COUNCIL PASSES LOCAL FOOD ACTION INITIATIVE

COUNCIL PASSES LOCAL FOOD ACTION INITIATIVE
Legislation will support food banks, help aid farmers’ markets, and expand community gardens

Since April of this year Seattle City Council passed the Local Food Action Initiative. The initiative hopes to expand resources for food banks; local farmers' markets; develop new solutions on how to deal with the problems in food cost for urban consumers by helping strengthen the connections between our rural and urban areas; plan for better management of our food system in case of emergencies and major disasters; and much more.
The city now has plans to develop the Food Action Plan which will identify policies, programs and opportunities to promote local food systems sustainability and security. Not only that but the city council begins its work on a Regional Food Policy Council that can bring the City and the County together in order to help develop policies that will contribute to these intial goals and ideas.
The president of the Council Richard Conlin, the initiative’s sponsor and chair of the Environment, Emergency Planning and Utilities Committee, said in an interview, “Access to food is one of the most fundamental needs of our community. This new initiative will bring together the work that is being done in the community and the City to create a framework for ensuring that Seattle residents have access to a healthy and sustainable food resources.”

Another member of the council named Tim Burgess also included that, “We made some changes suggested by citizens to clarify and strengthen the resolution, and made its intent clearer and more focused. I believe it is a reasonable effort by the city to plan for emergencies, continue our work toward greater sustainability, and strengthen locally-owned businesses.”

Council member Jan Drago noted that not only will i benifit those who are lookign for healthier food but also those in need, “This initiative will support food banks and meal programs by strengthening connections between our p-patch network and food banks to provide more fresh food for those who are hungry and in need and by helping the food banks to reduce their costs for managing food waste.”

I think it was a great success of Seattle, to not only acknowledge this wonderful resource we have accessible to us but to also note the amount of people who still go hungry everyday. I hope this is not just something that stays on paper, but something that is really included into our everyday lives.

---Nina Miller

Loss of Salmon and Loss of Culture

By Alice Shieh

I was surprised to find out that many species of Northwest salmon are considered threatened. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest branch lists at least half of the varieties of Coho, Chinook, Chum, and Steelhead salmon as either threatened or endangered. That leaves only pink salmon and sockeye salmon. (http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/ESA-Salmon-Listings/upload/snapshot0208.pdf)

Despite the fact that salmon numbers are dwindling, the public doesn't receive much education about the plight of salmon. Seattle still continues to be known for its fabulous seafood (especially salmon), cooking shows and recipe books still show us how to cook salmon, and salmon is still served in restaurants without much concern for the species' future. The survival of several varieties of salmon are threatened and, for the most part, public awareness about salmon is lacking. People simply don't talk about the fact that, within a span of 50 years', salmon runs have decreased from 16 million to 2 million (Hansen, 1994).

This is an issue that is important for the Northwest. Salmon contributes to the Northwest economy and it is an important food source for Native northwesterners. Salmon is a traditional food and an integral part of Native northwest cultures. Unfortunately, overfishing, fishery practices, and the difficulties posed by dams (such as the Columbia River dam) have all contributed to the diminished state of salmon today.

Native people, for whom salmon is culturally significant, have fought on behalf of salmon. They have also fought for the restoration of their tribal fishing rights, since Native fishing practices are, they argue, responsible and respectful of wildlife. In as far back as 1988, Simon Lucas, the then-co-chair of the BC Aboriginal Fisheries Commission and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, argued that "At the very heart of fish conservation is not catching fish today so there will be more fish to catch in the future. We have demonstrated time and time again our respect for the salmon. When the time has come for conservation, however, departmental policies prevent native so-called food fishermen from sharing in the benefits of conservation efforts." He also argued for the need for cooperation between native and non-native fishermen to solve the salmon problem.

This issue emphasizes the interconnectedness of culture, food, and land. While certainly a food issue, the loss of salmon also equates to the loss of culture and life for Native northwesterners. In an article written by Native American journalist Terri Hansen, she writes: "Salmon are at the heart of Northwest Indian culture; their diet, commerce, ceremonies and spirituality. Salmon are not just a way of life. They are life. And they are fast becoming scarce."


