Untitled - yes, yes I am

Farmers Markets instead of Grocery Stores...

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:11:28 -0400

3 new farmers markets to bring fresh produce to areas with no big grocery stores
The goal is to nourish a sense of community while nourishing bodies

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-farmers-marketsmar29,1,5274316.story

By Monica Eng

Tribune reporter

11:02 PM CDT, March 28, 2008

Gospel choirs, antiques booths and jerk chicken stands are more evocative of Chicago’s summer festivals than its farmers markets. But three new markets slated to open this spring on the South Side are determined to break the farmers market mold.

The pioneering outdoor markets?in Bronzeville, Englewood and Woodlawn?aim to bring fresh produce to these food deserts, neighborhoods underserved by large grocery store chains. Some plan to feature free transportation to the market, some will offer neighborhood-grown produce and all plan to provide Electronic Benefit Transfer machines that accept credit cards along with public aid credit.

All aim to nourish a sense of community while nourishing individual bodies in neighborhoods where liquor stores and convenience stores often fill the role of a grocery store.

“We want it to create a sense of normalcy,” said Orrin Williams, an organizer of the Englewood Farmers Market. “I think people often feel abandoned or disconnected when you don’t have resources in the community, whether it is food, books, music or restaurants.”

Bernita Johnson-Gabriel of the Quad Communities Development Corp., which is operating the new Bronzeville Community Market, said, “One of our main aims with the market is to make sure folks have memorable social exchanges here.”

Although farmers markets have sprouted in underserved neighborhoods and food deserts before, this summer will see a bumper crop of new ones. Bronzeville will see its first experimental hybrid market?partially city-supported and partially independent.

Farmers markets sponsored by the city have strict rules that allow only those who grow the food to sell it and prohibit the sale of prepared foods. The new hybrid market in Bronzeville will allow cooked foods, antiques vendors, music, re-sold produce and other items prohibited at regular markets.

The rationale for the third party produce is that the neighborhood has such limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables in the first place.

“We wanted the opportunity to have some resale of things like citrus and bananas,” Johnson-Gabriel said. “Our community wants a little bit of everything. And since we are a hybrid market, the city allowed us to do that as well as have things like prepared-food vendors.”

Although the market organizers would love to sell only sustainably and organically raised produce, they understand that the high cost of organic produce could be an issue for some customers.

“We had a lot of discussion about not just serving middle-class populations and trying to serve people with lower income levels who couldn’t drive to other areas to get their foods,” said Connie Spreen, executive director for Experimental Station, which is putting on the economically diverse 61st Street Market. “So we decided we would also offer conventional [non-organic] produce because it’s better to have people who aren’t buying produce buy produce even if it is conventionally grown.”

Paying more for food directly from the farm has been a hard concept to swallow for some customers, said Williams, the Englewood market organizer.

“The farmer certainly has autonomy to set his prices, but we hope they will pay attention to the community they are trying to serve,” he said.

Williams said there will be consumer education about the benefits of fresh produce and a relationship with the farmer. “We need to explain the benefits of working with and buying from farmers who produce with few or no inputs [pesticides etc.],” he said.

Aaron Schorsch, who is recruiting growers for the 61st Street Farmers Market, says he hopes to persuade some farmers heading to Green City Market in Lincoln Park to make a drop-off at 61st Street on their way to the North Side. And if past markets are an indicator, shoppers shouldn’t be surprised to see lower prices for that same farmer’s produce at the South Side markets.

Although all farmers are welcome, each new market is eager to attract African-American-owned sustainable farms such as Growing Power (out of Chicago and Milwaukee) and Pembroke Farmers Cooperative (out of Kankakee County).

Like many, Englewood and 61st Street will be closely watching the Bronzeville market experiment to see whether it represents the future for markets in underserved communities.

“I can tell you that the city is very excited about it and hoping that this model is going to be replicable even across the country,” Johnson-Gabriel said. “We’re going to be a Sunday market open from 10 to 3, and so people come here after church to shop and eat and sit down at our tables under the tents to hear some music.”

Williams said, “We want to make this not just a retail place, but a gathering place, a real cultural place in the community.”

Englewood Farmers Market will be held in the parking lot of Greater Deliverance Temple Church of Christ, 6452 S. Ashland Ave. It will run Thursdays starting June 19.

The 61st Street Farmers Market will be in front of Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave., on Saturdays starting May 17.

The Bronzeville Community Market will be at 4400 S. Cottage Grove Ave. on Sundays starting June 1.

meng@tribune.com

Copyright 2008, Chicago Tribune

Good2Gether.com

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:02:41 -0400

I met these guys in Florida recently at a conference - and realized this could be an amazing way to get non-profit events distributed throughout the country. The concept is simple - it’s a content management system that sells it’s keyword-linked content to news organizations around the country. Then, when someone on one of these news sites searches for a keyword that might mesh with your org - your event shows up as content!

Enjoy!

