Got Goats?

The University of Maryland's Public Health Garden sure does!

As so many of our friends, family, fellow students and co-workers are aware, the UMD Public Health Garden team is working hard to clear weeds, grow seeds, and break ground in the garden space next month. A fun and exciting part of that plan, which includes 25-30 weed-eating goats from our friends and colleagues at Eco-Goats, will be highlighted with several demonstrations hosted by Brian Knox (of Eco-Goats) and the PHG Gals on Monday May 2nd at the garden site: Between the School of Public Health & Eppley Recreation Center. UMD IAA students are invited to attend the demonstration with yours truly at 11:00am. There will be additional demonstrations at 1:00pm and 3:00pm as well as nightly events.

The official Eco-Goat kickoff party starts at 5:00pm on Sunday, May 1st. While the goats fill up on thistle, the Public Health Garden gang will be sharing pizza with all our guests. Stop by anytime before 10:00pm!

We've got several weekend activities as well. Stop by on Maryland Day (Saturday, April 30th) to enter to win a small herb garden and paint/plant your own sustainable container garden (while supplies last) with our resident expert Allison Lilly, of Adventures in Container Gardening. If you'd like to go a step further and volunteer with us, please sign-up here.

Just in case you haven't seen it, check out our final design in this very cool video:

Baby Geese!

'Tis the season for baby birds and it appears that at least one local nest of Canadian Goose eggs escaped depredation. I know they are invasive but they sure are cute, huh?

BK Meat Monster

Not to be outdone by KFC or Taco Bell, Burger King Japan launched the Meat Monster Whopper, a sandwich consisting of a basic Whopper, two cheese slices, three strips of bacon, a second 3.3-oz. beef patty and a Tendergrill Chicken patty. The price translates to nearly ten American dollars.

Taco Bell: Dorito Loco Taco

Reports have surfaced that Taco Bell is testing a new product:: Nacho Cheese Doritos Shells. I guess I'm not surprised but I still say: Eww. Read more and watch a video of someone eating the Dorito Loco Taco here.

Where does your state excel environmentally?

This fantastic infographic (click on it for larger version) courtesy of the Mother Nature Network, is sure to give you the warm fuzzies when you see what your state contributes to the health and wealth of our nation. Be forewarned though, scrolling down to the second infographic on mnn.com: "How does your state not excel?" may quickly rob you of those warm fuzzies.

Noteworthy observations: West Virginia is applauded for paying coal miners well but have the most coal mining deaths. Oklahoma may be fueling their vehicles with fruits and vegetables. And don't get too excited about that Texas wind power because they also have the most CO2 emissions.

The Human Toll of Coal vs. Nuclear

I should preface this post with a reminder that devastation is devastation, it comes in all shapes and sizes without discrimination, and pain is universally felt. Considering the human toll of different energy sources this soon after the natural and unnatural disasters in Japan is in no way meant to diminish the sympathy we feel for every single soul over there. So it is with continued support and hope for the people and animals of Japan, as well as so many who have suffered from the toll of coal, that we suggest taking a look at the following graph courtesy of an "Electricity Generation and Health" study reported on by the Washington Post's David Brown.

Brown's accompanying article explains how the data was and continues to be gathered and reveals the following:

"History suggests that nuclear power rarely kills and causes little illness. That’s also the conclusion engineers reach when they model scenarios for thousands of potential accidents. Making electricity from nuclear power turns out to be far less damaging to human health than making it from coal, oil or even clean-burning natural gas, according to numerous analyses. That’s even more true if the predicted effects of climate change are thrown in."

Spring Snapshots

Spring is a busy time of year for folks in the business of growing so until we can get a solid post written, please enjoy some recent pictures from the greenhouse. From top to bottom: Broccoli, Cucumber, Dill.

I'm sure these are familiar sights for all our backyard/kitchen gardener pals, but if this is your first year starting from seed, be sure to get those tomato and pepper seeds in some soil and on the window sill soon.

University of Maryland celebrates Maryland Arbor Day with a Willow Oak planting on the mall and free White Oak saplings grown by the IAA's Ken Ingram.

Global Food Spending

In my experience, when the topic of so-called "health food" (which we used to just call food) arises, one of the most common objections relates to price. People say, "But it is soooo much more expensive!" Compared to a 99 cent cheeseburger at a drive through, I suppose paying a few extra cents for a locally grown strawberry and without much knowledge of the externalized costs of that cheeseburger could be a turn off. So I like to re-frame spending and remind folks of what the graph above points out: It only seems expensive because we have had the option and become accustomed to spending a very small percentage of our incomes on food. How many televisions (aka non-essential items) do you have in your house and how much do you spend a month on cable? The tiny additional cost of that local strawberry seems much more reasonable, right? Not to mention you are supporting local and reducing your own footprint.

The global food map, available with interactive features and a great accompanying article on the Civil Eats website, was designed by Natalie Jones, a graduate student at UC Berkeley. It reveals that we Americans spend less of our income on food than any other country that keeps such data. Wowzers.

"Sí, se puede"

Thursday, March 31st, is César Chávez Day. The Mexican-American farm worker, labor leader, civil rights activist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association (now United Farm Workers) is celebrated for his devotion to the farm workers' movement and unique approach to unionism that made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support.

In nearby Washington, D.C., our friends at the Accokeek Foundation Center for Agricultural and Environmental Stewardship, in partnership with the Rural Coalition and National Immigrant Farming Initiative, are celebrating Chávez by kicking off their four-part lecture series exploring issues that affect food justice on a local and global scale. Tirso Moreno, leader of the Farmworker Association of Florida, and Board Member of the National Immigrant Farming Initiative and Rural Coalition will share the experience of farmworkers today. Delegates from the Rural Coalition and National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association will report on Via Campesina’s Global Forum for Life, Environment, and Social Justice in Cancun and Kathy Ozer from the National Family Farm Coalition will discuss food sovereignty and grassroots policy advocacy.

If you are interested in local and just food systems, bettering food access, and the connection between the environment, our health, and our food, this is the perfect place to mingle with like-minded folks and learn more about what's happening in the movement. The event is free and open to all however donations are welcome. The event takes place from 6:00 - 8:00pm in thge Langley Room at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20009. Find more information here.