References (of sources whose URLs were not provided within the body of the post):

Hansen, Terri. (1994). "Pacific Northwest Salmon in Crisis." http://motherearthjournal.blogspot.com/2007/06/pacific-northwest-salmon-in-crisis-1994.html

Lucas, Simon. (1988). "The Thriving of Wild Salmon: An Address to the Suzuki Foundation's Wild Salmon conference." http://ncseonline.org/nae/docs/salmon.html

Further Reading:

Governor's Salmon Recovery Office Website
http://www.governor.wa.gov/gsro/default.asp

Indigenous Native American Fishing in the Pacific Northwest Region of North America
http://www.bauuinstitute.com/Articles/IndigenousFishingPacificNorthwest.html

Community Fruit Tree Harvest: a fruit to mouths operation

- Andrea Hermanson

Imagine 10,000 pounds of apples, plums, and pears lying on the ground or going into yard waste bins all over Seattle. While perhaps good organic fertilizer, wouldn’t you rather see those pounds going to feed thousands of hungry people? An inventive food distribution program of Solid Ground called Community Fruit Tree Harvest engages volunteers in the collection of fruit from local trees. A seemingly simple concept, but last year this program connected those 10,000 pounds of apples, plums, and pears from Seattle fruit trees to low-income Seattleites through local food banks. When food banks can hardly keep food—let alone fresh produce—on the shelves, it seems unthinkable to imagine that this nutritious food would not meet hungry mouths.

I think this is indicative of the backwardnessof our fast-paced, wasteful consumer culture and in many ways of current food crisis. People are willing to let perfectly edible food go uneaten instead of canning, freezing, or giving it to neighbors. While neglecting food may be for a variety of legitimate reasons (including lack of knowledge passed down about how to preserve it), I do not believe such neglect would have been conceivable in my grandparent’s days or even for my parents, who collect every apple possible from their trees and turn it into food (or give it away). Healthy (virtually free) food is precious—and Community Fruit Tree Harvest is making this connection for hungry people. Outstanding, community-supported programs such as this go a long way (albeit slowly) in making healthy food available for community members in the most need, while also drawing attention to the fact that there are many fruit trees and produce that is available on public lands and that grows independent of human action—this is all available for the eating. An June article in the Seattle PI highlights this program and related food issues: "Growing in Seattle: Food aid from the home front"

Low Oxygen Levels Threaten Life in Hood Canal

By Alice Shieh

(View of Hood Canal at sunset.)

Hood Canal is a 70+ mile long waterway that separates Kitsap Peninsula from Olympic Peninsula. It's actually a fjord--the only one on the west coast--and words to describe its scenery are: serene, beautiful, and picturesque. Personally, it's one of my favorite places and I think it's gorgeous. However, back in 2003, major concerns were raised regarding low oxygen levels in Hood Canal's waters--levels so low that the event was considered historic. What resulted was an alarming loss of marine life.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer ( http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/139800_hood16.html ) reported that, because of low oxygen levels at deeper depths, octopus mothers were abandoning their eggs and deep-dwelling marine creatures were being spotted at shallow depths. Fishing was banned that year in the canal--a historic first. I remember that, in the months following, then-Governor Gary Locke appeared in numerous television ads to warn of the threat to Hood Canal marine life and warn against pollution in its waters. (I live in Kitsap County, so it may have only aired in areas surrounding Hood Canal.)

Hood canal is an important source of Northwest seafood. It homes oysters, clams, Dungeness crab, cod, salmon, shrimp, squid, octopus, and scallops. Therefore, the deaths of marine life in Hood Canal were considered a crisis, as it provides much of the seafood that makes Seattle famous. (A local diver describes the underwater graveyard she saw during this time in this article: http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e060923b.html ) Furthermore, Hood Canal provides food not only for western Washington, but for the wildlife that depend upon it for survival. Numerous bird species (including the bald eagle, which hunts fish), bears, deer, sea lions, otters, and many more creatures inhabit the banks of the fjord. Even whale pods have been known to visit its waters. Hood Canal is both a source of the seafood that is iconic to the Pacific Northwest, as well as the source of life for many threatened species of wildlife.

