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Michael Pollan and Majora Carter @ The Connecticut Forum’s “Our Fragile Earth” Forum talk ways to solve America’s waste problem. 

What are you putting into your body?

It’s a simple question that, it would seem, calls for a simple answer. Unfortunately for Americans, it’s a question that can’t even be addressed without throngs of biotech giants, lobbyists and their lackeys threatening to sue for – what, exactly? – and scaring away the tepid lawmakers who’d just as soon side with the manufacturer of Agent Orange than with concerned citizens.

Today, legislation in Connecticut which would’ve required all food made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be labeled as such, was shot down – a local blow to food transparency that has national implications. While all nations in the European Union, as well as Russia, China, Brazil, and many other developed countries, mandate the labeling of foods with GMOs, Americans are left to guess as to where our food is coming from, how it’s made, and whether or not it’s safe to put into our bodies or our children’s bodies.

Scarier still, many foods labeled as “all-natural” and “organic” contain genetically modified ingredients, and while the jury is still out as to how safe (or unsafe) GMOs are for human consumption, it shouldn’t be too much to expect that we not be misled in something as essential and personal as the food we eat – and that the state defend our right to know if and when we’re being misled.

The argument against GMO labeling is twofold, and generally lukewarm. The state claims that the nation’s largest biotech companies and biggest GMO culprits can bring lawsuits on grounds of free-speech, and that food regulations are pre-empted by the FDA. Opponents also claim that requiring these labels will cause food prices to increase due to higher food production costs.

Both arguments are paper-thin. While similar cases in the 90’s ran into similar legal problems, subsequent rulings, including the labeling of genetically modified fish in Alaska, were able to bypass these problems and stand as precedents of success. Meanwhile, claims of food price increases are conveniently coming from the biotech companies themselves – a scare tactic akin to blackmail.

After the bill failed (with 90% CT residents in favor of it!) Rep. Richard Roy put it best, saying “I feel very strongly that someone or some state has to challenge the use of the Bill of Rights, designed to protect we individuals, from using it to thwart the sharing of information and the subjugation of a whole industry. Residents of more than 50 other countries get simple information saying that GMOs are present in a product. The freest society in the world cannot get that simple sentence.”

Last week, at our Forum Our Fragile Earth, renowned food expert Michael Pollan gave one simple piece of advice when asked “What should we eat?”

“Eat real food.”

(see clip here)

Seems simple enough. But how can we “eat real food” when the companies selling it aren’t required to tell us what’s real and what’s not?     

Michael Pollan, at last Saturday’s Our Fragile Earth Forum, answers the question “what should we eat?”

We each throw away 7 pounds of trash every day. 

Just think about that for a minute. 

[Photo via Corbis Images / The Wall Street Journal]

This article asks where it all goes and examines some of the most stunning statistics, including the staggering costs of our garbage. For example, “American communities on average spend more money on waste management than on fire protection, parks and recreation, libraries or schoolbooks, according to U.S. Census data on municipal budgets.” 

Be afraid. 

Definitely worth a read. We’ll be digging in to this problem and much more at Our Fragile Earth Forum on Saturday. 

Last week Anthony Bourdain tweeted a link to David Simon’s blog. It makes me happy that these two, whom I admire, seem to truly admire one another. Bourdain has appeared on Simon’s newest show Treme, and is even a part of the writing staff to consult on and contribute to the restaurant-related story lines. 

I remembered that Bourdain had brought up Simon’s The Wire when he was at The Forum with the “Ace of Cakes” Duff Goldman in 2009. Bourdain was an unabashed fan. Duff respected the show too but, being from Baltimore, he worried about the reputation it gave his city. 

[David Simon at The Forum in 2008]

Prompted by Bourdain, I spent some time this weekend going through Simon’s blog. Any fan of his work should. There are some gems, like a quick post with a scanned copy of the ticket to the retirement party for Oscar “Bunk” Requer, the inspiration for the character of the same name, played by Wendell Pierce on The Wire. Simon brought Pierce with him to the party. “Bunk squared,” he calls it. And there are plenty of rants, and longer pieces, and links to his articles and video appearances. 

