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GREEN LIVING

|| Sustainable and Local Food

DOWNLOAD 2010 GARDEN & FOOD WORKSHOP CALENDAR (see Silvana's Community Garden, Alpine Earth Center, and HC3's garden workshops all in one place)
The Living Classroom
SUMMIT COUNTY'S FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
LOCAL FOOD RESOURCES AND LINKS

Comming Soon...
GROW YOUR OWN FOOD
EAT LOCALLY
SUSTAINABLE FOOD CHOICES

Do you ever notice how strawberries in season are full of flavor? I bit into a squash in the middle of winter once and wondered if it was cut out of cardboard and painted to fool me. Barbara Kingsolver, in her wonderful book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, calls it “The Case of the Murdered Flavor.” The journey of food to our plate often consists of hauling most fruits and vegetables in refrigerated trucks from all parts of the world. Most of our food travels at least 2,000 miles before it reaches the market, let alone our plate.

Creative marketing and a whole lot of energy and oil has changed “eating in season” to “eat whatever you want whenever you want.” Except it really isn't whatever you want because it lacks the flavor, the freshness, and even in some cases, the healthy. You can look at a vegetable calendar to determine roughly what vegetable matures in what month for ultimate freshness. From there, Kingsolver says “If you find yourself eating a watermelon in April, you can count back three months and imagine a place warm enough in January for this plant to have launched its destiny. Mexico maybe, or southern California.”

Here at the Conservation Center we are all about keeping it local. Whether it’s Growing Your Own Food, Eating Locally, or making Sustainable Food Choices, we’re here to help you find the resources. Feel free to read on and find out how food does impact our planet and how everyone (Summit County and beyond) can take action to keep it local!

|| The Living Classroom

 


|| Summit County Food Policy Council

Sustainable Food Solutions for Summit County!

As a joint effort to explore local food issues, the Summit Prevention Alliance and the High Country Conservation Center created a Summit County Food Policy Council (FPC) in January of 2010. At our first meeting, the group discussed alarming hunger issues and trends that are currently affecting our community. According to the Summit County Basic Food Assistance document, “The need for basic food assistance is growing in Summit County as evidenced by an increase in families enrolled in the Food Stamp program and visitors to our local food banks.” Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people fed per year by local food banks increased by over 815 percent for some food banks.

Another important issue beyond hunger is local and healthy food for school cafeterias. There are several opportunities to incorporate sustainable food curriculum and hands-on opportunities in the classroom. For one, there is a national push for Farm to School programs in the school system. In addition, the Conservation Center’s The Living Classroom (TLC) Project is set to roll out in the summer and will focus on bringing kids closer to food production by providing classrooms and school groups with space to grow their own food and get their hands dirty.

Taking Summit County issues into mind, the FPC determined three main focus areas: health and nutrition; local and environmental benefits; and food security, access, and hunger. Through these focus areas, the group hopes to address and potentially accomplish the following:

  • Local and nutritious food for schools including the use of local produce (grown on site or grown locally) in the lunchroom
  • Zoning and planning with an emphasis on acquiring permanent land for local food production (community greenhouses and gardens)
  • Hunger relief through growing and acquiring healthy food to supplement local food banks.

In general, the FPC includes individuals from the community that have a strong interest in food  including how it’s produced, processed, and distributed. A local FPC is a great way to explore food issues and to take action through local policy. If you are interested in learning more about the Summit County FPC, let us know. Please contact food@highcountryconservation.org for more info.

FPC Resources:
Food Policy FAQ
Food Policy Flow Chart
2009 Summit County Basic Food Assistance Document
Food Policy Councils - Lessons Learned
LiveWell Colorado Food Policy Blueprint
The Colorado Health Foundation Food Access in Colorado Report
Summit County Food Help
Summit County Food Help (in Spanish)
Establishing Land Use Protections for Community Gardens

FPC Meeting Agendas and Minutes:
FPC First Meeting Agenda (January 13, 2010)
FPC First Meeting Minutes (January 13, 2010)
FPC February 11, 2010 Agenda
FPC Minutes (February 11, 2010)
FPC Meeting Agenda for March 11, 2010
FPC Meeting Minutes for March 11, 2010
FPC Meeting Agenda for April 15, 2010
FPC Meeting Minutes for April 15, 2010

New Mission Statement: Sustainable Food Solutions for Summit County!
New Vision Statement: The Food Policy Council will support local efforts to 1). grow and acquire healthy, sustainable food to 2). serve the hungry and 3). educate our community.
Co-Chairs: Joanna Rybak - Summit Prevention Alliance and Jennifer Santry - High Country Conservation Center


|| Local Food Resources & Links

 


We apologize for the mess. This page is under construction. Check back in May for updated information! Thank you!


|| Grow Your Own Food

Coming Soon...

Summit Gardeners
There is nothing more local than your backyard or a window sill in your home. If you really want freshness and vegetables with zero travel impact, grow a salad at home.

Victory Gardens


The Greenhorns




yogurtForget Plastics - Make Your Own Yogurt!

Now that Summit County Drop-Off Centers only accept #1 and #2 plastic bottles, many yogurt lovers are a little bummed about having to throw away plastic yogurt tubs. Well thanks to a local supporter, we have a great recipe for making your own yogurt! The recipe does require a starter batch of yogurt but after that, you're on your way to tub-free, homemade yumminess. Check out the recipe here!


|| Eat Locally

Coming Soon...

 


 

|| Sustainable Food Choices

Coming Soon...

 

 


 Have you seen "The Future of Food?"

There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat. This well-researched documentary by Deborah Koons Garcia, the widow of the legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, takes an in-depth look at the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decades. This film examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge, multinational corporations seek to control the world’s food systems but also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, offering solutions like organic and sustainable agriculture as alternative food sources.




 

 



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Keystone Bluegrass and Beer Festival - Volunteers Needed!
We’re looking for volunteers for July 31st and August 1st. Shifts include ID checkers, information booth, kids crafts, and assisting beer vendors. Each shift will vary between two and three hours. For more info,
please click here.

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