Early reports, such as this one from CDNN Eco News, blamed human pollution for the mass deaths: http://www.cdnn.info/eco/e040506/e040506.html For example, the article claims that "Auto emissions (washed down by rain), lawn fertilizers, sewage, and storm water runoff all feed nitrogen and other nutrients into the water. The nutrients generate plankton blooms, which die after a few days, sinking to the bottom, where decomposition uses up oxygen. The lack of oxygen kills fish and sea plants, which decompose and use up most of the remaining oxygen."

Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program's online brochure explains why the fjord is prone having pockets of low oxygen:

"The geology and bathymetry (underwater topography) of Hood Canal play a large role in the water quality and dynamics of how the water moves. The entrance to the canal is relatively shallow, about 150’. Just south of the entrance the canal becomes very deep, to 500 and 600’. This ‘sill’ at the entrance creates a condition in the canal that doesn’t allow the water to flow or exchange very easily with the changing tides and seasons. The ‘sill’ tends to retain the water (reduces the exchange) in the canal and estimates of complete water exchange rates are in the magnitude of years.

"The water of Hood Canal can be highly stratified… which means there is an upper layer of different temperature and salinity (saltiness). Highly stratified water doesn’t mix very well. So, essentially, the waters of Hood Canal are deep, stratified, and exchange very slowly. This is not a good situation when considering the resilience of Hood Canal to human contributions." http://www.hoodcanal.washington.edu/aboutHC/brochure.html

Since the waters don't mix well, pockets of low-oxygen water tend to form in Hood Canal. This worsens when large amounts of plankton form and settle to the sea floor to die, depleting the existing oxygen supply during decomposition. While human interaction with Hood Canal's ecosystem were originally blamed for the low oxygen levels, more recent research has identified natural causes for the phenomenon. Water circulation within the canal, the amount of ocean water it receives from the Pacific ocean, and plankton growth all contribute to (or take away from) the oxygen levels in Hood Canal. While this doesn't exonerate human contamination, it does mean that pollution results in the oxygen crisis only when conditions weaken the natural resiliency of Hood Canal. ( http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/27/oxygen-levels-keep-hood-canal-fish-research/ )

The 2002-2003 loss of marine life in Hood Canal sent both environmentalists and politicians in an uproar. Many politicians pointed fingers at human pollution before scientists had even finished their studies. Now, natural causes for the low oxygen pockets have been identified by the scientific community. More than just a local foods issue, this is also an example of discourse in the making. The problem has never changed, but it has been framed and reframed differently within the last five years.

Legislating Local Food

- Andrea Hermanson

A recent proposal was passed this spring by the City of Seattle to support the infrastructure for promoting and funding local, community-based food and farming networks. The Local Food Action Initiative will support local and regional food systems and is strategically intertwined with the City’s goals of “race and social justice, environmental sustainability, economic development, and emergency preparedness.” The initiative is ground-breaking, in that it ties food to justice and acknowledges issues of hunger, health disparities, problems of industrial agriculture, and pollution which plague our communities via the current global capitalist system. While it certainly does not point a direct finger at capitalism, it is a step.

The website outlines the following agenda items:

• Increase support of local and regional agriculture and community gardens and make stronger connections between our rural and urban areas
• Improve public health through providing increased access to healthy, culturally appropriate, and locally and regionally grown foods, especially for low-income households
• Reduce climate impacts of our food system
• Improve the security of our local food supply in the event that a major disaster were to occur
• Reduce negative environmental effects relating to the food system including minimizing energy use and reducing food waste
• Create local economic opportunities related to local food production, processing, distribution, and waste management
• Support strategies to connect major institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and jails, to locally grown food.
• Build community through developing community gardens, promoting farmers’ markets, involving immigrants, and developing programs that contribute to sustainability.

