a new show, Jamie’s School Dinners takes a step into the schoolyards of Greenwich Village to address childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes.  He simply showed how easily we could get the processed junk food out of schools and feed kids REAL food again.  The success of this show led to the acquisition of a 300,000 signature petition, numerous headlines and the eventual agreement of Tony Blair to allocated $1 Billon in government cash to equip and train Britain’s schools to wean themselves off of junk food.

Which brings us to the here and now.  www.jamieoliver.com averages about 70k hits per day from U.S. traffic alone. Americans have been watching his shows, reading his books and downloading recipes for years.  But what prompts this high profile Chef to care about us yanks?

Simple really.  Americans are sick.  And getting worse by the day.  ABC television has teamed up with Jamie and will be airing a show that they filmed in Huntington, WV.  At the time of shooting, Huntington was named “the unhealthiest city in America”.  Premiering Friday, March 29th at 8/9pm CST we’ll see first hand how this man is on a quest to eradicate obesity and help humanity reclaim it’s dignity and health.  I’ll be taking notes to see how he does it.  The resistance to change is powerful and everyone here in California has a tendency to announce our common defense:  It’s too expensive and too difficult to change.  Often we agree that something should be done.   But our fiscal crisis seems to always paralyze us.  So, how do we do it?

Community.  Local family support.  Parent volunteers.  Donations.  These are OUR kids.  Not the Federal Governments, or the States, or the School Districts.  We need to realize just how much power we have to change the system.  Once we get this epiphany, we need to ACT, and follow through.  We cannot rely on support from government.  There is just too much at stake.

Linda and I struggle with this every day.  Just like everyone else, todays food system has fueled a lifestyle on the run -- we are just as trapped by the simplicity of it, blinded by it.  We grew up straddling 2 worlds.  One foot in childhood memory of home-cooked meals and lunchboxes and cafeteria’s that had real kitchens, and the other foot in today’s food system:  One of fast, corporate junk food, extraneous packaging, and failed labeling.  And my opinion is that our generation, Jamie’s generation, is the only one that can stop it before the art of growing, cooking and eating whole food is a lost art.

I believe that food education, as Jamie puts it, does need to be brought back into the school system.  I also believe that growing food is an integral part of food education.  Creating a sustainable, local food system so that we feel empowered when it comes to nutrition, not shackled by cheap (or rather, expensive…) ‘food’.

Our 1st grader eats government issue twice a week.  He likes it.  Then again, it’s engineered to taste good.  So it’s not a shock.  For weeks we have been on a quest to bring a true, healthy lunch into his school.  It’s hard work.  But we have angels coming out of the woodwork, joining us along our journey.  We are gathering strength, ideas, and momentum!  And you realize you are on the right track when someone sends you the news that Jamie Oliver wins the TED prize -- and it’s right in line with our quest.

Chef, writer, blogger, speaker, activist, and TV’s ‘Naked Chef’…these are just a handful of the things Jamie has done over the years, but it’s his passion for changing the way we eat that has captivated us here at EcoFare.

Jamie Oliver has tackled childhood obesity head on.  As a small ‘mom and pop’ shop, Linda and I need someone with his verve to lift us up and encourage us to continue our own quest to educate our youth about gardening and where whole, real food comes from.  His passion is contagious.  If you weren’t a believer in an inevitable food revolution, he will make you see the light.

Last week Jamie won the prestigious TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference award of $100,000 for his campaign to fight childhood obesity.  So, sit back, take 20 min to watch his TED acceptance speech and then decide how YOU want to make a change -- and start by heading over to Jamie’s website to sign his Food Revolution Petition.

Just a few days ago, USDA agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack announced several new initiatives to assure the safety and quality of food purchased by USDA for the National School Lunch Program, stating, “Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our Nation’s school children”.   Glad to hear it. This announcement came just two months after a scathing USA Today article declaring that fast food standards for meat are far superior to those the USDA has for meat in your children’s school lunch.  The USDA was sending chicken slated as compost or pet food to our school cafeterias!  Alarming to say the least.