A quote from his article “Two Americas: A Primer for Europeans,” made me think of his appearance at The Forum. He writes,

I used to quote Churchill as declaring that a first-rate mind was one that could maintain two opposing ideas at the same time. It certainly sounded Churchillian to me until someone better read pointed out that this notable quote is by F Scott Fitzgerald. 

At first this disappoints, because the quote, to me, seems to argue for political nuance, for subtlety and precision in state affairs. For a long while, the literary origin of the credo made no sense. 

But then, The Wire.

As with Fitzgerald, we were selling story only. And at all points, when filming our drama, we understood that we were arguing the case of one America to the other. We were not saying everything, showing everything. We focused on the urban dynamic of drugs, crime and race. We argued the fraud of the drug war and offered an elegy for the death of union labour and the working class. We ruminated on the political infrastructure and its inability to reform. We picked a fight over the decline of public education and the lie behind our national claim to equality of opportunity. And lastly, we suggested that in the end, no one in our media culture is paying attention or asking hard questions.

His mis-attribution of the Fitzgerald quote and his reluctance to believe it’s literary origins, reminded me of a central theme that emerged during his appearance here. He was with the playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and Tony Kushner, the writer and producer of Angels in America. He kept insisting that they were the real artists, he was simply a reporter who had adapted his years of reporting for television. He resisted being called a storyteller or artist and said he was “fooling” us if we didn’t recognize how literal his work was.

He may have just been being argumentative. We had titled the Forum “Storytellers and the Stories They Tell,” and maybe he was just reluctant to embrace that title for himself. But I suspect that he may have struggled with how to classify his work on The Wire. I think the line between political commentary and artful storytelling is a line that The Wire walks perfectly. After all, sometimes the stories we love entertain, and sometimes they truly represent a place in time, but it is so rare that they do both, so well, as The Wire and David Simon did. 

Posted by Jamie Daniel; Advancement office

nevver:

Literary Paint Chips

I love this. 

Conquering the problem of “food deserts,” or areas deprived of grocery stores and fresh food options, with travelling food carts. A progressive idea. 

It seems that it’s hard to really care about scientific realities until we feel like they really affect us. Well, seems like American’s are finally getting worked up about climate change. 

Check out the Yale report “Extreme Weather, Climate & Preparedness in the American Mind” 

Highlights:

• 82 percent of Americans report that they personally experienced one or more types of extreme weather or a natural disaster in the past year;
• 35 percent of all Americans report that they were personally harmed either a great deal or a moderate amount by one or more of these extreme weather events in the past year;
• Over the past several years, Americans say the weather in the U.S. has been getting worse – rather than better – by a margin of over 2 to 1 (52% vs. 22%);
• A large majority of Americans believe that global warming made several high profile extreme weather events worse, including the unusually warm winter of December 2011 and January 2012 (72%), record high summer temperatures in the U.S. in 2011 (70%), the drought in Texas and Oklahoma in 2011 (69%), record snowfall in the U.S. in 2010 and 2011 (61%), the Mississippi River floods in the spring of 2011 (63%), and Hurricane Irene (59%);

brooklynmutt:

Watch the video that documentarian Alex Gibney presented at today’s Christopher Hitchens memorial

via Vanity Fair

We are proud to be included in Christopher Hitchens’ memorial. You can watch his entire Forum appearance with Reverend Peter Gomes and Rabbi Harold Kushner here. 

Warning:  Fight the urge and watch the Entire video.  It won’t be as funny if you cheat.

30 somethings.  iGen.  Millenials.  Gen Y.  What do you call us?  This recent parody video from Yahoo!’s SketchY comedy series, features a 30-something guy spoofing the hit song “We Are Young,” by Fun.  It pokes fun at the woes and ills of being in your 30’s.  Watch it, and listen carefully.  Then we’ll play some true/false…

Our friends are having kids, and host dinner parties with cheese plates.  TRUE!  I personally love cheese, especially when it’s provided by someone else, along with drinks and good conversation.  And while we’re on it, I’d apply the cheese plate philosophy to my friend’s kids – I’d rather they provide the children for me to enjoy when I go to their house, then I get to leave and sleep in the next morning.         

