Eating locally grown food is good for the environment and the community.
Here are ten reasons why:

#1 - Locally grown food is fresher and tastes better
There is nothing like biting into a juicy garden-ripe tomato. The juice dribbles down your chin and the burst of intense flavor is out of this world. However, most tomatoes sold in America aren’t especially juicy or flavorful. Bred for durability not flavor, they are picked while still green and often shipped thousands of miles. To make them appear ripe when offered for sale, they are treated with ethylene gas to help them turn red quickly. And the nutrients aren’t there either — since 1950, riboflavin levels in grocery store produce have declined 38%!

Riboflavin is an essential micronutrient important for cell health! How about the taste of a just-harvested peach or strawberry? If you’ve ever tasted ripe fruit picked at its peak, you know how much better it tastes. It is impossible for fruit and vegetables that are picked, boxed, stored, and shipped long distances to tastes as good as those just harvested on local farms.

#2 - Small Family Farms help protect the environment!
In Most cases, farm families live where they farm. They see themselves as stewards of the land and are more likely to use environmentally sound methods to manage pests and fertility.

Large agribusiness concerns have limited ties to the land and communities where they operate. These large corporations invest in agriculture solely as a means to satisfy shareholder demands for profitability. (FYI: One large factory hog farm produces as much sewage as a city of 100,000 people!)

Farmers who live where they farm often use sustainable approaches to managing pests and fertility. Considering it a precious resource, they take care of the land before passing it on to the next generation.

Many of these family farms are working towards organic production, giving you an assurance of safe food produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, hormones, or chemical fertilizers. Remember, it was small-scale farmers that started the rapidly growing organic agriculture movement.

#3 - Buying local conserves precious resources
Buying your food direct from local farm helps conserve natural resources. Corporate agribusiness conglomerates rely on a global transportation system that consumers millions of barrels of oil every year. American industrialized agriculture is the least efficient on the planet, often consuming up to ten times more energy for production and transport than it yields.

The average grocery store item travels more than 1,500 miles to your table; produce at the Canton Farmers’ Market originates less than 40 miles away from the Market! When your buy food grown closer to home, you’re helping reduce dependency on precious fossil fuels and helping put more food-buying dollars in the hands of regional farmers. Local food doesn’t have to travel far. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions and the need for costly packing material. Buying local food also helps to make farming profitable and selling farmland for development less attractive.

#4 - Thriving family farms build rural economies
Dollars generated in local communities change hands three or four times before they leave. When agribusiness corporations come to town, most dollars leave the community by close of the business day. In rural communities, economic well-being and social vitality are inextricably linked to the type of farms in the region. Family farmers buy from merchants in their own communities, helping support diverse local jobs and small businesses. Today’s farmers earn less than 8 cents of every food dollar spent by consumers.

A study comparing two rural communities found that the family farm-dominated community hand an overall higher standard of living—more retail trade and independent businesses as well as more parks, schools, churches, and community involvement than the community surrounded by large, corporate agribusiness-type farms.

Increasing the number of viable family farms helps rebuild the economic and social health of rural communities.

#5 - Buying local helps you learn how your food was grown
Buying from regional family farms helps ensure you find safe, wholesome food for your family. When you visit local farms, farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and food co-ops, you gain the opportunity to talk with the farmers your food. Farmers supplying nearby markets are more accountable to their buyers. Since consumers can learn who these farmers are and what practices they use, they have more confidence in the safety of the foods being grown.

Studies show that most consumers question the motivation of global agribusiness to produce safe, wholesome food. The studies go on to show American maintain great confidence in family farmers to produce wholesome food using environmentally sound methods and inputs. Knowing where your food comes from and how it was grown can help you choose healthy, nutritious food for your family.

#6 - Family farms help children learn healthy values
Like other family-owned businesses, family farms are models for children to learn values such as cooperation and responsibility. Farm children learn to contribute by doing chores such as gathering eggs and helping with harvest. Their parents’ example helps shape their attitudes toward the land and value of food.