The City’s website gives some examples of what this might look like:

• Developing a City of Seattle Food Policy Action Plan which would identify policies, programs and opportunities to promote local food system sustainability and security.
• Strengthening existing local farmer's markets by finding permanent locations.
• Identifying additional locations and infrastructure for community gardens and farmer's markets to strengthen our community garden program and maximize accessibility to all neighborhoods and communities.
• Supporting programs such as a Food Bank–Food Waste Recycling Project and an Urban Farmland Initiative that can assist in providing fresh food for food banks and meal programs.
• Forming a Regional Food Policy Council that can assist the City and the County with developing policies that contribute to our goals.

During a recent event hosted by Community Alliance for Global Justice last weekend, I also learned that this initiative will do things such as: (1) support the establishment of a new “Marra Farm” in North Seattle, which is an increasingly diverse neighborhood and has a growing immigrant population; (2) vastly expand community-based gardening through more P-Patch land in all neighborhoods; and (3) give schools for the first time permission (and some funding, I believe) to purchase locally-grown food instead of the mass-produced, cheapest food available. The Local Food Action Initiative could have powerful, positive impacts on our communities—but we have to make sure that in the face of economic crises, these forward-thinking, new programs are not cut!

Locavore

Locavore: a person that eats only food that are grown, processed and produced within 100 miles of their own home.

Becoming a Locavore you are supporting sustainable environmental economies. Since most of the food people consume have traveled on average 2,0000 miles to reach you, not only is a quality of your food effected but it also impacts our environment.

By choosing to buy foods that come from your neighborhood you get the freshest, healthiest, and more flavorful products of the season.

For Seattle residents, this means buying produce, meat, diary and other products from Western or Central Washington. That would include the exclusion of tropical fruits. However, thankfully Washington is full of wonderful fruits seasonally such as cherries, figs, melons, kiwis, and all kinds of berries.

Other options, such as vegetables, have a wide variety from beans and broccoli to peppers, asparagus, and squash.

For full list of the foods produced in Western Washington, see King County's harvest schedule, which gives you information on which farms and where you can find your favorite foods locally.

Some restaurants in Seattle that support local communities include;

~Tilth
~Taste which is insed of the Seattle Art Museum
~Earth and Ocean
~Agua Verde
~All of Tom Douglas's restaurants such as, serisous pie, Lola, Etta's, Dahlia's Lounge
~Macrina Bakery

For more restaurants you can visit Local Harvest.

---Nina Miller

New York Greenmarkets

I came to Seattle from New York blown away by the farmers markets, assuming that my state was far behind in terms of the local food movement. Once I started poking around, I found that this was not the case; I just had not been looking in the right places. I am from Long Island and knew that the island had it's share of markets on the eastern end, but I discovered that there are City Greenmarkets in all five boroughs. These include more well known locations such as Rockefeller center, Williamsburg, Union Square, and even in the Staten Island Ferry terminal. (Find a list of locations here) Greenmarket has been organizing and managing these markets throughout NYC since 1976, supplying local produce from 200+ farms throughout New York on 30,000 acres of regional open space, collectively. Some of the best restaurants around the city use produce from Greenmarkets! Greenmarket is also known for its community outreach, now accepting coupons or foodstamps at many locations. In addition, any unsold produce that cannot be sold at a later date are used to feed the hungry. In 2006 224,000 lbs. of food were donated to City Harvest.


This article tells the story of a Katonah farmer named Dan Gibson (right), once the senior vice president of corporate affairs at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, who now sells his grass-fed angus at the Union Square Greenmarket on Fridays. Instead of sitting around for dinner with other Upper-East Siders, he now shares his meals with other local farmers that he does business with. The article also explains that many urban professionals are giving up the city life to buy farmland.

Here are two good videos to watch: the first is about a Staten Island farmer who now cultivates produce from his home in Mexico and the second is a fun video on a "farmer's tan" contest at a Brooklyn Greenmarket in Williamsburg, showing a lot of the spirit and community bond of these markets.

-Nicole Boland