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Sustainable Living - Food Buyer's Guides
"A frequent entry point into a faith-based approach to caring
for the Earth is through a recognition that a lifestyle of endless consumption denies us of the
very satisfactions of life the marketing industry tries to attract us with . . . Once there is an
understanding of the gravity of the crises, and a personal commitment to change, the next step is
deciding just what action is necessary and most likely to be effective. This is the path of compassion
and connectedness to other beings and is another critical link in developing a practice of environmental
commitment . . ." ~ Green Sanctuary Program Manual
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
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Joining a CSA is a great way to support Whatcom County farming
families, while receiving regular boxes of varied, fresh, and nutritious local food on a
regular basis.
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By joining a CSA and paying upfront at the beginning of the season for a
weekly supply of produce, you establish a direct relationship with the farmer who grows
your food while ensuring that your farmer has the capital they need to start the season
off right. In the long-term the CSA model provides small, family farms with the stability
they need to keep growing fresh, safe and delicious food for you and yours. Share prices
and sizes vary by farm, although most shares run between $15 and $25 per box. Generally,
you can expect to pick up produce from May through September, with some farms offering fall
and winter season shares as well. In addition, some local farms offer "work share" programs,
a reduction in your financial share in exchange for assisting with tasks on the farm.
Shares are available on a first-come, first-serve basis so the sooner you sign up
with your friendly local farmer, the better!
For more detailed information, download the
Whatcom Food & Farm Finder. Click here if you're just looking for the Whatcom County
CSA Farms.
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Local Harvest Dinner (September 2010)
This event was an auction item that introduced BUF members to local/organic
foods and food dishes. Menu includes corn chowder, local appetizers, chicken divan, local breads,
beefalo meatballs and more! Click here soon to see the results!
"Brew, Bread and Brawts" Bash (February 2009)
This event was an auction item that introduced BUF members to local/organic
beer, sausages and breads. Click here to see the results!
Local Food and Fair Trade Food Baskets (February 2009)
Two Food Baskets were made up by the BUF's Simple Sisters. The first
Basket contained coupons to local food resources and local food information. Coupons
were available for local raspberries, homemade desserts, buffalo meat products and more.
Homemade fruit preserves and other products were alos part of the basket. The second
basket contained fair trade items including coffee, sugar, chocolates, cloth and other
fair trade products.
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Whatcom Seasonal Local Products
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December, January, February
Crabs
Salmon
Mushrooms
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Kale
Chard
Garlic
Kohlrabi
Broccolli
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Leeks
Lettuce
Onions
Ornamental gourds
Parsnips
Potatoes
Salad Greens
Spinach
Turnips
Winter Squash
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UUA Ethical Eating Resource Guide
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UUA Ethical Eating Resource Guide
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Identifying GMO vs Organic
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| Question: |
How do you tell the difference
between organic and GMO products?
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| Answer: |
Examine produce stickers on the fruits and vegetables you buy. The PLU
code for conventionally grown fruit consists of four numbers; organically grown fruit has
five numbers prefaced by the number nine; and GM (genetically modified) fruit has
five numbers prefaced by the number eight.
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Keep in mind, too, that
soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola are four of the crops most likely to be GM, and these
are also ingredients commonly added to virtually every processed food. So if you eat
processed foods, be sure to buy only organic varieties or, ideally, cut them largely
out of your diet.
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Responsible Shopping Guides
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The Green Sanctuary Team has been selling two tools to help individual members of
its congregation make wiser decisions about the products and services they purchase. Both books are available
for purchase at the GSP table during the Grand Coffee Hour and events.
"Where the Locals Go" coupon books produced by Sustainable Connections. This books provides coupons
for a variety of products and services from participating local businessess. The Green Sanctuary has been selling
these books for the past two years now.