Many children have no idea where food comes from before it reaches the grocer’s shelves. Many have never experienced how flavorful truly ripe fruits and vegetables can be. Family farms often welcome people to visit and learn valuable lessons abut food and nature. Taking children to visit a farm is a fun learning experience.

Many elementary schools arrange field trips to nearby family farms to help students learn about their food. They’ve discovered that introducing children to fresh, wholesome food helps improved children’s health and educational performance. Participation in school lunch programs rises when farm-fresh food is on the menu!

Likewise, bringing children to the market and setting an early example to support local businesses and have friendly conversation with your local farmers, teaches city kids where all the food comes from.

#7 - Local food protects genetic diversity
Diverse family farms around the world, growing for nearby markets, raise thousands of unique varieties and heritage breeds—varieties and breeds selected for their flavor and ability to thrive in unique environments.

Agribusiness shippers demand today’s produce item have a tough skin that can survive harvest, packing, and transport as well as have a long shelf life in the store. Only a handful of developed varieties meet these global marketing requirements, sot here is little genetic diversity amount the keep food plants and animals grown for mainstream markets. 95% of all commercial production dairy cows are from a single breed.

In contrast, diverse farms grow a broad range of produce varieties and animal breeds selected for flavor, high nutrition, and regional adaptability.

Many of these varieties and breeds have been passed down for generations and contain genetic material from hundreds of years of regional selection. These broad variations may someday provide the genetic resources necessary to adapt to changing conditions.
Buying locally grown produce encourages robust, genetic diversity in our foods.
For more information, or to seek out heirloom varieties for next year, check out http://www.seedsavers.org

#8 - Many family farms grow a feast for the senses
Nearby family farmers provide consumers with a broad variety of produce throughout the season. When you buy from local farms, you have the opportunity to try foods that aren’t available in grocery stores. This is especially true when you buy directly though on-farm sales, farmers’ markets, or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. Farmers often have recipes available with great ideas for using these unique varieties.

Our farmers grow a variety of peppers, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, sweet corn, onion, and garlic, all with unique flavors, colors, and shapes — offering a fascinating link with history. Imagine eating the same tomato variety grown and eaten by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

Local farmers provide you and your family with an ever-changing food palate of rich colors and flavors. Consider the autumn produce available now at the Market. Not only is it available for you, but our friendly vendors would love to share ideas about the best ways to prepare these different foods. They are a real resource!

#9 - Local farms help keep your taxes in check
Local farms contribute more in taxes than they require in service. Unfortunately, with a trend that turns existing farmland into suburban and industrial developments at a rapid clip; current attitudes towards farmland preservation ensure our taxes will rise even faster in the near future. According to several studies, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend #1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers.

However, for each $1 in revenue raised by farms, forest, and open space, governments only spend about $0.34 on services, a net gain to the government of $0.66 on every dollar collected. When you support local farms with your food-buying dollars, you help keep government spending on services lower.

#10 - Diverse family farms means food security
Supporting local family farms helps protect our ability to feed ourselves. Without thousands of thriving farms around the region, we lose the land security needed to ensure each ‘foodshed’ maintains the ability to feed itself.

Food from far-off places is now the norm. International food trade ahs tripled since 1961, and corporate agribusiness profits have nearly doubled since 1990. Apples sold in grocery stores may come from Argentina, while potatoes solid in Lima, Peru may come for the U.S., even though Peru boasts more potato varieties than any other region. Four agribusiness corporations control 80% of U.S. beef and port production.

However, we nee do think about what happens if something disrupts that constant flow of food products across continents and oceans. We must act now to guarantee the survival of diverse family farms. If we don’t, the inevitable disruption of global agribusiness networks will become a serious hardship to our communities.

Supporting regional family farms helps ensure we can feed our families not just now, but well into the future.

Plastic grocery bags multiply in drawers and closets, pantries and cars - which is why you need these new ways to reuse plastic grocery bags.

Hopefully, you’ve already made the switch to reusable shopping bags! But even if you have, you may still have some of these pesky disposable bags clogging your kitchen. Here are some smart ways to reuse the pantry and drawer hoggers:

#1 Plastic Bags as Knee Pads
Need to kneel in your garden to pull weeds, or on the street to change a tire, but don’t want to preserve the memory eternally on your pant legs? Grab a couple of plastic bags and tie one around each knee, covering the entire area that will be exposed to dirt and grime.