We’re professional flakes:  we change jobs, go to grad school, yoga teacher training, real estate license tests, and improv class.  FALSE!  Am I missing something?  Last time I checked, we still teach our little sprouts to pursue education, exercise, career and fun.  Is there an expiration date on trying new things, the pursuit of happiness, and lifelong learning?  Does that expire at 30?  And, since companies are not offering us any incentive to stick around for a fat pension, why should we stick to one career, one company? 

Waiters = Losers.  FALSE!  My friends that work in restaurants have by far the best return on investment of their time - this gives them the freedom, flexibility and money to pursue other projects and adventures in daylight, with less traffic, while the worker bees are otherwise occupied.  They always have cash, have the best stories, and are some of the smartest, funniest, most socially competent people I know.

We’re holding out on getting engaged, getting married, and getting serious.  TRUE!  Can you blame us?  Despite the fact that more than half of marriages end in divorce, we’re still pressured to take the next step even if we’re focused on our careers, or leap lists. 

We’re tech obsessed:  we blog, know how to use Photoshop, can’t live without our smartphones.  TRUE!  The four CT Forum bloggers are the four staff members under 40, and two who are also the office Photoshop-ers.  One night I accidentally left my iPhone at the office and was stressing about all the texts I wasn’t able to respond to, phone calls I missed, and immediately jumped on the computer when I got home to stay on top of my email and Facebook.  I rest my case.

We’re broke, scared, depressed, drugged, and don’t know what to do.  FALSE!  Maybe some of us are some of the time, but I’m inspired every day by 30-somethings in my community who are connecting, collaborating, and totally in action.  Here at The CT Forum, we’ve been amazed  by panelists in their 20s and 30s who show creativity, innovation and bravery in taking on the world’s wicked problems, unlocking the potential of technology, and creating new models for business, making new discoveries in science, quirky movies, amazing cakes, and soulful music.

Of course, “young” is a relative term, and I can take a joke.  True or False? 

Naomi Reid, CT Forum staff and blogger, Age 30

Jonah Lehrer on Colbert on creativity and innovation. 

I imagine that, were I to invite Michael Pollan over for a lawn feast, he’d constantly be slapping my hand and saying “NO!” like a mother scolding a petulant child.

Pollan, best-selling author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma (among others), general healthy food expert, and panelist at our upcoming Forum, Our Fragile Earth (Saturday, May 5), has been a staunch advocate of all things local and green – which is why I have a feeling he’d disapprove of me recklessly gorging myself on Fenway Franks, macaroni salad and Lays potato chips.

After reading through Pollan’s book, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, though, I’m beginning to think it’s entirely possible to maintain a healthy diet while shoveling barbeque foodstuffs into my face.

Therefore, in the hopes of saving barbeque season while still saving the integrity of my beer-battered body, I present to you PJ’s BBQ Food Rules: A Cheater’s Manual.

1. Pollan says: “Avoid foods you see advertised on television”

PJ says: This one seems pretty easy, right? Until you realize that most of your BBQ go-tos are TV staples. Good-bye potato chips, hotdogs, most condiments, and a vast array of delicious meats. Fortunately, warm weather means local farmers’ markets should be cropping up all over the state – a perfect opportunity to grab fresh, local veggies, meats and fish. If you’re looking for some crunch, try making some crispy baked kale chips or homemade sweet potato fries, which are both WAY better than they sound. Seriously.

2. Pollan says: “Eat like an omnivore”

PJ says: This one goes out to my dad, who never met a burger he didn’t like, or a green leaf he did. Don’t be afraid to grab some local fish or veggies you’ve never heard of before (and make sure you Google how to prepare them), or put the meat on top of a salad instead of in between a starchy white bun. I call it the “at the very least, mixing in some veggies will help you avoid the meat-sweats” approach.

3. Pollan says: “Have a glass of wine with dinner”

PJ says: Thanks Mike, I’ll have two.

Wine pairing ideas –

Juicy Malbecs and peppery Zinfandels mix and match well with burgers and spicy barbeque rubs.

White wines from Burgundy and Rose blends are incredibly versatile and can pair with anything from light chicken and veggie dishes to fresh pasta salads.

