The initiative to accept food stamps at Grow NYC markets began in 2007 and at that time, these transactions amounted to a few thousand dollars. By 2009, it was $251,000. In 2010 we were up to $505,000. And in 2011, $620,000 worth of food stamps was spent at participating Grow NYC markets. Note, there are other markets that accept food stamps that are not affiliated with Grow NYC. A map of them can be seen here.

Nationwide, low-income Americans spent about .01 of their foodstamps in Green Markets. GOOD has a nice map showing which states have signed on to make this type of transaction more convenient for their food consumers and they kindly outline which states continuously hold out. Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.  I’d be interested in seeing  a map that highlights overlap between big agribusiness turf and the program deniers.

We still have a long way to go in getting fresh food to all Americans. But it took many steps for the food system to change, to the point where the Crop Life Association came out against Michelle Obama for declaring the White House Garden as organic. For some seriously mind-blowing reading, take a look at the association’s call to arms for a letter writing campaign to tell the First Lady that the garden should not be organic.  For a more indepth discussion of that whole escapade, you can listen to Michael Pollan’s Illustrated Food Rules on the January 2nd, 2012 Leonard Lopate show.

Ultimately, every step taken to bring us to our current food system status-quo, every bill signed, every food pyramid created, every subsidy awarded, every cultural norm established, will need to be replaced by steps in a different direction, supported by a vision to take us there. I’d like to think that $620,000 worth of food stamps spent at  Grow NYC markets in 2011 is one of those steps.    [image via year of plenty]

While there seems to be a healthy amount of anti-fracking sentiment and concern over the long term losses in property values–the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY along with other businesses have issued a statement coming out against it–there are some loud voices in support of natural gas exploration. These residents claim that the towns are out of line and this is something the state decides.  One 3rd generation farmer who did lease her land to an oil company has already sued her town. And and it is quite certain that there will be more along those lines.

While the Institute for Sustainable Cities has no formal position on the fracking debate–as of yet,  I Carina Molnar, personally hold the view that the precautionary principle is likely the way to go here. So, interpret that as you like.  I also believe that the movement to restore local control over what actually happens locally is a shift in the right direction for all political strategy. But this particular situation proves the need for a larger authority to mediate and take into account the needs of one geographic place and all those who rely on something from there, water, in this case.  It is sort of the tragedy of the commons with a contemporary twist: If only we weren’t all potentially effected by the decision of Land Owner A, s/he could do whatever s/he wanted.The land itself is not the issue since A owns it. What is at stake is what happens to the public good based on what happens on A’s land. We can come up with ballpark figures as to how bad the worst case scenario would be. But the more important argument in my mind is, how much value is added by keeping that ecosystem in tact and healthy in the first place.

So, where are the wind energy advocates on this one? A quick google search shows some action on this in Pennsylvania. But I am actually curious as to what the alternatives are…More on this soon.

[image via Chemical Heritage Foundation]

My favorite response was found on Tree Hugger, who very simply said: “You Are Now One of 7 Billion People on Planet Earth.  Our recommendation: Live accordingly.” There is of course a more in-depth discussion of what this all means for limited resources paired with growing appetites for them over at Dot Earth.

I guess I would probably say the same thing to these babies as I would to any other one: You were born into exciting and amazing times, but they are also full of anxieties and concern that a lot of things need to be fixed. So you will have to work hard to contribute to the cause of betterment. Also, that is not going to get any easier for you, so you will have to be innovative, but you will have tools and talent beyond measure to make that happen. You will also have to learn about the role of lobbying in politics if you want all of your efforts to go anywhere. Live in a city. Be close to the people you care about. And yes, you will survive your teenage years.

In the time I wrote this, many more babies were born. And we now have 7,000,274,589 people on the planet. What do you you want to tell them?

[image via World Population Day]

All of these options have benefits and drawbacks, conveniences and hassles, but they all help us support local, fresh food supplies, which is mutually beneficial for both producers and consumers.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Mallory Sustick who is involved in a new farm to table (via the internets) project called Plovgh (pronounced plough).  You will notice that their site is still in development, but as it says on there already, “Plovgh is a way to find, purchase, and receive food from farms.” It is sort of a hybrid, mash-up of many different models of sustainable food procurement in New York City. It is like a farmers market because there is no middle-man: You buy products based on certain farmers offerings, through Plovhgs website. It is like a CSA, because there is a specific pick up point in your neighborhood where you go get your goodies. And well, actually, nothing is really like the Park Slope Food Coop. It is, after all, the largest working food coop in the country. But you get my point. The Plovghs model will connect people to local farmers on their terms and schedule, at prices that are comparable to existing offers for such foods.

Check out their website and sign up to receive updates and news. You can follow them on twitter too @plovgh. [Image credit: Hand Plough by Frankie Roberto, on Flickr.]

Maathai dedicated her life to building active civic societies that could address both economic and environmental destruction with simple yet impacting solutions.  The Green Belt Movement, which she founded and led until her passing, started with a simple idea that has profound meaning, both symbolically and in reality.  They began by planting trees as a means of economic development, women’s empowerment, environmental restoration and the securing of sustainability for future generations.  Think the Million Trees NYC campaign is impressive? (it is!) The Green Belt Movement wants to plant a billion and they have already planted 40 million.