Another Free Way to Promote Your Non-Profit

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:00:23 -0400

Another Free Way to Promote Your Non-Profit

Google Rocks - Free Non-Profit Advertising

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:58:47 -0400

You have to check out Google Grants. There is a program that awards Google AdWords advertising to hundreds of non-profit groups (including those whose missions range from animal welfare to literacy, from supporting homeless children to promoting HIV education).

This could be an amazing opportunity to drive traffic to your non-profit website - thus increasing awareness and…maybe…just maybe…some $$.

Here are the requirements for eligibility:

US non-profit organizations must have current 501(c)(3) status, as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service to be considered for a Google Grant. Organizations already participating in the Google AdSense program are not eligible for Google Grants consideration. In addition, organizations that are either religious or political in nature are not eligible. Read the program details and FAQ at: http://www.google.com/nonprofits/grantstutorial.html.

Google Grants recipients are selected every quarter and are allowed to use their award of free AdWords advertising on Google.com.

Free Google Ad Words for Non-Profits!!!!

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:55:55 -0400

Free Google Ad Words for Non-Profits!!!!

"Don’t ask for ATM receipts. If everyone in the United States refused their receipts, it would..."

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:16:05 -0400

“Don’t ask for ATM receipts. If everyone in the United States refused their receipts, it would save a roll of paper more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the equator fifteen times!”

- In an article on Celebitchy. Article is now mysteriously gone.

Yes...I get a little carried away from time to time.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:12:00 -0400

So Alex and I recently chatted about how to make our wedding (which is 1.5 years away - but I have already gone a little overboard on planning) more interesting. So - we’ve decided to have a socially responsible/”green wedding.” So how does one have a socially responsible wedding? Well, yes, we could donate the money we would spend on the wedding to a cause that will improve our community - but - I’m still a selfish girl (I’ll admit it!) I’m not a saint - I want to wear the white dress. So here goes. The average wedding costs $28,800 (according to www.costofwedding.com) and the breakdown looks like this:

Wedding Attire - $2,710
Wedding Ceremony - $2,627
Wedding Favors & Gifts - $1,166
Wedding Flowers - $2,048
Wedding Reception - $14,737
Wedding Stationery - $881
Wedding Transportation - $426

Now, I’m not spending nearly this much on my wedding - but it’s interesting to note how it shakes out - and I’ll address our ideas (and affiliated websites) for each of these categories.

Wedding Attire - yep, I want the white dress. First, I want to find natural materials. This is easier than you would think as most high-end wedding gowns and tuxes are made with natural silk anyway (but where exactly are they made - and what do those wages look like - hmm). There are a number of designers that use hempsilk and other eco-friendly materials - but the prices are also designer at over $3000. So, I decided to check out consignment shops (reuse is one of the Rs!) and found a beautiful, natural silk gown in the exact style I wanted. Here’s to reusing! And here’s to saving some $$!

Wedding Ceremony - outdoor - New Orleans City Park - no need for electricity and the area is already covered. The fee for the Pavilion at City Park is $695 - and it goes to the City Park restoration fund. Renting a covered spot in a beautiful park and helping restore after Katrina. This is definitely a win-win.

Wedding Favors & Gifts - we’re doing cards with seeded paper that our guests can then plant in their gardens when they get home. There are a variety of seeds in each bit of paper - so you can be sure that some sort of flowers will grow in you guests’ home climate. Find them here (www.luckyonion.com). Lucky Onion is also a local company which the husband/wife team runs out of their (lovely) basement. On these seeded paper cards, we’re also going to print something very special - that the carbon produced by everyone’s travel was offset with carbon credits purchased through www.terrapass.com. Terra Pass has a carbon calculator specifically for weddings and the “credits” help fund wind farms :)

Wedding Flowers. I have problems with flowers. I hate that they die, hate that they are mass produced and wish I could do something else (but I really want flowers). Although purchasing from a local farmers market would be BEST, this is not really a viable option in New Orleans. So, for the bouquets, we will purchase our flowers through California Organic Flowers (https://californiaorganicflowers.com/default). It’s a small farm that produces naturally grown flowers - and supports a family business. We will also have potted plants to decorate the sites. After the wedding, we intended to donate the flowers and plants to Tulane Hospital.

Wedding Reception - Have some ideas…I know this will include locally owned vendors, but I’m not sure of the details yet. Wedding Stationery - 100% recycled or bamboo paper with seeded paper backers printed with soy letterpressed ink (yes, I still want the standard mailed invites). We will not include an RSVP card, as we are asking our guests to RSVP online. We also heard that “the white aisle” is giving 25% of the proceeds on their “New Orleans” design wedding invitations back to the city (we’re looking into this claim). It’s not all perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Wedding Transportation - 100% Streetcar use! We’re lucky that we’ll be in Nola for our wedding - and we will ask that our guest not rent cars - but use the streetcar system instead. The hotels we’ll stay at, and the venues are all on the streetcar routes - and for the day of - we’ll rent a car to bring us to and fro the ceremony!Wedding special event! For those of us who arrive the Thursday before the wedding - we will have a volunteer day - where we volunteer our time to New Orleans City Park and help plant new trees to replace those uprooted by Katrina. I think it’s a wonderful way to start a marriage!