Acidity and fish are always a good match – look for crisp, citrusy white wines like Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or Albarino from Spain.

Grab a sweet, sparkling Brachetto (red) or Moscato d’Asti (white) for your fruits and desserts.

4. Pollan says: “Eat some foods that have been predigested by bacteria or fungi”

PJ says: Gross. Still, portabella burgers, sour dough rolls, and coleslaw made with yogurt can be healthy stand-ins that provide lots of B12 and probiotics, which help reduce allergic reactions and inflammation. Just forget about the whole predigested thing, because… gross. 

5. Pollan says: “Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks.”

PJ says: Pollan’s pretty much saying “quit eating like such an American,” which is to say stay away from the overly processed, overly preserved junk food you find on most supermarket shelves. Try chicken teriyaki skewers, crunchy Asian coleslaw, or peppers grilled and stuffed with quinoa, veggies and feta cheese. Believe it or not, you can still be American without eating three chili dogs before noon… I think. 

America!

6. Michael Pollan says: “If you’re having a barbeque, don’t forget to invite PJ Decoteau”

PJ says: It’s good advice. 

lumoslb:

(via Make everyday Earth Day Mounted Rubber Stamp recycle by terbearco)

Sure, we may have appreciated the mild winter and record-breaking spring temperatures. But what does this all mean for the future of our planet?  

NPR’s “All Things Considered” reports: “The United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change released a report this week that says we’re more likely to face extreme weather events in the coming decades. That includes things like more intense heat waves, heavier rainfalls and longer droughts.” 

Read the entire story here. 

What is it that sparks the internal drive for change? Is it the realization that the thing you consider stable, reliable, trustworthy in your life is slowly being corrupted or damaged? Is it that the cost (emotionally, physically, monetarily) has seemingly become too high? Or is it some amalgamation of the two?

For Majora Carter, Our Fragile Earth panelist and Peabody Award-Winning radio series host, it was both.

In a 2006 TED talk Majora explained her frustration over the environmental injustice occurring in her neighborhood of the South Bronx – and how she eventually did something about it.

“As a black person in America, I am five times more likely to live within walking distance of a power plant or chemical facility – which I do.”

 “Why would someone want to leave their house and take a brisk walk in a toxic neighborhood?”

Majora told of how she, with help from a few key community partners, helped to revitalize the Hunts Point Riverfront with a $10,000 seed grant.

The news astounded me. Her passion, poise and drive undoubtedly caught my attention because her story is not unlike my own. “Yea, I’m a poor black child from the ghetto” too.  And yes, I live within walking distance of a power plant or chemical facility right here in Connecticut.

[Waterbury 100 MW Power Plant - Waterbury, CT]

But how does this realization change anything? How does this really affect me? The answer is simple.

Sustainability is not only a very serious concern for the future; it’s a real threat to our here-and-now. Majora mentioned that economic degradation begets environmental degradation which begets social degradation. Somehow, someway all the “problems” of the urban area in which I live are related.

High unemployment, high incarceration rates, broken homes, economic instability, poor health quality – these issues are not only interdependent, they are so tightly woven together that one answer doesn’t fit all.

However, there is one way to move toward a real solution to these deficiencies: AWARENESS.

What Majora Carter and environmental advocates around the world are doing is not only revolutionizing their own space in the world, but spreading awareness about the small – and sometimes – big changes that we as individuals can make to improve the quality of our lives and the life of the planet.

Carter says we as Americans have been “blessed with the gift of influence.” I argue that we should use that influence wisely. We should get involved and engaged in matters that really matter. OK, so we might not be able to single-handedly stop global warming, but we can make a change in the produce or meat we eat or buy. And as an Advisory Board member of The Connecticut Forum recently said, as Americans we vote with our dollar.

“I know it’s the bottom line – or one’s perception of it – that motivates people,” Majora said. I know that to be true, whether it’s your own bottom line or that of a Fortune 500 company’s, dollars make change.

So, as one with an awakened conscience, I ask: what is it that will spark that internal drive for change in you?

Check out Majora’s TEDtalk here!

Posted by Natalie Thompson