President Barack Obama signs a memorandum on childhood obesity in the Oval Office. From left are, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar February 9, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

One of Michelle Obama’s biggest supporters is her husband and President, Barack Obama.  President Obama signed a memorandum February 9, 2010 that establishes a task force on childhood obesity to address this growing health epidemic. The new task force is charged with developing an inter-agency action plan to solve the problem of obesity among our Nation’s children.  Within 90 days, the task force is to develop and submit to the President a comprehensive inter-agency plan that details a coordinated strategy, identifies key benchmarks, and outlines an action plan. Members of the task force include: the Secretary of the Interior; the Secretary of Agriculture; Secretary of Health and Human Services; Secretary of Education; Director of the Office of Management and Budget; Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady; Assistant to the President for Economic Policy; and heads of other executive departments, agencies, or offices as the Chair may designate.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on our First Lady’s work.  We’ve been tickled from the beginning that she was carrying a torch for ‘growing your own’.  This kind of campaign is exactly in line with our own efforts here at Surf City Growers and our new organic curriculum for preK-3rd graders.  The direct link between growing wholesome food, education, exercise and nutrition for children in order to create lifelong habits of health for our nation is at stake.  Some of us argue that it’s a national health crisis of proportions we cannot fathom.

Let’s join together to stop it in its tracks.

Visit Michelle Obama’s website at LETSMOVE.GOV

A Green Thumb for Everyone!

We’re so excited!  Linda and I have worked so hard on our children’s book, and after months of hard work we just received our first copy.  And, despite sounding vainglorious, it is really beautiful! The book was something we decided to write to supplement the Classroom Bundle and Homeschool Bundle that we have just launched.  But it soon took on a life all it’s own.  We imagined My First Organics seed starting kits to be a great way to educate kids and families about gardening.  As our experience grew, we saw an even better way:  Get the kits into the classroom and design a whole curriculum around organic, sustainable gardening.  And what better way to kick off a lesson than with a beautiful storybook designed to engage and inspire children to grow food.  As we did more research into the different messages about gardening, we realized that the story needed to include facts about the environment, nutrition, and community as well.

“How a Garden Saves the Earth“  is a bold endeavor, designed to encourage kids to ask “Why do we do it that way?”.  Written by my wife, Linda McNair and Myself, illustrated by Jeff Petersen (The Whitby Witches, Waves), and colored by yours truly (Yes, I am an artist as well.  Go figure).

Great for children up to third grade, it is dedicated to helping parents, teachers and homeschoolers educate kids about the importance of locally grown, sustainable food and how it is connected to their health and that of the planet. This 26-page book introduces fun facts to children on every page!

By the end of the book, our two main characters meet and learn the importance of sharing

We self-published out book through Lulu.com, and although you can purchase it through them,  and soon, Amazon, we are offering the book at the lowest price at this time – and until December 31st, you can purchase it here for 10% off using promo code ECOFARE

Smart Program, or Corporate Greed?

Smart Choices.  We all need to make them every day.  If I am not smart enough to look both ways before crossing a street, I could be hit by an 18-wheeler (probably loaded with processed food).  Thus, I have developed the habit of looking first.  I was taught this at an early age by older authority figures who thought it was a good idea to preserve my life by showing me this Smart Choice – it is a choice of course. I could choose not to look.  I could just take into account that there is a slim mathematical chance that I can make it across an expressway if I just charge ahead without looking.  But some advice is invaluable.  Take for instance the Smart Choice Program.  Corporate food giants have recently joined forces because they are afraid that all of us, the consumers, have gotten some dangerous ideas about what healthy food really is.

So, thank goodness that there is a new website out there that offers us a searchable database for making ‘smart choices’ when it comes to diet.  With a badge that displays their mission of ‘…building healthy habits for the long term’.  Really?  Take a closer look and you will think twice.  The Smart Choices Program was developed by an alliance of over a dozen giant food conglomerates and some industry “experts”. They devised a new nutrition labeling program meant to help consumers make “smarter food and beverage choices.”

Critical to building disease, obesity and dependence

So, give it a shot.  Try doing a search on breakfast cereal.  You get results like Froot Loops®, Keebler Cookie Crunch® and Lucky Charms®.

And this label is appearing all over your local grocery as I write this.  What has the FDA and USDA done about it?   Nothing.