#2 Plastic Bags as Hand Protectors
Fact: There are some things you’d just as soon not touch with your bare hands. Use bags as gloves to handle what’s messy (say, chicken carcasses) or just plain gross (like the little “presents” the dog leaves in the front yard), then turn them inside out to trap the offending matter inside for easy disposal.

#3 Plastic Bags as Paint Preservers
You’re painting the kitchen when an emergency (kid’s sick at school; Brad Pitt is Ellen’s special guest) calls you off the job. To keep brushes and rollers from drying out, place them in bags and tie them or wrap them with rubber bands to keep air out. The tools will stay moist and protected for a day or so.

#4 Plastic Bags as Makeshift Rain Hats
A 30 percent chance of rain…hmm. Do you tote around an umbrella (maybe for nothing) or head out sans protection (and risk getting drenched)? Third option: Tuck a plastic bag into your pocket or purse. Then, if you’re caught in a downpour, you can use it as a makeshift rain hat to protect your do.

#5 Plastic Bags for Easy Kitchen Clean-Ups
For no-fuss cleanup, instead of peeling fruits and vegetables over a cutting board or into the sink, do it over a plastic bag. When you’re done, flip the peelings into the garbage and rinse the bag to reuse another day, or simply toss the whole shebang into the trash.

#6 Plastic Bags as Wrapping Paper
No time to make an emergency pre-party run for wrapping paper? Riffle through your bags to find the prettiest and most colorful — or just ones without writing. Triple-bag the gift, then tie all three sets of handles into a knot. Cut the tops of the loops and fan the pieces out to make a plume.

#7 Plastic Bags as Wet Umbrella Holders
To avoid dripping water all over your (or anyone else’s) house on a rainy day, pop your wet umbrella into a bag as you cross the threshold. You can even tie the handles snugly and throw it back into your purse — unless, of course, your bumbershoot is of Mary Poppins proportions but your carpetbag isn’t.

#8 Plastic Bags as Shoe Protectors
It will never be a fashion trend, but tying bags over your shoes can keep you from tracking mud into the house when you come in, or protect slippers from dirt, snow, or rain when you run out to fetch the paper from the front lawn. (Be careful when walking on smooth surfaces, as the plastic won’t give you any traction.)

#9 Plastic Bags as Cookbook Protectors
To keep the cookbook clean while attempting that “easy to follow” seven-layer-cake recipe, wrap a bag around everything but the page you’re using. Although it won’t keep you from (inevitably) spattering the list of ingredients with vanilla extract, the rest of the book, at least, will remain pristine.

#10 Plastic Bags as Planter Fillers
Crumple bags to fill the bottom of a large pot that’s too deep for your plant (but be sure not to cover the drainage hole, if it has one). You can cut down on the amount of potting soil needed, and since plastic packs less heft than dirt, you’ll be able to move a big planter around with a bit less grunting.

For more household-friendly tips, visit www.RealSimple.com.
Article reprinted from RealSimple Magazine, © 2008 Time Inc.

Environmentally friendly design is within your reach. Check out these suggestions:

• SAVE Choose ENERGY STAR products, from light bulbs and kitchen appliances to ceiling fans and dehumidifiers, to help you save energy and help the environment. An added benefit – you could save up to 30% on utility bills.
• REUSE Salvage items large and small that are in good shape and simply could use a face-lift. If you need to get rid of old sinks or appliances, give them to charity or sell them in a yard sale (instead of hauling them to the landfill).
• CONSERVE To conserve water, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime, which save up to 8 gallons of water per day. It’s also important to promptly fix any drips or leaks; a leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water per day. To conserve energy, establish the habit of turning off the lights when you leave a room.
• RECYCLE Keep a recycling bin in or near your kitchen so that you can easily designate items for recycling.
• COMPOST Suitable kitchen scraps, such as coffee grounds and apple cores, can be made into compost. Composting can reduce household waste and supply organic material for your garden.
• SELECT For your household cleaning, look for naturally derived cleaning supplies, or opt for age-old solutions, such as baking soda and vinegar.
• RENEW Seek out items made from rapidly renewable, sustainably harvested, or recycled materials. Options for flooring include cork and bamboo, as well as recycled or recyclable carpet or linoleum made from natural linseed oil.
• IMAGINE Think about accessible design as a part of green design. You’ll help ensure the longevity of your home and conserve resources that would be spent on changes down the road.