Sustainable Connections has a variety of other food information
and resources and can be accessed at
Sustainable Connections Food and Farming site. Look to their calendar or GSP's monthly
event calendar to participate in their Eat Local Every Week program. Also look for the For
Whatcom Food and Farm Finder 2009, this map has been combined
both the Whatcom Farm Map Guide
and the Guide to Eating Local into a single publication that identifies local, sustainable farms,
resturants and grocery stores. Another listing of local suppliers and distributers can be found
in the Sustainable Connections' Buy Fresh Businesses.
Click here for local Community Supported Agriculture Whatcom County
Community Supported Agriculture Farms. "The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement,
with roots in Europe, came to life in the U.S. in 1985 and since then has grown to more than
2,000 farms—with at least a dozen or more in Whatcom County. Local farmer Gretchen Woody of
Holistic Homestead says, 'CSA is an oldtime tradition. It provides consumers the opportunity
to directly support a farmer early in the season, which helps the farmer plan for the growing
season. In that way, a shareholder shares the gains and potential losses of crop production.'
Purchasing a CSA share is a way to support local farms, local workers, and our local economy.
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"The Better World Shopping Guide"
by Ellis Jones. This book provides social and environmental ratings
on many products, services and companies. Before you shop, check this handy guide to ensure your decisions are
supporting socially and environmentally responsible companies or visit the Better World Shopping guide website
at http://www.betterworldshopper.com
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Who gets an "F"?
General Electric, Nabisco, Citibank, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Olay, General Motors, Nestle, Clorox,
Wal-mart, Maxell House, Mitsubishi, Revlon, Cool Whip, Kool-Aid, Kentucy Fried Chicken, Hot
Pocket's, Ore Ida, Exxon, L'Oreal, Dreyer's, Oscar Meyer, Pfizer, Knudsen, Mead, Peter Pan,
Purina, Tombstone, Louis Kemp, Purell, Country Time, Nestea, Quilted Northern, Arrowhead and
many more!
Who gets an "A"?
British Airways, Apple, Seventh Generation, New Belgium, Toyota, Cascadian Farms, Kettle Chips,
Equal Exchange, Song Bird, Intel, Aveda, Organic Valley, Luna, Bossa, Chipotle, Amy's, Sunoco,
Druide, Ben & Jerry's, Organic Prairie, Silk, IBM, New Leaf, Kettle, Newman's Own, REI, Tom's
of Maine, Trader Joe's and many more!
How do your favorite brands measure up socially and environmentally?
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In buying fruits and vegetables, keep the following information
in mind!
Dirty Dozen (buy Organic!)
Peach
Apple
Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Carrot
Pear
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Clean 15 (lowest in pesticides)
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
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Research has found that people who eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides
a day. Those who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2 pesticides
daily. Nearly all the studies used to create these lists assume that people rinse or peel fresh produce. Rinsing reduces
but does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best
approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible. See
Environmental Working Group for more information.
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Learn how your favorite seafood rates in contaminents and if their "harvesting"
is sustainable. A "best choice" is Alaskan (longline) Pacific Cod. A "good choice" is Pacific Flounder
or Sole. "Avoid" Atlantic farmed Salmon. Did you know that Washington Wild Salmon and Sturgeon have a
warning out due to concerns about the level of mercury or other contaminents it may contain? Even canned
Light and White tunas have contamination warnings!
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Click here for the Sustainable Seafood Guide - West Coast 2009
for more information on your seafood choices.
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Bellingham Food Bank Farm means fresh produce for the hungry
BELLINGHAM - Nick Senger and Dmitri Januszewski are mixing water and ground-up fish guts in a greenhouse at the
Bellingham Food Bank Farm. The air around them reeks, but the beefsteak and heirloom tomato plants that will be
fertilized with what Amaris Lunde, who oversees the farm, calls a natural steroid will be happy with the concoction.
As they continue working, Lunde walks through one greenhouse and into the second and along the fields in the
three-acre farm at Guide Meridian and King Tut Road, north of Bellingham. The graduate of Western Washington
University's Huxley College of the Environment points to sunflower sprouts, raspberry canes, red bell peppers,
a variety of squash, and different kinds of peppers, from Anaheim to jalapenos to Serrano.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
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