If you see this label, know it for what it is – an outright affront to your intelligence and a personal attack on you and your families health by some of the largest and greediest corporations on the planet.  If you want to do something about it, head to Food Democracy Now! to sign a petition to have this travesty addressed.  Without your help, labeling and deceptive marketing will continue to dominate our landscape.  Help us fight back.

Linda McNair

Being my first post, I figured it would be a good idea to tell you why Trent and I decided to embark on this organic adventure back in 2005. Most of our friends and family thought we were nuts. I guess that’s what happens when you’re unconventional!

Overabundance of Food. You can read more details about us on our website, but in short, we left full-time jobs in the high tech world to help families and schools eat healthier, support local organic farming and do our part in saving the planet.We are not people who sit on the sidelines. We want to be part of the solution. We hope you are inspired to do the same.

Full Disclosure: We still do our old jobs as consultants and enjoy working with our clients. As you can imagine, our passion for organics doesn’t pay the bills — yet. But, we believe that if you do what you love, eventually, the universe will provide.

HELP! I’m an Organic Newbie!

I know when Spring is in the air when I start getting asked about what to plant in the garden and why it should be done organically. I’ve answered these questions a lot over the years, in different ways, but have never taken the time to write things down. And now that I am, I realize that there are so many reasons, I simply don’t know where to begin. I also recognized that I had to dig deep because when I talk about it, I become very passionate – I stand up, wave my arms around while I’m talking, my voice rises in enthusiasm, and my eyes glisten. Where does this reaction come from?

After a lot of thought, I turned to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I’m sure you’re all familiar with it, but what Abraham Maslow studied (circa 1943) about humans is that we have very basic needs that must be met first before we can realize any needs higher up in the pyramid. In other words, we need to be able to breath, eat, drink, have a roof over our heads, sleep, avoid sickness and disease, create income, care for our families and pets before we can further develop friendships and intimacy with our loved ones or focus on personal achievements or self-actualization. Makes sense, right?

Eating organically is about fulfilling your very basic needs – eating well and staying healthy – for yourself and your family. And guess what? You’re helping the planet too, so you’re securing the safety of your children and grandchildren.

Teaching them why it’s important, and putting it into practice, will continue this legacy for generations to come.

You may think I’m a crazy hippie. Yes, maybe. But, I prefer to call myself a huppie – a combination of a yuppie and hippie – who would like to explain her point.

How bad is conventional produce?

The next time you serve any type of fruit or vegetable that is grown by an industrialized farm, spray it with bug repellant before you put it on the table.

You really think I’ve lost it, right? But, that’s what you’re putting into your body, and those of your friends and loved ones, when you buy conventional produce. If you grow your own, but spray your garden with pesticides to keep the bugs from eating your fabulous harvest before you do, you’re doing the same thing.

Now you’re thinking, conventional produce is the most practical way to eat. How bad can these pesticides possibly be? If you’re the analytical type, here are some stats for you, taken from one of my favorite organizations and websites, Sustainable Table (www.sustainabletable.org):

• According to the EPA, over 1 billion tons of pesticides are used in the U.S. every year to eliminate pests. These chemicals are known to damage the environment and human health.
• The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimates that in 2002, 69,000 children suffered from pesticide related poisoning or exposure to poisonous pesticides.
• According to the EPA, agricultural practices are responsible for 70% of all pollution in U.S. rivers and streams.
• Many operations consume water at an unsustainable rate, causing aquifer depletion and ground subsidence.
• Conventional produce is shipped an average of 1,500 miles before reaching consumers.

That’s right. In addition to poisoning our bodies and the soil, that poor tomato you’re eating has guzzled up an enormous amount of fossil fuels and power.

It was probably picked when it was green in Mexico or Chile, then flown in and put on a truck where it drove for hundreds of miles before getting to your grocery store. And who knows how long it’s been sitting there before you put it in your cart.

How good is organic produce?

Organic farmers are committed to growing food in a natural manner – free of pesticides – and harvesting it when the time is right. Our farming practices protect our land and water from being poisoned, which means we all have safe water to drink and nutrient-rich soil that continues to yield healthy produce to eat.