I would highly recommend that anyone who might need some pep in their step regarding our global state of affairs read her book: Unbowed. She seamlessly makes the connections between human rights, environmental health, and economic equality; she exemplified the idea of thinking globally and acting locally. Her courage is awe inspiring and she spent plenty of time in a jail cell while fighting for what she believed in.  And really folks, just look at that smile.  RIP Wangari Maathai. We will try to make you proud! [image courtesy of The Green Belt Movement]

Grow NYC has a hurricane relief donation set up on their site for NY farmers who have experienced significant damage and impacts from Irene. As they say, the full extent of damage won’t be known for a few weeks, but right now, things are not looking pretty.  Governor Cuomo expects the damage to be in the range of $1 billion.

Interestingly enough, I was going to be doing a cooking demo this weekend with zucchini flowers at the Greenpoint Farmers market. And that may turn into more of an exercise in improvisation based on what is there. Delicate flowers may not have weathered the storm so well. But I will be there starting at 11 AM on Saturday. And I hope to see a packed, anxiety-inducing crowded market, full of New Yorkers supporting fellow New Yorkers.

Really people, if you enjoy our vast network of Greenmarkets and the stewardship that comes with their work, and all of the wonderful services they provide to both us and the larger NY economy, get out there this week to support our farmers. There’s never been a better time. And if you can’t quite make it, give what you can to the relief fund.

Panelists:
Babette Audant
Lecturer, Culinary Arts Program and Urban Farm Faculty Project Manager, Kingsborough, Community College

Ari Fainchtien
PhD Candidate, Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy, Murdoch University
CTO of Stakeware

Deborah Greig
Urban Agriculture Coordinator, East New York Farms

Laura Lawson
Author of City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America
Chair, Landscape Architecture Department, Rutgers University

Moderated by Michael Menser, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Brooklyn College

Yet recently, a major push-back against natural gas has begun to occur. The focus isn’t so much on the gas itself, but the technology used to obtain it. High-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or “hydrofracking” as it has been termed,  is a fairly new technology that has enabled energy companies to extract gas that currently exists buried underground in shale rock. Supporters of the practice claim that hydraulic fracturing is a perfectly safe technology that will move the U.S. towards energy independence and a greener future. However, this past February the New York Times published an article that refutes these safety claims. It cites unreleased EPA reports that suggest the chemicals used in hydrofracking are contaminating ground water and waterways in areas where the drilling is taking place, as well as areas where the wastewater is being shipped for treatment. A 2010 documentary entitled Gasland yielded similar results. After being approached by an energy company about signing a lease to extract natural gas from his land, filmmaker Josh Fox explored the process of hydrofracking. This project lead him to find and document the profoundly negative impact hydrofracking has had on communities across North America.

What, you might ask does this have to do with the usual food and farming topics I usually cover in my blog entries? Much of the drilling is taking place on and around agricultural land. The Marcellus Shale, the area in New York and surrounding states that is being targeted for drilling, is also an important agricultural area in the New York foodshed. Among the many concerns that anti-fracking advocates have is that the drilling will contaminate the land and water in these areas, making it unfit for agricultural production and destroying the livelihood of regional farmers.

The debate over hydrofracking is heating up, as New York State’s temporary moratorium on permits is set to expire in July. Public officials and anti-fracking activists are hosting a series of events over the next few months to call attention to the issue.  On May 5th Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer,  State Senator Liz Krueger, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, Councilmember Rosie Mendez, and Baruch Grassroots are co-hosting a free screening of Gasland, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Josh Fox.

On May 16th, the Baum Forum, in conjunction with Parsons The New School for Design, will be hosting Water Fight! Fracking, Food, Art & Economy. This half-day conference will include speakers from a range of disciplines discussing the adverse environmental and economic impacts that gas drilling in New York State would have on the region. Full event details for both events are below.

Event Information:

Gasland Screening
Date: May 5th
Time: 7pm
Location: Mason Hall, Baruch College
Cost: Free
RSVP: RSVP@manhattanbp.org

Water Fight! Fracking, Food, Art & Economy
Date: May 16th
Time: Conference: 2-5:30pm; Local Food and Discussion: 5:30-7pm
Location:Tishman Auditorium, The New School
Cost: Free; $10 suggested donation
RSVP: Eventbright

Image Courtesy of Inherent Worth
Marcellus Shale Map Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Bountiful Yards: Innovation for Small-Plot Food Production

The CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities invites you to a panel discussion on food and farming in metropolitan areas, featuring guests from the New York Region and Melbourne, Australia. Over the past few years, urban agriculture has received a growing amount of attention. From vertical farms to rooftop greenhouses, academics, entrepreneurs and concerned citizens have been developing innovative ideas for producing food without the acres of land necessary with traditional farming.  However, some people are finding inspiration and innovation even closer to home by converting their yards into food-producing spaces. This small-scale farming has the potential to impact the metropolitan landscape, even in dense environments like New York City. A recent study conducted by the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities (CISC) and Sustainable Yards found that there are over 52,000 acres of private yard space within New York City’s five boroughs. When extended to the New York metropolitan region, the acreage grows exponentially. On May 17^th, CISC will be hosting a panel discussion to examine the issue of food and farming in metropolitan regions, both in U.S. and Australia. The discussion will examine new models for small-scale farming, and their potential role in transforming the metropolitan region and the food system.

Date: May 17, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Hunter College Faculty Dining Hall; 8th Floor Hunter West Building

This event is free and open to the public. Please email  ahanso@hunter.cuny.edu to RSVP.