Lowe’s Creative Ideas
September/October 2007

E4S NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE NETWORK SPEAKER EVENT

October 8, 2008
5:30-8:30pm
Cleveland Institute of Art
11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106

General Price: $30
Member Price: $25
Student Price: $20
Cash and checks will be accepted at the door.

How do you get started in designing more sustainably?
What are the best practices, resources and next steps to lead your company into the future of design?

Description:

Join E4S and a panel of regional and national sustainable design experts and practitioners at the Cleveland Institute of Art for an engaging E4S National Knowledge Network Speaker Event on the Future of Design: Integrating Sustainability.

Catherine Bragdon, Grand Rapids, is currently a consultant to the design facilitation team at Herman Miller where she helps to explore product innovation. She has led the development of an alliance between Cradle to Cradle protocols and Material ConneXion to establish a global platform for material innovation as well as co-founding the Biomimicry Guild with Janine Benyus in 2003. Click here to read full bio.

Susan Lyons, New York City, is a principal of Susan Lyons Studio LLC, focusing on sustainable product design, materials and color development, product marketing strategy, and dedicated to developing compelling and environmentally intelligent products informed and inspired by the principles of cradle-to-cradle design. Susan has worked as a consultant to Herman Miller, Shaw Carpet, Innovations and Crypton Carnegie. Click here to read full bio.

Doug Paige, Cleveland, is an Associate Professor of Industrial Design at The Cleveland Institute of Art. He has helped further the legacy of one the most established industrial design programs in the country, founded by the late Viktor Schreckengost in 1933. Doug incorporated designing for sustainability into the curriculum in 2000. He also works as a design consultant for several companies in the NEO region. Click here to read full bio

Parking and Directions

• Parking at the CIeveland Institute of Art is free for this event, but limited. The Institute is located in the University Circle, please visit this link for more parking information.
• For directions to the Cleveland Institute of Art (11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106) follow this link.

Request a Display Table:
If you have sustainable products or services for businesses, we welcome your display table request. A staff member will get back to you within a few days of your form submission.  For more information contact Allison at 216-451-7755.

$200 - Full Table
$100 - Half Table

E4S National Knowledge Network Speaker Event Sponsors:
The Cleveland Institute of Art
ForestCity Enterprises
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Talan Products, Inc.
Yurich Creative

Special thanks to Brandi Adamski for this post!

If we all live in a watershed, then why do we not know where it is and why it matters? Most people in Canton are only familiar with the creek as it pertains to ducks and floods. Ok, so knowing where it floods is a start.

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the land and series of waterways (lakes, rivers, streams, rivers and creeks) that drain an area, eventually, to the sea. Some watersheds are a few acres, while others cover millions of square miles. Regardless of size, wherever you are, you are in a watershed.

Now, think of your property. When it rains, the water drains in a particular order and fashion. Water flows, downward, from the roof to the gutters, down downspouts, through landscape beds and lawn and around concrete, bricks and vehicles to the street. Your house and yard is a mini-watershed, of sorts. Without this drainage, we would be inundated with water every time it rained – whether it be a house or a county. So, let’s just say drainage is THE most important thing to land-loving individuals. With that in perspective, it’s kind of difficult to imagine that most people aren’t more informed about their watershed.

What is our Watershed?

We can thank the Nimishillen Creek tributaries (West Branch, East Branch, and Middle Branch, Hurford Run and Sherrick Run) for draining water southerly. There are six watersheds in Stark County, but ours is central and drains Canton, North Canton, Louisville, East Sparta and part of Hartville to Sandy Creek. From Sandy Creek, water drains through the Tuscarawas and Ohio Rivers to the Mississippi River that empties into the Gulf of Mexico. This trip is almost 900 miles! Imagine all the other communities OUR water impacts. Which leads to the alternate title for this blog: We all live downstream.