We’re less reliant on non-renewable fossil fuels because we sell our products to local stores, at our farm stands or farmers markets, or through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. When you buy our products, you are supporting your local economy. And when you eat our products, your taste buds will dance because the flavor is undeniably delicious.

With all of these benefits, why isn’t everyone eating organic food? The biggest excuse is that it’s too expensive. The reason for the cost is the economies of scale. At least 30% of our crops don’t make it to you. Nature does its thing, of course, and we let it. Organic farming is laborious. We plant crops seasonally and harvest them when it’s time. That means we watch over our crops every day, harvest every day, and deliver every day. Finally, the demand for organic produce isn’t big enough to push the prices down – yet.

Do you often you wonder why that piece of produce looks so perfect? Why it has that waxy coating? Why it can sit in your fruit bowl or refrigerator for what seems like forever? Conventional produce is cheaper because most of it isn’t spoiled due to pesticide spraying or genetic modification. It is harvested in large volumes all at once on a certain schedule – whether it is ready to eat or not. Most of the time, it is not ripened by nature, and therefore lacks its full nutrients and of course, taste. By the way, all of these pesticides depletes all of the nutrients in the soil, so yet another chemical is put into the earth – synthetic fertilizers. In order to continue to grow produce, the cycle of these chemicals continues year after year. The more national land we poison, the more dependent we become on buying from outside of our country.

How can I go organic — affordably?

With the economic issues we’re facing these days, it’s hard for me to sell the idea that investing in healthy food today will pay off in dividends tomorrow – for example, less health issues and medical expenses or a safer planet for ourselves, our kids and future generations. Families are trying to save precious cash.

If you want to make an affordable change now, buy conventional items that naturally protect themselves from absorbing most of the pesticides — bananas, melons and most citrus – and invest in those that cannot, such as organic apples, grapes, berries, pears, lettuce and tomatoes. The skins of these items are thin and easily absorb toxins that no amount of scrubbing or washing can remove. I really enjoyed this recent article on the Dr. Mom blog. Dr. Colleen Trombley-VanHoogstraat goes through her thought process when she’s grocery shopping and her advice is terrific.

Some of you might think we’re all doomed anyway, and there’s no way you can make a difference. Well you can in three very simple ways:

1. Buy fresh, buy local.
   It’s the mantra organic farmers have been chanting forever. Buy direct by going to your local farmers markets or through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in your area. Patronize restaurants that buy from local sources. Even chains like Fresh Choice are adopting local business practices because they realize the financial and community benefits
2. Buy organic at your grocery store.
   If your market doesn’t carry organic food, ask them why. If they do, check where it came from and if it’s packaged in yet another plastic container or it came in from anywhere outside of a 100-mile radius, ask why. That store is there to serve you, remember? Participate in what they are feeding you and your family.
3. Grow your own.
   It’s like a classic piece of clothing; it never goes out of style. Even David Rockefeller, who has created the amazing Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in New York (www.stonebarnscenter.org) states in their must-read report – “Taking Root: Five Seasons of Growth 2004-2008” – “An alternative food culture is emerging. There is an increasing interest in growing at least some of our own food.”

Involve The Next Generation

Handful of Healthy Food

As a parent of a six- and 13-year-old, I’m telling you from experience that you can get kids away from the computer, TV, iPod and gaming machine and involve them in the process.

I promise that they will at least try, if not eat, what they grow. Why? Because they’ll be proud and curious. And then the taste of fresh, organic produce will seal the deal.

Your next excuse is probably “I don’t have the time.” Here’s my advice: make your kids responsible for the garden – feed the dog, make your bed, and check the garden for stuff we can pick today.

If your final excuse is “I don’t know how to garden” or “I kill everything I grow,” here comes our plug.

Try My First Organics seed starting kits (www.myfirstorganics.com). For only $14.99, you have everything you need to begin your adventure on your windowsill. It takes 5 minutes to start, it’s a natural, interactive and fun activity that lasts for months, and you’ll save money!

How much? Well, I went to my local Safeway today and a pint of organic cherry tomatoes, about 36 of them, goes for $4.79. Each tomato plant, and you get 8 of them in our kit, produces hundreds of fruit. Your kit pays for itself after harvesting just one plant. Plus, you’ll enjoy several pickings throughout the season.