So if you got this far in the post - wow. I’m impressed. If you have some additional ideas (besides “don’t have a wedding” or give the money away) - let me know! Not only am I having a ball planning this - but I think one day I’d like to help others plan their own green/socially responsible weddings. Just a thought…..

Link to TerraPass - Reduce your carbon footprint.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:13:05 -0400

Link to TerraPass - Reduce your carbon footprint.

Boutique Physicians? Annual retainers for your doc? Yep - and expect this to become the norm if we don't figure out our broken healthcare "system"

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:48:24 -0400

Boutique Physicians? Annual retainers for your doc? Yep - and expect this to become the norm if we don't figure out our broken healthcare "system"

"You don’t have to go from doing nothing to solving all the world’s problems..."

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:10:50 -0400

“You don’t have to go from doing nothing to solving all the world’s problems single-handedly. It’s taking a few hours out of your busy day to do some good, and if we all do that, we’ll do some good stuff.”

- Jove Oliver - Clinton Global Initiative University

nola.com article

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:09:11 -0400

nola.com article

"Fueled by a desire to make the planet a better place"

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:08:54 -0400

As many of you know, New Orleans is near and dear to my heart. The rebuilding of New Orleans - the “right” way (not saying I know what that is!) is something I want to be involved in - so I’m always keeping tabs on what’s going on, trying to figure out how I can help. So…take a peek at this article nola.com article attached to this posting. Tulane University (my alma mater) is hosting a 3-day brainstorming-type symposium where students from all over the country can work on ideas (no matter how big or small) to help make the world a better place. But here’s the part I love the most: “One requirement is that all the students must promise to make good on the projects they proposed.” Interesting…

"Everything that can be invented – has already been invented."

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:03:17 -0500

“Everything that can be invented – has already been invented.”

- Mr. Charles Duell, commissioner of the United States Patent Office, 1899

Berlin-style pod - or “LoftCube”

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:18:55 -0500

Berlin-style pod - or “LoftCube”

Colorado-style pod or “Smart Cabin” :)

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:16:50 -0500

Colorado-style pod or “Smart Cabin” :)

I am obsessed with pod-houses

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:15:14 -0500

I want a pod. I don’t understand why I can’t find one that will go on the roof of my dream house, be electrically self-sufficient (through solar panels on the roof) and create a revolution in the home-improvement industry.

Where’s the gap? Retrofitting houses to save energy and water is expensive. When a family is considering improvements to their homes, generally they are looking for more space (growing families, growing masses of stuff, etc) - they are not necessarily looking for the long term satisfaction that retrofitting your home could bring. Let’s face it - we want instant gratification. So why not have the best of both worlds - a cost efficient “green” structure that can be added to your home without greatly increasing your carbon footprint (or your budget) and gives you the instant gratification you want.

So this is something I’ll work on and hopefully (in my non-existent free time) flesh out into something real. In the meantime - check out these nifty links. Just a couple of examples of low-cost creative housing models - one here in Colorado - the other’s in Berlin.

Toilet-Lid Sink

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:30:08 -0500

Last night as we were touring the Alliance Center - I was fascinated by the toilets (that and the old doors - but nevermind that for now). I remembered that some time back I saw a toilet that is also a sink - what a cool way to recycle water in your own home! Take a look at the photo below - and click on the link to learn more.The most interesting part is that I believe this creation came from the need to have a toilet and a sink in one very small space - not necessarily because the inventor was intending to save water. How interesting the “gap” the inventor found was actually a “gap” in multiple areas (how to save space, water, and potentially $$ since you only have to buy one fixture). I need this in my powder room (one day…when I have one of those).

Photo

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:26:20 -0500

The Doctor is Not Ready to See You Yet

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:55:22 -0500

The Doctor is Not Ready to See You Yet:

Although 80 percent of patients would like to e-mail their providers, according to a Harris survey, just 8 percent of them (or their families) have done so.

Barriers to Care

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:53:29 -0500

I was speaking with a friend last week who is trying to set up an appointment to see a psychiatrist. As I work at HealthGrades (who specialized in comprehensive physician profiles/databases), she asked if I could help her find someone to see. We looked through the HealthGrades profiles, found some physicians who looked promising - but got stuck on the contact information section. As it turns out, every doctor we looked up only listed a phone number and address. We assumed this must be a limitation of my company’s database, so we started googling. About an hour later, we concluded that no physician we researched had a website or public email address.

Why, you may ask, would we be looking for a website or an email address? Think about it - if you are someone who has finally decided to try to reach out for care - do you want to have to call and explain your situation in detail during the hours of 8a - 5p? Most of us are at work from 8-5, which means a potential patient would have to call from work. In this scenario, the potential patient gets double the embarrassment - 1. having to talk to a receptionist about a deeply personal problem and 2. having your co-workers listen in.

I feel this is an extraordinary barrier to care. What can be done? We know there is a demand, real-time appointment books exist, plenty of companies have web building services, but why hasn’t the medical field caught up?