Watershed Health and Importance

So who cares about downstream? From microscopic organisms to birds to large mammals, entire systems depend on clean water. The creek is their food and water supply. A watershed must be efficient and healthy to support such systems, but our assistance is the key. Trash, human development and chemical use are all obvious contributors to the degradation of the watershed, but there are many other daily practices that play a role.

Let’s go back to your mini-watershed: your property. What you do on your property is not contained to your property because water is always going to flow away from your house. If it flows away from you, down the street, then you shouldn’t be concerned, right? Wrong. Why? Because you always have a neighbor that lives up the street from you. This is the big picture.

Many things are carried by that water that we can see, like litter and debris, but many other things hitch a ride that are not visible to the eye. Left on lawns, dog waste is a common pollutant. Water carries its disease-causing bacteria to unsuspecting kids and people that play in the creek. Motor oil, lawn fertilizer, pesticides and car-washing soaps are only a few products that are easily washed into waterways. Removing trees and vegetation, especially around the creek, increases erosion and lowers the natural filtering of harmful chemicals. The choice of concrete over gravel increases runoff and the chance that pollutants will make their way into the watershed.

Every person affects our watershed. Everyone lives downstream. We all live in a watershed.

The upcoming Nimishillen Creek Clean-up (LEAP) not only eliminates litter and debris in a particular area, it brings about awareness of the watershed and how, we as individuals affect it. Please join this important community event to learn more! To register individuals or groups, email Brandi at zoesah@neo.rr.com.

This event is a great opportunity to help Green your Canton!

Seventh Annual Nimishillen Creek LEAP

Litter Elimination, Awareness and Prevention

West Branch of Nimishillen Creek

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Stark Parks West Parks Trail

Fulton Drive NW and Stadium Park Drive NW

Canton, Ohio

9:00 a.m.

Map

The Nimishillen Creek Watershed Partners are pleased to announce the seventh annual Nimishillen Creek LEAP clean-up will be held for the first time along the West Branch of Nimishillen Creek.  The 2008 clean-up will include the section of creek along the recently completed West Parks Trail by Stark Parks which runs between Fulton Road and 38th Street.

Volunteers are needed to help pick up debris along this section of the West Branch.  Those interested are asked to meet at 9:00 am at the start of the trail at the intersection of Fulton Road and Stadium Park Road.  From there volunteers will be directed to clean-up sites along the creek.  A free lunch for the volunteers will following the event.

Check out http://www.uptuscwatershed.org/leap_2008.htm for more details on the event and information on the Nimishillen Creek Watershed.

from the Canton Repository - www.cantonrep.com

Going green is theme of First Friday tonight
REPOSITORY STAFF REPORT

CANTON The Mayor’s Commission on Sustainability will launch its “Green My Canton” initiative tonight in downtown Canton.

The program will be part of the First Friday arts festival from 6 to 10 p.m., which features the theme “Get into the Green Scene.”

First Friday, which takes place downtown the first Friday of each month, will include “eco-conscious” educational elements, along with the usual art activities and entertainment, according to a press release from the mayor’s office and the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Hybrid vehicles, including a truck from American Electric Power, will be on display, the release said. Booths will feature energy-saving products for homes and offices.

Click here to read more…

Here you’ll find the sustainable backstories — the green basics — for many popular green ideas, technologies, and cultural phenomenons, in quick, easy-to-digest, single-serving sizes. You’ll learn all you’ll need to know to sound smart at your next dinner party, and we’ll give you a few resources that you can use to learn more, just in case you’re just starting your PhD and really want to get down to the nitty-gritty.

Take action! In depth, actionable articles to get you off your duff and step into the green future. Read about great ideas on how to go green in Business + Politics, Cars + Transportation, Culture + Celebrity, Design + Architecture, Fashion + Beauty, Food + Health, Science + Technology and more!
Learn more after the jump —> How to Go Green